domain name question

Hey guys, I just got a quick question. I want to set up an apache server at home and I've been looking into getting a domain name. I've done some google searching but I can't seem to find anything for free. Now my question is, can I just claim an unused domain name and have it forward to my server?

Thanks.

 

Are you going to setup a nameserver? Because without a DNS you can’t use a domain, you can setup Apache and host a website without a DNS but people would have to type in the IP address and not a domain name.

But to answer your question no you can’t because you would need access to the account where the domain is registered at to change the DNS.

 

If you really want to do it for free, and are just having fun, I recommend using a domain name service like www.dyndns.org. It's a free service where they'll give you a domain like whateveryouwant.dyndns.org, and it'll forward to your IP address. There are a lot of other domains beside dyndns.org that you can pick when you sign up. I've used it for years.

 

Yeah I just want to play around with it at first. thanks for the advice.

 

dyndns.org