NiceNIC Domain API v2 Frequently Asked Questions

NiceNIC Domain API v2 is an HTTPS and JSON-based API for automating domain management through your NiceNIC account.

It supports core workflows including domain availability checks, registration, renewal, transfer, portfolio queries, nameserver and contact updates, pricing, DNS records, child nameservers, account information and compliance-related operations.

Use the API when you want to connect NiceNIC domain services directly to a website, hosting platform, billing system, internal tool or other application.

Any active NiceNIC account can use Domain API v2. API access is available to both Market Accounts and Reseller Accounts.

You do not need to become a reseller simply to obtain API access. Account type still matters for pricing: paid API operations use the pricing assigned to the NiceNIC account sending the request.

Open API Settings →

Yes. API access itself is free. There is no separate fee for enabling API access or sending supported API requests.

Paid operations such as domain registration, renewal and transfer are charged according to your account pricing and the applicable domain rules.

No. API access and reseller pricing are separate.

You can use Domain API v2 with a regular NiceNIC Market Account. Upgrade to a Reseller Account only when reseller pricing or other reseller benefits are useful for your business volume.

Compare Reseller Plans →

Domain API v2 uses the current NiceNIC API structure with HTTPS requests, JSON responses, header-based authentication and documentation organized around individual domain and account workflows.

If you maintain an integration built on an older NiceNIC API, review the API v2 parameters and response handling before migrating production traffic rather than assuming the two versions are interchangeable.

Sign in to your NiceNIC account and open API Settings. API v2 requests use your NiceNIC username and API Secret for authentication.

Open API Settings →

Yes. NiceNIC provides an API Sandbox for developers to test integrations before connecting them to the production API.

Use the Sandbox to validate authentication, request formatting, response parsing, error handling and your application workflow before enabling live customer domain operations.

Open API Sandbox →

The API Sandbox is intended for development and integration testing. The Production API is used for live domain operations and paid requests against your NiceNIC account.

We recommend validating authentication, request handling, response processing and error logic in the Sandbox before enabling customer-facing production operations.

Send API requests over HTTPS and include your NiceNIC username and API Secret in the Authorization header.

Host: api.nicenic.net
Authorization: username:api_secret
Content-Type: application/json

If IP restrictions are enabled for your account, requests must also originate from an authorized server IP.

Read API Authentication →

The Production API base endpoint is:

https://api.nicenic.net/v2/

API actions are selected using the parameters documented for each endpoint, such as category and action. Always follow the dedicated endpoint documentation for the required and optional parameters of a specific operation.

API v2 responses use JSON, and request parameters use UTF-8.

{
  "code": 0,
  "msg": "success",
  "data": {}
}

Your application should inspect the returned code and msg rather than assuming that every HTTP response represents a completed domain operation.

Through the currently documented APIs you can automate workflows including domain availability checks, registration, renewal and transfer, portfolio listing and domain details, nameserver and domain contact updates, domain pricing, DNS records, child nameservers, account information and Abuse & Compliance monitoring.

Additional workflows are documented individually in the API navigation.

Start with low-risk read operations such as domain availability, domain pricing, account balance and domain listing.

Then confirm authentication, response parsing, error handling and pending-order handling before enabling live registrations, renewals or transfers.

Yes. The Check Domain Availability endpoint supports multiple domain names separated by commas.

example.com,example.net,example.org

Do not assume that every API operation supports the same multi-domain input format. Registration, renewal and transfer should follow their individual endpoint documentation.

Use the Get Domain Pricing endpoint. The documented pricing types include register, renew, transfer and all.

Registration responses can also include an is_premium value indicating whether the queried registration is premium.

Because API orders use account-level pricing, query current pricing before submitting paid customer orders rather than relying indefinitely on cached prices.

No. Although API documentation supports periods of up to 1–10 years for applicable extensions, individual TLDs may have different registry rules.

Registration periods, renewal periods, transfer eligibility, contact requirements and verification requirements can differ by extension. Your application should follow the current rules for the relevant TLD.

These are separate operations and should not be treated as interchangeable.

Always use the returned code and message when determining the state of an API request.

View API Response Codes →

A 201 response means that the operation has been accepted for processing but has not necessarily reached its final state.

For domain registration, a 201 response indicates that the order has been submitted and is awaiting final registry processing.

Do not tell an end customer that the domain is active until your system has confirmed the final result. Follow the registration endpoint documentation for the latest pending-order and refund handling rules.

A pending transfer means that the transfer request has been accepted for processing, not that the domain has already completed its transfer to NiceNIC.

Transfer completion may depend on registry and registrar processing as well as the current transfer status of the domain. Keep the transfer in a pending state until completion is confirmed.

Yes. The List Domains API supports portfolio retrieval with pagination, sorting and filtering options.

Use Get Domain Details when you need detailed information for an individual domain, such as registration information, expiration information, nameservers and domain contact data.

NiceNIC Domain API v2 includes Abuse & Compliance operations designed for platforms and resellers managing customer domain portfolios.

You can identify domains associated with abuse reports and retrieve machine-readable compliance information for individual domains. Depending on the case, the response can include domain status, current impact, recommended action, hold information, complaint information and reported URLs.

This makes it possible to surface compliance status directly inside your own customer portal or operational system.

Yes. NiceNIC provides a WHMCS registrar integration for businesses that already use WHMCS for billing and provisioning.

Use the direct Domain API v2 when you are building your own application or workflow. Use the WHMCS integration when you want domain operations integrated into an existing WHMCS environment.

View WHMCS Integration →

Any server-side programming language or runtime capable of sending HTTPS requests and parsing JSON can integrate with Domain API v2.

Common choices include PHP, Python, Node.js and Java. Keep API credentials server-side and never expose your API Secret in browser-side JavaScript or downloadable client code.

Rate limiting may be applied to protect API stability and platform security.

If your production integration is expected to generate sustained high request volume, contact NiceNIC before launch so that your expected usage pattern can be reviewed.

Include the request timestamp, API category and action, domain name where applicable, non-sensitive request parameters, returned response code and message, and whether the request came from Sandbox or Production.

Submit a Ticket →

Use the API navigation in the documentation. Each operation has its own page for supported parameters, request examples, response examples and operation-specific behavior.

The FAQ explains general API behavior; the individual endpoint documentation should be treated as the source of truth for the exact request format.

Open API Documentation →