Namecheap vs Porkbun for developers: API access, DNS, and automation

If you only need to buy a domain and point it somewhere, Namecheap and Porkbun are both fine, and the choice mostly comes down to the price of your TLD. Compare current prices on Namecheap's pricing page and Porkbun's pricing page rather than trusting a blog post, since both change often.

If you want to manage DNS from code, the two are far apart. Porkbun's API is open to every account, uses JSON, and edits one record at a time. Namecheap's API needs an account that meets a spend or domain-count bar, requires a whitelisted IPv4 address on every call, speaks XML, and replaces a domain's whole record list on each write. Both work, and both have sandboxes, but Porkbun is less work to automate.

This comparison only covers the developer side: API access, DNS automation, and testing. The facts come from Namecheap's API docs and API FAQ, checked on 2026-10-30, and Porkbun's API documentation (version 3.65), checked on 2026-10-29 and 2026-10-30.

The short versionCopy Anchor Link

Getting API accessCopy Anchor Link

Porkbun lets any account create a key under Account → API Access. You choose its permissions, and you can restrict it to some domains or source IP ranges. Then you switch on API Access for each domain the key should touch. Forgetting that switch is a common reason a valid key gets refused. The account also has one monthly API spending limit shared by all its keys, covering purchases such as registrations, renewals, and transfers, and credit added through the API. It defaults to $100 a month until the account holder sets one. DNS changes don't count against it.

Namecheap gates production access. The account must have at least 20 domains, at least $50 in its balance, or at least $50 spent in the last two years, or you have to ask support. Once on, you get one API key for the account (the docs describe no scopes), and no call works until you whitelist an IPv4 address on the same screen. Every request also sends that address as ClientIp. IPv6 isn't accepted.

The whitelist is the bigger practical difference. Serverless functions often don't have a fixed outbound IP, so with Namecheap you need a server or proxy with a static IPv4 address. With Porkbun, IP limits are an extra layer you can add, not a requirement.

Writing DNS recordsCopy Anchor Link

This is where the APIs differ most.

Porkbun works per record. POST /dns/create/{domain} adds one record and returns its ID. /dns/edit and /dns/delete change one record by ID, and the ByNameType variants work by name and type. Adding a TXT record never touches the domain's other records. The Porkbun API guide has working fetch code.

Namecheap works per zone. namecheap.domains.dns.setHosts takes the full list of host records, and every record you leave out is deleted. To add a TXT record you read the list with getHosts, append the record, send everything back, and preferably read again to check. Two scripts writing the same domain at once can wipe each other's changes. The Namecheap API guide walks through that cycle.

Both have a delegation catch. Namecheap's DNS commands only work while the domain uses its BasicDNS nameservers; on PremiumDNS, FreeDNS, or Cloudflare you get an error. Porkbun keeps a zone for every domain even when its nameservers point elsewhere, so a write returns SUCCESS with a warning and public DNS doesn't change. Either way, check the nameservers before you write.

TestingCopy Anchor Link

Namecheap's sandbox at sandbox.namecheap.com is a separate site with separate accounts and its own endpoint, api.sandbox.namecheap.com. It has no access requirements, so it's where you build before your real account qualifies. Domains registered there exist in the registries' test systems and can't be deleted.

Porkbun's sandbox uses special pk1_sb_ keys on the normal base URL, so you only swap keys. Porkbun also runs a mock server at https://api.porkbun.com/api/json/v3/mock/<path> that returns example responses without any credentials, which is handy in CI.

Using both from one codebaseCopy Anchor Link

If your users bring domains from either registrar, you don't have to write two integrations. Domain SDK has DNS adapters for Porkbun and Namecheap behind the same createDnsClient API, so only the adapter line changes:

import { createDnsClient } from "@opencoredev/domain-sdk";
import { namecheap } from "@opencoredev/domain-sdk/namecheap";
import { porkbun } from "@opencoredev/domain-sdk/porkbun";

export const porkbunDns = createDnsClient({
  provider: porkbun({
    apiKey: process.env.PORKBUN_API_KEY!,
    secretApiKey: process.env.PORKBUN_SECRET_API_KEY!,
  }),
});

export const namecheapDns = createDnsClient({
  provider: namecheap({
    apiUser: process.env.NAMECHEAP_API_USER!,
    apiKey: process.env.NAMECHEAP_API_KEY!,
    clientIp: process.env.NAMECHEAP_CLIENT_IP!,
  }),
});

// Same call for either registrar: creates only what is missing.
await porkbunDns.ensureRecords(
  [{ type: "TXT", name: "_verify.example.com", value: "verification-token-123" }],
  { zone: "example.com" },
);

The Namecheap adapter handles the read, merge, write, and verify cycle and queues writes per domain inside one adapter instance. Both adapters report a domain that isn't on the registrar's nameservers through getZone(), refuse to overwrite conflicting records unless you pass onConflict: "replace", and map errors to the same typed codes. Domain SDK only writes DNS records; it doesn't register, transfer, or price domains at either registrar.

Which one should a developer pick?Copy Anchor Link

• Pick Porkbun if you're starting fresh and want to automate DNS: no access bar, no IP whitelist, JSON, per-record writes, scoped keys, and idempotent retries.
• Stay with Namecheap if your domains already live there and the account meets the access bar. The API is older and stricter, but it's stable, documented, and fully workable once you whitelist a static IP and always write the full host list.
• Check the TTL you need. Namecheap allows TTLs down to 60 seconds; Porkbun's minimum is usually 600. For fast cutovers that can matter.
• For customer domains you don't control, the registrar isn't your choice. Support both, or ask customers to add the records themselves using a DNS records table.

Common questionsCopy Anchor Link

Is Porkbun or Namecheap better for DNS?Copy Anchor Link

For automating DNS from code, Porkbun is simpler: per-record JSON endpoints and no IP whitelist. For hand-editing records in a dashboard, both are fine.

Does Namecheap have an API for every account?Copy Anchor Link

No. Production API access needs 20+ domains, a $50+ balance, or $50+ spent in the last two years. The sandbox is open to everyone.

Do I need a static IP for the Porkbun API?Copy Anchor Link

No. You can restrict a Porkbun key to IP ranges, but it isn't required. Namecheap requires a whitelisted IPv4 address on every call.

Can I move a domain from Namecheap to Porkbun?Copy Anchor Link

Yes, with a normal registrar transfer, and Porkbun's knowledge base covers the steps. If the domain uses Namecheap BasicDNS, recreate its records at Porkbun before you switch nameservers so nothing stops resolving. With Domain SDK, listRecords() on the Namecheap client gives you the list to copy.

Next stepsCopy Anchor Link

• Porkbun API: create DNS records from TypeScript
• Namecheap API: manage DNS records from TypeScript
• Spaceship DNS adapter: the third registrar Domain SDK supports.
• DNS records: what each record does for a custom domain.