GoDaddy API access policy update

Client dev
1

For those who weren't aware back in April 2024, GoDaddy updated the access policies for their DNS APIs and basically cut off anyone who didn't have 10+ domains registered or was paying $20+/month for various other services. A user hostile policy from a registrar that was already pretty user hostile. No big surprise, but it likely forced some hobbyists to find a new registrar or at least move their DNS hosting elsewhere.

I've been recently working on some stuff related to my client's GoDaddy plugin and ended up opening a support case because I don't spend enough to qualify for API access and not even their OTE (test) API seemed to be working.

Long story short, I just got this email from support after some back and forth.

We wanted to share some good news — based on customer feedback, we’ve updated our access requirements for parts of the production Domains API.

Availability API access will still require 50 or more domains in the account.

However, for the DNS and Management APIs, it’s now much easier to qualify. Customers are eligible if they meet any one of the following:

  • Have 1 or more domain with GoDaddy
  • Have an active Discount Domain Club Pro (DDC) membership
  • Have made an eligible purchase of $20 or more per month

A few important notes:

  • These changes apply only to the DNS and Management APIs
  • OTE API access is not affected
  • The $20 requirement is monthly, not $20 total
  • If you have 1 or more domain with GoDaddy, you are eligible to use the DNS API

If you believe your account qualifies under these updated requirements and you’re still having trouble accessing the API, just reply an we can review your account

So yay, I guess. I haven't actually tested it yet though.

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2

Thanks for flagging the policy update. The relaxed requirements (1+ domain now qualifies) mean most LE users on GoDaddy can get API access again.

For anyone setting up or restoring automated DNS-01 renewal with GoDaddy after this change, here is the practical path:

  1. Create an API key at https://developer.godaddy.com/keys - you will need your GoDaddy account to have at least one domain registered.

  2. Install the certbot-dns-godaddy plugin (or the equivalent for your ACME client):

pip install certbot-dns-godaddy

  1. Create credentials file at ~/.secrets/certbot/godaddy.ini:

dns_godaddy_secret = your_api_secret
dns_godaddy_key = your_api_key

  1. Set permissions: chmod 600 ~/.secrets/certbot/godaddy.ini

  2. Request/renew:

certbot certonly --authenticator dns-godaddy --dns-godaddy-credentials ~/.secrets/certbot/godaddy.ini -d example.com -d *.example.com

The wildcard example is particularly useful since GoDaddy's DNS API makes DNS-01 practical for wildcard certs that HTTP-01 cannot handle.

Note: GoDaddy's API can take 30-120 seconds to propagate DNS records, so set --dns-godaddy-propagation-seconds 120 if you see validation failures on first attempt.

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Thanks for the notification. I can now update the dynamic IP address of my website again, after the script stopped working two years ago.

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They made the API usable again, but I still want to ask,

"Why in the right mind would anyone still use GoDaddy when there are a lot of better registrars out there?".

I stopped using GoDaddy back in 2011, when the CEO Bob Parsons boasted about killing Elephants in Zimbabwe.

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