What Domain Extensions Do Hacker News Projects Actually Use? A Data-Driven Look at Developer TLD Choices in 2026

Hacker News is the launchpad for thousands of developer projects every year. When a "Show HN" post hits the front page, the domain name is one of the first things users see — and increasingly, that domain doesn't end in .com.

We looked at the domains on the Hacker News front page during the second week of March 2026 to see what developers are actually choosing. The results reveal a clear shift away from .com dominance in the developer ecosystem.

The Front Page Snapshot: March 13-14, 2026

Here are the domains that made it to the HN front page during a 24-hour period, along with their point counts:

Out of 12 domains, only zero used .com as their primary domain for the linked project page. Every single one used an alternative TLD.

The TLD Breakdown

.ai — The Developer Darling (2 appearances)

canirun.ai was the standout — a tool that checks whether your hardware can run various AI models locally. With 849 points, it's exactly the kind of project that makes .ai feel natural rather than forced. The domain tells you what it does and what technology is involved.

percepta.ai used .ai for an AI research blog about executing programs inside transformers.

The .ai TLD has gone from a niche choice to a legitimate developer default for anything AI-related. This tracks with what we're seeing in the aftermarket: Bot.ai sold for $1.2 million in February 2026, the largest publicly reported .ai sale ever.

If you're building in AI, search for .ai domains on DomyDomains — many short, memorable options are still available at registration prices, unlike .com where equivalent names cost thousands or more in the aftermarket.

.dev — Google's Developer TLD Takes Hold (3 appearances)

Three front-page domains used .dev: vite.dev (the popular JavaScript build tool, 191 points), metagenesis-core.dev (offline computational verification), and benzimmermann.dev (security researcher's blog).

Vite's use of .dev is particularly significant. This is a major open-source project backed by the JavaScript ecosystem — their choice of vite.dev over vite.com signals that .dev has arrived as a credible TLD for serious developer tools.

Key advantages of .dev:

• HTTPS required — Google enforces HSTS preloading on all .dev domains, meaning they always use encrypted connections
• Clear signal — instantly communicates "this is for developers"
• Good availability — many strong names are still registrable

Explore .dev and other developer-friendly extensions in our domain extensions guide.

.io — Still the Startup Standard (3 appearances)

.io appeared three times: ionrouter.io (a YC W26 company), signoz.io (open-source observability platform), and sharif.io (personal blog).

Despite years of predictions about .io's demise — particularly concerns about the British Indian Ocean Territory's uncertain political status — developers keep choosing it. The YC company using .io is telling: when a startup goes through Y Combinator, they're presumably getting domain advice, and they still went with .io.

That said, .io's pricing has been climbing. Registration prices typically run $30-50/year compared to $10-15 for .com. Check current rates across registrars on our domain pricing page.

.sh — The Shell Extension (1 appearance, highest points)

malus.sh earned an astonishing 1,212 points — the highest of any project on the front page. The .sh extension (technically Saint Helena's country code) has become a favorite for CLI tools and developer utilities because of its association with shell scripts.

Other notable .sh domains in the developer world include cursor.sh (AI code editor) and fig.sh (terminal autocomplete, now acquired by AWS). The extension communicates "this is a command-line tool" instantly.

Emerging TLDs: .gold, .blog, .tv

Three less common TLDs appeared on the front page:

• samhenri.gold (334 points) — A personal blog using the .gold new gTLD. This is an unusual choice but it works for personal branding.
• davidoks.blog (397 points) — Using .blog for, well, a blog. Simple and effective.
• channelsurfer.tv (386 points) — A YouTube-as-cable-TV project using .tv. The domain perfectly matches the product.

These examples show that the "right" TLD is the one that makes semantic sense for your project, not necessarily the most popular one.

What the Data Tells Us

1. .com Isn't Required for Developer Credibility

Not a single top HN project used .com for its primary link. This would have been unthinkable five years ago. Developers have collectively decided that a descriptive alternative TLD is better than a compromised .com name.

Would canirun.com have worked as well? Maybe — but canirun.ai immediately tells you it's about AI. That semantic information in the domain is valuable.

2. TLD Choice Is Becoming Part of the Brand

The best domains on this list use their TLD as part of the meaning: canirun.ai, malus.sh, channelsurfer.tv. The extension isn't an afterthought — it's integral to the brand message.

This is a design choice, not just a purchasing decision. When brainstorming names, try our domain generator to see how your idea works across different extensions.

3. New gTLDs Are Breaking Through (Slowly)

.gold and .blog making the front page shows that new gTLDs introduced after 2012 can gain traction — but it's slow. With ICANN opening applications for another round of new extensions on April 30, we'll see hundreds more TLDs enter the market over the next few years.

The question is whether developers will adopt them. History suggests a few will break through (like .dev and .app did from the first round) while most will languish in obscurity.

4. Personal Domains Are Alive and Well

Three front-page links went to personal blogs or websites: sharif.io, benzimmermann.dev, and samhenri.gold. Despite social media's dominance, developers still maintain personal sites — and they care about their domain choices.

Choosing Your Developer Domain

Based on what's actually working in the developer community right now:

• Building an AI tool? → .ai is the natural choice
• Developer tool or library? → .dev signals credibility and enforces HTTPS
• Startup or SaaS? → .io remains the safe, established alternative
• CLI or terminal tool? → .sh communicates "shell" instantly
• Content or blog? → .blog, or use your name with .dev/.io
• Media or video? → .tv still works perfectly

And of course, if a good .com is available and affordable, it's still the universal default that works everywhere. Use our domain search to check availability across all these extensions simultaneously.

The most important thing isn't the extension — it's choosing a name that's memorable, pronounceable, and relevant to what you're building. The extension should amplify your name, not compensate for a weak one.

What Comes Next

With the new gTLD round opening in April 2026, developers will soon have even more options. Extensions like .ai and .dev have proven that the right alternative TLD can become a first-class choice. The question for the next round is: what's the next .dev?

We'll be watching the applications closely and reporting on what new extensions are coming. In the meantime, the data from Hacker News is clear: developers are voting with their domains, and they're choosing the extension that best tells their project's story.

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