A domain finder with an API-first design: a FastAPI backend that generated name candidates, checked availability and pricing across registrars, and ranked results by brandability.Founder & Developer · Deprecated · July 15, 2024
Snapsi helped users find domain names from a business idea, a base name, or an exact domain. It generated suggestions, checked availability and pricing across registrars, and ranked results on a 0–10 scale using memorability, brandability, and keyword relevance. Users could search through the web interface or call the API directly.
Status: deprecated. The hosted backend on Google Cloud Run has been paused, so the live site no longer returns suggestions. Both halves remain open source and fully self-hostable.
Architecture
Backend — a FastAPI service (Python) that does the heavy lifting: candidate generation across ~50 curated TLD tiers, parallel availability checks against Porkbun and Name.com, live pricing, the ranking model, and per-IP rate limiting with a Redis backend (in-memory fallback). Shipped as a Docker container on Google Cloud Run.
Frontend — a SvelteKit app (DaisyUI/Tailwind) with three search modes (business idea, base name, exact domain), advanced filters for generation style, TLD preference, and price ceiling, plus a raw-JSON view for developers.
API-First Design — the backend is a clean, documented HTTP API built for agentic workflows; the frontend is just one consumer of it.
Challenges and lessons
One challenge was ranking suggestions for both relevance and suitability as a business name. Integrating registrar APIs also meant handling different response formats, delays, and rate limits. The ongoing cost of hosting the backend ultimately led me to pause the service.
Technologies Used
FastAPI · Python · Redis · Docker · Google Cloud Run · SvelteKit · DaisyUI · Tailwind CSS · TypeScriptOpen source on GitHub: backend (domains-api) · frontend (snapsi).
