TLDlive

.app domains: a TLD that refuses plain HTTP

.app is a generic TLD run by Google's registry, and every name under it is forced onto HTTPS by browsers. That one design choice shapes who uses it and how it behaves.

  • TypeGeneric TLD (new gTLD)
  • RegistryCharleston Road Registry Inc. (Google)
  • Delegated2015-07-02 (IANA)
  • Public launchSpring 2018
  • TransportHTTPS enforced via HSTS preload
  • Zone fileExpected in CZDS (gTLD)

Who runs .app and where it came from

The IANA root zone entry lists Charleston Road Registry Inc. as the manager of .app. That is Google's registry subsidiary, which also runs .dev, .page and a handful of other extensions. IANA records the delegation as 2015-07-02, which is when the string entered the root. Names were not open to everyone until 2018, after the usual rights-protection phases and an early-access period at premium pricing. Treat the exact general-availability day as something to confirm with the registry; the year and season are well documented, the day is not something this page needs to hinge on.

Because .app was an application in ICANN's 2012 round, it follows the standard new gTLD contract: RDAP-based registration data, a normal registry-registrar model, and the usual ICANN-mandated abuse and takedown procedures.

The HTTPS rule, explained

The distinguishing feature is not on the registration form but in the browser. Google added the entire TLD to the HSTS preload list, a list shipped inside Chrome and copied by other major browsers. Any request to anything.app is upgraded to HTTPS before a single byte goes out. If the site has no valid certificate, the browser shows a hard error and, unlike an ordinary HSTS failure, you cannot click through.

Practical consequences:

  • You need a working TLS certificate on every hostname, including www and any staging subdomains, before the site is reachable at all.
  • Redirect chains that start on HTTP are irrelevant; the browser never tries HTTP.
  • An expired certificate takes the site fully offline for browsers, not merely "not secure".
  • Internal tools that embed plain-HTTP links to .app hosts will fail.

Issue the certificate first, point DNS second. Many hosts and CDNs do this automatically, but a self-managed server needs the order reversed from what older .com habits suggest.

What it is for

The name says "application", and the registry marketed it to software products: mobile apps, web apps, SaaS and developer-facing utilities. In practice the audience is product teams that want a short, descriptive name when the .com is taken, plus indie makers who like that the TLD signals "software" at a glance. One well-known real example is Cash App, which uses cash.app as its public address. Companies with a mobile product often use the TLD as a landing page that sits beside app-store listings.

It is less natural for non-software businesses. A plumber's site on .app reads oddly, and users who type a business name will usually try .com first.

Price pattern

Registry pricing for .app is a standard-tier model: most names cost a moderate amount per year, a premium list exists for short or dictionary words, and the first-year price at some registrars is lower than renewal. Do not budget from the first-year number. Compare renewal prices across registrars, and note that premium names renew at their premium rate at some registrars rather than a standard rate. See domain investing basics if you are buying for resale.

SEO treatment

Google classifies .app as a generic TLD: it carries no country signal, and a site on it has no ranking advantage or penalty because of the extension. Rankings follow content, links and site quality. The HTTPS requirement is mildly helpful, since HTTPS is a lightweight signal anyway, but the TLD itself is neutral. Reputation on spam lists varies by year and by source; check a current report from a named provider rather than relying on a generalisation about "new gTLDs".

Strengths and weaknesses

Pros

  • Clear meaning for software products.
  • Security by default; no downgrade attack surface.
  • Run by a large, stable registry operator.
  • Available as a lookup in CZDS zone files, so analytics are possible.

Cons

  • Certificate problems are fatal, not cosmetic.
  • Less familiar to non-technical users than .com.
  • Good short names are premium priced.
  • Email addresses on it are sometimes rejected by old validators.

Spotting activity from zone data

As a gTLD, .app is expected to be available through ICANN's Centralized Zone Data Service, subject to the usual access approval. A zone file lists delegated names only. A name vanishing from it means it was removed from delegation, which may be a deletion, but it can also be a hold or suspension; the file says nothing about owner, price or backlinks. For how deletion unfolds, read the domain lifecycle guide. If you want to compare .app against its sibling for a developer project, see .dev vs .app.

A pre-registration checklist

  1. Confirm your host or CDN can issue and renew certificates automatically for apex and www.
  2. Check that email, analytics and ad tools accept the TLD in their URL fields.
  3. Look at the registrar's renewal price, transfer fee and any premium flag.
  4. Search for the same label on .com and .dev, and decide whether lookalikes could confuse users; see lookalike domains.
  5. Set auto-renew and a calendar reminder, since a lapsed name also drops its HTTPS-only protection for whoever re-registers it.

Frequently asked questions

Will a .app site load over HTTP?

No. The TLD is on the browser HSTS preload list, so compliant browsers rewrite requests to HTTPS and show a non-bypassable error if the certificate is missing or invalid.

Who operates .app?

Charleston Road Registry Inc., Google's registry subsidiary, according to the IANA root zone database.

Does .app help SEO for an app business?

Not by itself. Google treats it as a generic TLD, so rankings depend on content and links, not the extension.

Can I use .app for a non-software project?

Yes, there is no eligibility restriction, but the name signals software, so it fits best where that is accurate.

Is .app available in zone files?

As a new gTLD it is expected to be offered through CZDS after approval. Confirm access in your own CZDS account.

Why is renewal sometimes more expensive than year one?

Registrars often discount the first year. Check the renewal price shown at checkout before choosing a registrar.