n8n-nodes-namecheap

This is an n8n community node that provides integration with the Namecheap API. It lets you automate domain registration, DNS management, and nameserver configuration directly from your n8n workflows.

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation platform.

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Prerequisites
• Credentials
• Operations
  • Domain Operations
  • DNS Operations
• Compatibility
• Usage Examples
• Resources
• License

Installation

Follow the installation guide in the n8n community nodes documentation.

Community Nodes Installation

1. Go to Settings > Community Nodes in your n8n instance
2. Select Install
3. Enter n8n-nodes-namecheap in the Enter npm package name field
4. Click Install

Alternatively, if you're self-hosting n8n:

npm install n8n-nodes-namecheap

Prerequisites

Before using this node, you need:

1. A Namecheap account
2. API access enabled on your Namecheap account
3. Your API key from Namecheap
4. A whitelisted IP address for API access

Enabling Namecheap API Access

1. Log in to your Namecheap account
2. Navigate to Profile > Tools > API Access
3. Enable API access
4. Whitelist your server's IP address
5. Copy your API key

Note: Namecheap offers a Sandbox Environment for testing API calls without affecting real domains.

Credentials

To use this node, you'll need to configure the Namecheap API credentials in n8n:

| Field | Description | Required | | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------- | | API User | Your Namecheap username | Yes | | API Key | Your Namecheap API key from the API Access page | Yes | | Username | Username for API commands (usually the same as API User) | Yes | | Client IP | Your whitelisted IP address for API access | Yes | | Sandbox Mode | Toggle to use the Namecheap sandbox environment for testing | No (default: false) |

How to Add Credentials

1. In your n8n workflow, add the Namecheap node
2. Click on Credential to connect with
3. Select Create New
4. Enter your Namecheap API credentials
5. Click Save

Operations

The Namecheap node supports two main resources: Domain and DNS.

Domain Operations

Manage domain registrations and check domain availability.

Check Availability

Check if one or more domain names are available for registration.

Parameters:

• Domain List (required): Comma-separated list of domain names to check (e.g., example.com,test.net,mysite.org)

Example Use Cases:

• Bulk check domain availability before purchasing
• Validate domain names in automated workflows
• Find available domains based on keywords

Response: Returns availability status for each domain checked.

Register

Register a new domain name with Namecheap.

Parameters:

Required:

• Domain Name: The domain to register (e.g., example.com)
• Years: Number of years to register (1-10)

Registrant Contact Information:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Address 1
• Address 2
• City
• State/Province
• Postal Code
• Country (two-letter code, e.g., US, GB, CA)
• Phone (format: +1.1234567890)
• Email Address
• Organization Name

Additional Fields:

• Add Free WhoisGuard: Enable free WHOIS privacy protection (default: true)
• Enable WhoisGuard: Activate WhoisGuard privacy (default: true)
• Extended Attributes: XML formatted extended attributes for specific TLDs
• Nameservers: Comma-separated nameservers (e.g., ns1.example.com,ns2.example.com). Leave empty for Namecheap defaults.

Example Use Cases:

• Automate domain registration for new projects
• Register domains in bulk from a list
• Integrate domain registration with payment systems

DNS Operations

Manage DNS records and nameserver configurations for your domains.

Get DNS Records

Retrieve all DNS host records for a domain.

Parameters:

• Domain Name (required): The domain to get records for (e.g., example.com)

Returns: List of all DNS records including A, CNAME, MX, TXT, and other record types with their values and TTLs.

Example Use Cases:

• Audit DNS configurations
• Backup DNS records
• Monitor DNS changes

Set DNS Records

Configure DNS host records for a domain.

Parameters:

• Domain Name (required): The domain to set records for
• DNS Records: Collection of DNS records to set
  • Record Type: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SRV, CAA, URL, URL301, FRAME
  • Host Name: Subdomain or @ for root domain
  • Address/Value: IP address, domain name, or text value
  • TTL: Time to live in seconds (default: 1800, minimum: 60)
  • MX Priority: Priority for MX records (lower = higher priority, default: 10)
• Email Type: MX (custom), MXE (Namecheap email), or FWD (forwarding)

Supported Record Types:

• A: IPv4 address record
• AAAA: IPv6 address record
• CNAME: Canonical name record
• MX: Mail exchange record
• TXT: Text record (SPF, DKIM, verification, etc.)
• NS: Name server record
• SRV: Service record
• CAA: Certificate authority authorization
• URL: URL redirect
• URL301: Permanent redirect (301)
• FRAME: URL frame redirect

Example Use Cases:

• Point domain to web hosting
• Configure email services (MX records)
• Set up subdomains
• Add SPF/DKIM records for email authentication
• Configure CDN or load balancer records

Set Default Nameservers

Configure domain to use Namecheap's default nameservers.

