3rd level domain emails

[Tsunami]

As not everyone seems to want to buy their own domain for email, but since some services (eg mail.ru and zoho.com) can host email for free if you bring your own domain ... are there any 3rd level domain/subdomain providers for email?

This can either mean
a) you host your email with them but you can choose the subdomain yourself to have a personalised address (like .zzn.com used to do in the past, you could create your-own-name.zzn.com for email)
b) a subdomain provider similar to .de.vu, .co.tv, .co.nr, .fr.st, .eu.org, .uni.cc, ... but allowing to change A Records and MX Records so that you can take your chosen subdomain to a mail provider allowing you to use your own domain (eg Zoho, or mail.ru)

Any suggestions?


PS: I have several own domain names, but I created this thread for the sake of those who don't, as I notice not everyone is willing to purchase an own domain name. Also, I like to try out internet services, even when I have purchased several own proper domain names I am still curious enough to try out other services for the sake of curiosity

[adamlau]

b) Only if the provider also hosts or controls your nameserver records e.g. FastMail virtual domains.

[scryptmail]

Just my 5 cents.
Offering subdomain for users is more complicated that beneficial. Email provider has to make DNS records for all of them. In my opinion its doable but DNS wasn't design for such and will require workaround. Besides pure academic interest I hardly can see any application to it

[patrizio]

if you have the control of your domain name you can just create one or more mx records this way, for example

sub1.yourdomain.tld 3600 MX 10 somemx.someprovider.tld

for me it works this way.
For example when a company wants different mx for different branches

it.mycomany.tld
es.mycompany.tld
fr.mycompany.tld
nl.mycompany.tld

[Tsunami]

Originally Posted by scryptmail

Just my 5 cents.
Offering subdomain for users is more complicated that beneficial. Email provider has to make DNS records for all of them. In my opinion its doable but DNS wasn't design for such and will require workaround. Besides pure academic interest I hardly can see any application to it

Well, I prefer to have my own real domains too. I own several. But subdomains are handy for eg not financially strong students, or for trying out new things. Especially curiosity makes me want to try out some things like that, even when I already own several real domains.

In theory, for a personalised email domain at no cost, all you need is a somewhat stable (= not likely to cease operations) subdomain provider that would allow to move your subdomain away and host it on a mail provider allowing to bring your own (sub)domain like Zoho or Mail.ru

I believe that uni.cc, eu.org, nl.nu all allow to register a subdomain under those domains and use your own DNS for it (so those could be used for email purposes too if you create for example your-name.uni.cc and create an email address you@your-name.uni.cc using the services provided by eg Zoho allowing to bring your own domain)

I am not sure which other subdomain providers would allow to move your subdomain to your own DNS of your choice though, this is necessary for it to function.

[n5bb]

If you insist on a special subdomain (and I don't know why that is needed), you can set up a Fastmail Lite account for US $10/year (less than 3 cents a day, which anyone can afford). A Lite account offers users the ability to use one username at up to three Fastmail-owned domains (such as mm.st or eml.cc or fastmail.com or dozens of others). If your username was "example", you could then use email with subdomains such as @example.mm.st, @example.eml.cc, or @example.fastmail.com, where "example" is your name.

Bill

[htetrasme]

You can register subdomains and edit the MX records at cu.cc