What are the update and expiration rules for myaddr.tools registrations?

Updated

myaddr.tools keeps a name alive as long as you keep updating it. Each IP address (IPv4 and IPv6 tracked separately) must be updated at least once every 90 days to stay active, and if no updates are made to your name for 120 days, the registration is deleted and the name is released. The secret key is the only credential — lose it and you lose control of the name.

The two clocks you need to watch

There are two separate timers, and they measure different things.

Rule Applies to Threshold What happens
Per-IP activity Each IPv4 and IPv6 address independently 90 days That IP record goes inactive
Name activity The whole registration 120 days Registration deleted, name released

The per-IP rule is stricter and more granular. If you update your IPv4 address but never touch IPv6, the IPv6 record can go inactive on its own 90-day clock while the name itself stays alive. The 120-day rule is the backstop: any update at all resets it, but if nothing happens for four months, the whole registration disappears.

How to keep a record active

Send an update to the /update endpoint before the 90-day window closes for each address family you use.

https://myaddr.tools/update?key=YOUR_SECRET_KEY&ip=self

Key points from the API:

  • GET, POST, and PUT are treated as equivalent update requests.
  • Parameters can come from the URL query string or from POST/PUT bodies (application/x-www-form-urlencoded or application/json).
  • Set ip to any valid IPv4 or IPv6 address, or use ip=self to record the requester's own IP.
  • To force a specific family, use the host ipv4.myaddr.tools or ipv6.myaddr.tools.
  • Adding an IPv4 address replaces any existing IPv4 address; the same applies to IPv6.
  • Success returns body OK with status 200; failures return a helpful message with a 4xx status.

If you only ever use one address family, you only need to maintain that one. But if you have both an A and an AAAA record, both need their own update within 90 days.

What happens when a record or name expires

  • IP record inactive (missed 90 days): that specific address stops resolving. The name and your other records are unaffected.
  • Name inactive (missed 120 days): the registration is deleted and the name is released, meaning someone else can claim it.

Because the name is released on the 120-day mark, a long outage can cost you the subdomain permanently. If you expect to be away, a single update before you leave resets the clock.

The secret key is the whole account

There is no account and no recovery flow. When you claim a name, you receive a secret key, and that key gives whoever holds it control over the name. If you lose the secret key, you lose the name. Store it somewhere durable before you rely on the registration.

Deleting things on purpose

  • Delete IP addresses: send a DELETE request to /update with key. This removes both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and always responds with status 204.
  • Delete the registration: send a DELETE request to /reg with key. This immediately and permanently deletes the registration and releases the name.

ACME challenge records are temporary

If you use the acme_challenge parameter to serve a TXT record for a dns-01 challenge, that record is served on all _acme-challenge subdomains and is automatically removed after a few minutes. You do not need to clean it up, and it does not count as a long-term record you have to maintain.

Practical checklist

  • Update each address family you use at least every 90 days.
  • Make at least one update every 120 days to keep the name itself.
  • Back up the secret key somewhere you will not lose it.
  • If you stop using a name, delete the registration so the name is freed rather than left to expire.