Parameters:

• Domain Name (required): The domain to configure

Example Use Cases:

• Switch to Namecheap DNS management
• Reset nameserver configuration
• Use Namecheap's DNS for new domains

Set Custom Nameservers

Configure domain to use custom nameservers (e.g., for external DNS providers like Cloudflare, AWS Route 53).

Parameters:

• Domain Name (required): The domain to configure
• Nameservers (required): Comma-separated list of at least 2 nameservers (e.g., ns1.cloudflare.com,ns2.cloudflare.com)

Example Use Cases:

• Point domain to Cloudflare DNS
• Use AWS Route 53 for DNS management
• Configure nameservers for external DNS providers
• Set up DNS hosting with your own name servers

Compatibility

• n8n version: 0.220.0 or higher
• Tested with: n8n 1.0+

Usage Examples

Example 1: Check Domain Availability and Register

Create a workflow that checks if a domain is available and automatically registers it if available.

1. Manual Trigger - Start the workflow
2. Namecheap Node - Check availability
   • Resource: Domain
   • Operation: Check Availability
   • Domain List: {{$json.domainName}}
3. IF Node - Check if available
4. Namecheap Node - Register domain if available
   • Resource: Domain
   • Operation: Register
   • Configure registrant details

Example 2: Update DNS Records

Automatically update DNS records when deploying a new application.

1. Webhook - Receive deployment notification
2. Namecheap Node - Set DNS Records
   • Resource: DNS
   • Operation: Set DNS Records
   • Domain Name: example.com
   • Add A record pointing to new server IP

Example 3: DNS Backup

Create a scheduled backup of all DNS records.

1. Schedule Trigger - Daily at midnight
2. Namecheap Node - Get DNS Records
   • Resource: DNS
   • Operation: Get DNS Records
   • Domain Name: example.com
3. Write Binary File Node - Save to backup location

Example 4: Multi-Domain DNS Management

Update DNS records across multiple domains.

1. Google Sheets - Read list of domains
2. Split In Batches - Process in batches
3. Namecheap Node - Set DNS Records
   • Resource: DNS
   • Operation: Set DNS Records
   • Configure records for each domain

API Response Format

The Namecheap API returns responses in XML format, which this node automatically parses into JSON for easy use in n8n workflows. The parsed response includes:

• ApiResponse: Root object containing all response data
• Status: Success or error status
• CommandResponse: The actual data returned by the operation
• Errors: Any errors encountered during the operation

Limitations

• Namecheap API has rate limits - check their API documentation for current limits
• Some TLDs require extended attributes for registration
• DNS changes may take time to propagate (typically 5-30 minutes)
• Sandbox environment may have limited functionality compared to production

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: "Authentication failed"

• Solution: Verify your API key, username, and that your IP is whitelisted in Namecheap

Issue: "Invalid domain format"

• Solution: Ensure domain names are in the format example.com (no http://, www, or trailing slashes)

Issue: "Minimum nameservers required"

• Solution: Custom nameservers require at least 2 nameservers

Issue: DNS changes not reflecting

• Solution: DNS propagation can take 5-30 minutes. Use a DNS checker tool to verify propagation.

Resources

• n8n Community Nodes Documentation
• Namecheap API Documentation
• Namecheap API Methods
• Namecheap Sandbox Environment

Version History

0.1.0

• Initial release
• Domain availability checking
• Domain registration
• DNS record management (Get, Set)
• Nameserver configuration (Default, Custom)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions:

• Open an issue on GitHub
• n8n Community Forum

Author

Joshua Riley

• Email: [email protected]
• GitHub: @joshuarileydev

License

MIT

Disclaimer

This is a community-developed node and is not officially affiliated with or endorsed by Namecheap. Use at your own risk. Always test in the Namecheap sandbox environment before performing operations on production domains.