Why Do Two Synchronous Connections at Domain Registries Make Availability Checks the Hard Part of Suggesting Names for Dnsimple?

The hard part of suggesting domain names is not coming up with words to string together and suggest. The hard part is determining whether the names are available. Most registries set really strict limits on how many times a query can ask whether a name is available, and in some cases the limits are absurdly small.

Some registries let you open two synchronous connections, and that is it. Everything being done has to fit through two. The connections are stateful, not stateless. A new version of the protocol that registrars use to connect to registries is being developed around REST and stateless transfer through the entire packet, so a long-lived connection does not have to stay open. Keeping a long-lived connection open does not scale to the level people need to operate at.

On the show, the speaker has a feeling that search will be a lot easier to add once the new protocol starts getting deployed at some of the registries and registrars. The suggestion part is not what makes the search hard. The checking part is really hard.