---
title: Selling Domains Through NameSilo
description: "NameSilo is the simplest registrar integration to set up — one API key and nothing else. It is also the narrowest: it registers, transfers, renews, reads domain details, sets nameservers and toggles the registrar lock, but has no EPP-code retrieval,…"
url: "https://rackhelm.com/documentation/registrar-namesilo/"
updated: "2026-09-24"
category: "Integrations: Domains & SSL"
---

# Selling Domains Through NameSilo

NameSilo is the simplest registrar integration to set up — one API key and nothing else. It is also the narrowest: it registers, transfers, renews, reads domain details, sets nameservers and toggles the registrar lock, but has no EPP-code retrieval, no bulk availability search and no in-portal DNS editing. This article is for operators; for how domain orders flow through the platform in general, read [How domain registration works in RackHelm](/docs/how-domain-registration-works/) first.

## Before you start

- A NameSilo account with API access and an API key.
- This server's outbound IP added to your NameSilo API configuration. Calls from unlisted addresses are rejected.
- The `edit_integrations` permission.

## Configure the panel

1. Open **Integrations → NameSilo** (`/admin/panels/namesilo`).
2. Paste the API key and set the timeout.
3. Press **Test API**. RackHelm calls `getAccountBalance`; success reports your account balance, which is a stronger signal than a bare 200 — it proves the key can actually spend.
4. Press **Save**.

![The NameSilo panel showing the API key field, timeout and Test API button](/wp-content/uploads/rackhelm-docs/integrations-domains-namesilo-panel.png)
A successful test reports the live account balance rather than just "OK".

### Field reference

| Field | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Name** | Display label. Defaults to `NameSilo`. Up to 120 characters. |
| **Active** | Master switch. An inactive panel is not offered as an integration type on products. |
| **API Key** | Sent as `key` on every call. Never rendered back into the page — **leave blank to keep the stored value**. |
| **HTTP Timeout (sec)** | Seconds to wait for NameSilo. The field defaults to 30 and enforces a minimum of 5; when no timeout has been stored at all the driver falls back to 60. |

> **Warning:** The NameSilo panel has **no sandbox switch**. Everything you do through it hits the live NameSilo account and spends real credit. NameSilo does operate an OTE environment, but there is no field to select it — treat every test order as a real purchase.

## Put TLDs on sale

There is no bulk price importer for NameSilo. Create each TLD product manually under **Catalogue → Catalogue & Groups**, named after the extension with its leading dot (`.com`), then set **Integration Type** to **NameSilo** on the product's **Provisioning** tab. The product name is how the driver builds the domain, so it has to be exact.

## What NameSilo supports

| Capability | Behaviour |
| --- | --- |
| Registration | `registerDomain`. The contact block (name, address, city, state, postcode, country, email, phone) is POSTed rather than put in the URL. |
| Transfer | `transferDomain`. An EPP/auth code is **required** — without one the driver fails with "EPP Code is required for transfer." |
| Renewal | `renewDomain` for the billing cycle's whole years. |
| Nameservers | Supported from the customer's domain page. |
| Registrar lock | Read and toggle. |
| WHOIS privacy | Set at registration only: a truthy `DomainPrivacy` order variable sends `private=1`. There is no method to enable privacy afterwards. |
| Availability | One name per call — there is no bulk check, so a group search across many NameSilo TLDs is one call per TLD. |
| EPP code | Not implemented. Customers wanting to transfer away must be given the code from the NameSilo panel by hand. |
| DNS records | Not implemented in RackHelm. |
| SSL certificates | Not offered. NameSilo's public API has no SSL operations, so it cannot be automated. |
| Suspend / unsuspend | Not implemented; domains have no suspend concept. |

> **Note:** Registrations are sent with `auto_renew=0`. Renewal is driven by RackHelm's own billing — the domain is renewed when the customer's invoice is paid, not automatically at NameSilo. Do not also enable auto-renew in the NameSilo panel or you will pay twice.

## Importing your existing NameSilo domains

NameSilo is one of the registrars the domain importer covers. Run `php artisan domains:sync-providers` first, then work through [Importing existing domains from a registrar](/docs/importing-existing-domains/). The NameSilo sync lists your domains and fetches expiry and lock status per domain for anything not seen in 24 hours, so the first run on a large portfolio takes a while.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Cause and fix |
| --- | --- |
| Test API shows "No saved API key; please enter it." | The field was left blank and nothing is stored. Paste the key once and test again. |
| Test API shows "Connected, but no balance data returned." | NameSilo answered without a balance — usually an API-level rejection. Check the key is active and the IP is allowlisted in the NameSilo dashboard. |
| Every call fails with an API error | NameSilo returns a numeric reply code; anything other than 300 is a failure. The message is passed through to the admin with credentials scrubbed. |
| Transfer order fails immediately | No EPP code on the order. Unlike Nominet, NameSilo transfers cannot start without one — make the `EppCode` variable required on your transfer products. |
| Domain page shows no EPP Code | Expected: the driver has no `getEppCode()`. Retrieve it from the NameSilo panel and give it to the customer. |
| Group availability search is slow | No bulk check exists, so each TLD is one round trip. Keep the number of NameSilo TLDs in a searchable group modest, or put high-traffic TLDs on a registrar that supports bulk checks. |
| Sync job logs "NameSilo Sync Failed" | Look in `storage/logs/laravel.log`. The key is scrubbed from the message, so check the key and IP allowlist directly. |