Dynamic DNS makes a dynamic IP address act as though it’s static (does not change), even though it is not. With No-IP you create an easy to remember hostname, this hostname is the URL that you type into your browser to connect to your remote device. Our Dynamic Update Client then takes your hostname that you created (example: yourname.no-ip.org) and points it to your IP address. When your IP address changes, we update it on our servers, BAM! Magic!

The term hostname refers to the unique part that identifies a host on the Internet. In www.noip.com, www is the hostname. In that same example, noip.com is the domain name. The host portion prepended to the domain name is often referred to as the hostname and that is how we use the term here. So, in summary, www is the host, no-ip.com is the domain, and www.no-ip.com is the hostname. Our free dynamic DNS service offers free hostnames on our domains i.e. yourname.ddns.net. If you would like hostnames on your own domain name, you will need to register the domain and purchase Plus Managed DNS or Pro Dynamic DNS.

Yes, you can write your own update client. Please view the steps on the integrate page for our update protocol.