How to Get an is-a.dev Subdomain and Use It with Vercel

If you want a free, developer-friendly domain for your projects, is-a.dev is one of the best choices. It integrates seamlessly with modern hosting platforms like Vercel, costs nothing, and is maintained by an active open-source community. This guide will walk you through the entire process from registration to deployment.

In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to:

Register a custom yourname.is-a.dev subdomain
Configure Vercel to use it
Add the required DNS files through GitHub
Get your new domain live and working

This comprehensive guide is perfect for beginners and experienced developers looking to deploy side projects with a professional domain name without any cost.

What Is is-a.dev?

is-a.dev is a free domain service for developers that allows you to register subdomains like yourname.is-a.dev. Instead of paying for a custom domain, you submit your DNS configuration through a GitHub pull request, and once approved, your subdomain goes live. It's a community-driven project that provides free subdomains to developers worldwide.

is-a.dev is perfect for:

Personal websites and portfolios
API endpoints and microservices
Vercel, Netlify, and other hosting platforms
Open-source projects and demos
Developer tools and utilities

Step 1: Set Up Your Vercel Project

Before connecting your domain, ensure you have a Vercel project deployed. If you don't have one yet, follow Vercel's official getting started guide. Once your project is deployed and accessible via Vercel's default domain (e.g., your-project.vercel.app), you're ready to bind a custom is-a.dev subdomain to your project.

Step 2: Add Your is-a.dev Subdomain in Vercel

Open the Vercel Dashboard and navigate to your project
Go to Settings → Domains
Click Add Domain
Enter your desired subdomain (e.g., yourname.is-a.dev)
Click Add to continue
Select Continue manually when prompted
Important: Copy the TXT verification value that Vercel generates - you'll need this in the next step

This TXT record is crucial as it verifies domain ownership with Vercel. Make sure to save it securely.

Step 3: Fork the is-a.dev Registry

Navigate to the is-a.dev registration repository on GitHub. Click the Fork button in the top-right corner to create your own editable copy of the repository. This fork allows you to make changes and submit them via a pull request.

Step 4: Create the Required DNS Files

Inside your forked repository, navigate to the /domains folder. You need to create two JSON files that will configure your DNS records. These files tell the is-a.dev service where to point your subdomain.

File 1: Primary Domain Configuration

Create a file named your-subdomain.json (replace your-subdomain with your desired subdomain name, e.g., example.json).

Add the following JSON structure, updating the values with your information:

{
    "owner": {
        "username": "your-github-username",
        "email": "your-email@example.com"
    },
    "records": {
        "A": ["76.76.21.21"]
    }
}

Important Notes:

Replace your-github-username with your actual GitHub username
Use your real email address
The A record IP address may vary - check Vercel's documentation for the current IP, or use the IP address Vercel shows in the domain settings. Common Vercel IPs include 76.76.21.21 or 76.223.126.88, but always verify with Vercel's current documentation.

File 2: Vercel Verification Record

Create a file named _vercel.your-subdomain.json (e.g., _vercel.example.json). The _vercel prefix is important as it creates a subdomain specifically for Vercel verification.

Paste the following JSON, replacing the placeholder with the TXT verification value you copied from Vercel:

{
    "owner": {
        "username": "your-github-username",
        "email": "your-email@example.com"
    },
    "records": {
        "TXT": "your-vercel-txt-verification-string"
    }
}

Important: Replace your-vercel-txt-verification-string with the exact TXT record value you copied from Vercel in Step 2. This verification record proves to Vercel that you control the domain.

Step 5: Submit Your Pull Request

After creating and saving both JSON files:

Commit your changes with a clear message like "Add domain configuration for yourname.is-a.dev"
Push your changes to your forked repository
Open a pull request to the main is-a.dev register repository

Once submitted, your PR will be reviewed by the is-a.dev maintainers. The review process typically takes a few hours to a few days.

Tips for Faster Review

Join the is-a.dev Discord community
Share your PR link once in the #pull-requests channel
Ensure your JSON files are properly formatted and contain valid information
Be patient and respectful of the volunteer maintainers' time

Step 6: Wait for Merge & Confirm Your Domain

Once your pull request is merged:

Your DNS records become active (usually within minutes)
Vercel will automatically detect and validate your domain
Your site will be accessible at yourname.is-a.dev

Troubleshooting

If your domain still redirects to the is-a.dev homepage or shows an error:

Wait for DNS propagation - This can take a few minutes to several hours
Clear your browser cache or use an incognito/private window
Check Vercel's domain settings to ensure the domain is properly configured
Verify your DNS records are correct in the is-a.dev registry
Check Vercel's deployment logs for any domain-related errors

DNS propagation is usually fast (5-30 minutes), but can occasionally take up to 24 hours.

Final Thoughts

Using is-a.dev with Vercel provides several benefits:

Professional subdomain - Get a clean, developer-friendly domain name
Zero cost - Completely free, no hidden fees
Easy configuration - Simple GitHub-based setup process
Community-driven - Maintained by an active open-source community
Fast setup - Get your domain live in hours, not days

It's one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to give your Vercel project a custom URL without purchasing a domain. Perfect for personal projects, portfolios, and open-source demos.

Additional Resources

If you found this guide helpful, consider sharing it with other developers or contributing to the is-a.dev project!