Evergreen guide
Side project domain inventory
How indie hackers and builders should inventory project domains, avoid zombie renewals, and keep experiments from becoming silent costs.
Last reviewed: 11 August 2026
Side projects spawn domains faster than shipped products. The inventory habit is what keeps that creative mess from taxing you forever.
Lightweight system
- List every project domain you own.
- Label as
Side projector by project name. - Note status: idea / building / shipped / abandoned.
- Auto-renew only shipped keepers.
- Review abandoned names before each renewal.
Pair with cost honesty
Sum renewals for abandoned experiments once a year. That number usually funds a better tool — or a better focus.
Start free on a single name if needed, then grow into sync when the registrar sprawl begins. See the portfolio checklist.
FAQ
How many side-project domains is too many?
If you cannot name the next action for a domain in one sentence, it is a candidate to drop at the next renewal.
Related guides
How to organize domains with labels
A simple labeling system for domain portfolios — client work, investments, personal projects, and parked names — that stays usable at scale.
Auto-renew on or off
A clear framework for when to enable domain auto-renew — and when leaving it off protects you from paying for names you should drop.
Domain portfolio checklist
An evergreen checklist to inventory domains, fix expiry risk, label purpose, and project renewal cost — reusable every quarter.