Domain Management

Manage domain ownership, contracts, and costs in Ralph

Ralph’s Domain module handles domain ownership, business purpose, and payment information. This is a domain ownership and contract management tool, not a DNS record manager.

For DNS record management, see django-powerdns-dnssec which integrates with PowerDNS server.

Overview

The Domain module helps you:

• Track domain ownership and registration details
• Manage domain contracts and renewals
• Monitor domain costs and billing
• Organize domains by business segment
• Link domains to services and environments
• Maintain domain hierarchy (domain and subdomains)

Domain Structure

Domains can be organized hierarchically:

allegrogroup.com (parent: none)
├── test.allegrogroup.com (parent: allegrogroup.com)
└── api.allegrogroup.com (parent: allegrogroup.com)

Adding a Domain

1. Navigate to Domains

   Click Domain → Domains → Add domain

2. Enter Domain Name

   Type the full domain name (e.g., allegrogroup.com).

   For top-level domains, leave Parent unset.

3. Set Service Environment

   Select the Service/Environment pair describing why this domain exists.

   Examples:

   • Service: “Auction Service”, Environment: “production”
   • Service: “Internal Tools”, Environment: “testing”
4. Choose Domain Status

   Select the current status:

   • Active - Domain is in use
   • Pending lapse - Expiring soon
   • Pending transfer - Being transferred away
   • Lapsed - Inactive/expired
   • Transferred away - No longer owned
5. Set Business Segment

   Choose or create a business segment to group related domains.

   Example: “Marketplaces”, “Internal Services”, “Partner Sites”

6. Assign Ownership

   Set the responsible parties:

   • Business Owner - Manages domain and subdomain strategy
   • Technical Owner - Handles technical maintenance
   • Domain Holder - Company receiving billing
7. Add Pricing Information

   Enter contract details:

   • Expiration date - When the domain registration expires
   • Registrant name - Registrar (e.g., “GoDaddy”, “Namecheap”)
   • Domain price - Cost for the registration period
8. Save the Domain

   Click Save to create the domain record.

Adding Subdomains

To add a subdomain:

1. Create Subdomain

   Add a new domain with the full subdomain name.

   Example: test.allegrogroup.com

2. Set Parent

   In the Parent field, select the parent domain.

   Example: Select allegrogroup.com

3. Configure Settings

   Set service environment, owners, and other details as needed.

This creates a hierarchical relationship between domains.

Domain Fields Explained

Basic Information

Domain Name

• Full domain name including TLD
• Must be unique across all domains
• Example: example.com, api.example.com

Parent Domain

• Links subdomain to parent domain
• Leave empty for top-level domains
• Creates organizational hierarchy

Domain Status

• Tracks lifecycle state
• Helps identify expiring or transferred domains
• Use for renewal planning

Business Details

Service Environment

• Links domain to a specific service and deployment environment
• Helps understand domain purpose
• Useful for organizing multi-service architectures

Business Segment

• Groups domains by business unit or product line
• Examples: “E-commerce”, “Marketing”, “Internal IT”
• Enables cost allocation by segment

Ownership and Responsibility

Business Owner

• Responsible for domain strategy
• Approves subdomain creation
• Makes business decisions about domain use

Technical Owner

• Handles DNS configuration (if applicable)
• Manages technical integrations
• Responsible for uptime and technical SLAs

Domain Holder

• Legal entity that owns the domain
• Receives invoices for domain registration
• Example: “Allegro Group”, “ACME Corporation”

Financial Information

Expiration Date

• When current registration expires
• Used for renewal tracking
• Set alerts before expiration

Registrant Name

• Domain registrar managing the domain
• Examples: “GoDaddy”, “Namecheap”, “AWS Route53”
• Helps track where domains are registered

Domain Price

• Cost for current registration period
• Used for budget tracking
• May include multiple years

Domain Status Types

Active

• Domain is currently in use
• DNS is configured and serving traffic

Pending Lapse

• Approaching expiration date
• Needs renewal decision
• May require budget approval

Pending Transfer

• Being transferred to another registrar or owner
• May have transfer lock period

Lapsed (Inactive)

• Registration has expired
• May be in grace or redemption period
• Could still be recoverable

Transferred Away

• No longer owned by your organization
• Historical record only
• Keep for audit trail

Common Workflows

Domain Renewal Planning

1. Find Expiring Domains

   Filter domains by expiration date to find those expiring soon.

2. Contact Business Owner

   Verify if the domain should be renewed with the business owner.

3. Update Status

   Set status to “Pending lapse” if renewal is uncertain.

4. Process Renewal

   After renewal, update expiration date and price if changed.

Subdomain Request

1. Verify Parent Domain

   Ensure the parent domain exists in Ralph.

2. Get Approval

   Contact the parent domain’s business owner for approval.

3. Create Subdomain

   Add the subdomain with parent relationship.

4. Configure DNS

   If using PowerDNS integration, configure DNS records.

Cost Tracking

1. Group by Segment

   Use business segment to organize domains by cost center.

2. Export Data

   Generate reports showing costs per segment.

3. Budget Planning

   Use expiration dates to plan renewal costs for next fiscal year.

Integration with DNS Management

While Ralph tracks domain ownership, DNS record management requires additional tools:

PowerDNS Integration

For DNS records, use django-powerdns-dnssec:

• Manage A, AAAA, CNAME, MX records
• DNSSEC support
• Integration with PowerDNS server
• API access to DNS records

Ralph’s domain module and PowerDNS can work together:

• Ralph: Domain ownership and contracts
• PowerDNS: DNS records and resolution

Tips and Best Practices

Set Expiration Reminders: Create a process to review domains 60-90 days before expiration.

Consistent Naming: Use a standard for subdomain names (e.g., service-environment.domain.com).

Document Ownership: Always assign business and technical owners for accountability.

Track All Costs: Include multi-year registrations with the total cost and expiration date.

Domain expiration can cause service outages. Always monitor expiration dates and renew critical domains early.

API Access

Access domain data via REST API:

# List all domains
curl https://<YOUR-RALPH-URL>/api/domains/ \
  -H "Authorization: Token YOUR_TOKEN"

# Get specific domain
curl https://<YOUR-RALPH-URL>/api/domains/1234/ \
  -H "Authorization: Token YOUR_TOKEN"

# Filter by business segment
curl https://<YOUR-RALPH-URL>/api/domains/?business_segment=5 \
  -H "Authorization: Token YOUR_TOKEN"

Related Documentation

• Custom Fields - Add custom domain metadata
• External: django-powerdns-dnssec for DNS management