This guide gives you an overview of the OpenSRS Reseller Control Panel and walks you through your first domain registration. Read it end to end before you provision any domains. OpenSRS (Open Shared Registration System) is the provisioning service for domains, and the Reseller Control Panel is the web-based interface you use to register, transfer, and manage them.
What the Reseller Control Panel does
The Reseller Control Panel is a web-based system that lets you register and transfer domain names, manage SSL/Trust products and DNS, configure your Storefront, and manage your reseller account settings. Once your reseller profile is activated, you are automatically enabled to act as a reseller for all gTLDs, ccTLDs, Managed DNS, and Digital Certificate (SSL) products available through OpenSRS.
Before you begin
- A registered reseller account. Register at opensrs.com/join/. After registration, you receive a confirmation email with your username and password.
- Awareness of the activation fee. There is a one-time, non-refundable reseller activation fee.
- Optional: funds in your live account. Required only when you are ready to register real domains. You can practice in the test environment first without spending real money.
The two OpenSRS environments: Live and Test
OpenSRS maintains two environments — Live and Test — so that you can experiment risk-free before working with real registrations. The test environment is also known as Horizon and mirrors the live environment closely.
The OpenSRS test environment
The test environment lets you try the system without affecting real registrations or your account balance. It differs from the live environment in the following ways:
- Registrations are not processed into the public root registry. Domains registered in the test system are not real and are not functional on the internet.
- Registrations use test credits, not real money.
- The test environment will likely not recognize your nameservers. Use ns1.systemdns.com and ns2.systemdns.com.
- You can register names that are not actually available on the internet. The test environment only checks against previous test registrations.
- You cannot transfer domains in the test environment.
- Billing and payment functions are not available.
Sign in to the test environment at manage.test.opensrs.com using the credentials you chose at registration.
The OpenSRS live environment
If you have funds in your live account, you can begin registering real domains. Sign in at manage.opensrs.com using your reseller credentials.
Step 1: Complete your first-time account setup
After your first sign-in, complete a few tasks in Domains > Settings.
Technical contact information
Technical contact information is required for every registration and transfer you process. Your clients supply Administrative and Billing contacts; as the reseller, you supply the Technical contact. This is the person who should be reached for any domain issue at your company.
End-user contact settings
This section controls what information is displayed in WHOIS lookups at tucowsdomains.com.
Default nameservers
Set the default nameservers for new domain registrations, or default to the Parked Page system. In the test environment, you must use ns1.systemdns.com and ns2.systemdns.com.
Step 2: Set up billing and payments
Open the Settings drop-down menu at the top right of the Reseller Control Panel and select Billing and Payments. From there, you can check your balance, add funds, set a low-balance warning threshold (on the Settings tab), and view transactions.
Step 3: Register a domain name
We recommend that you run through registration in the test environment first at manage.test.opensrs.com. Test registrations are free and let you learn the workflow without spending money.
Registering a domain involves two stages: looking up the name, then completing the registration form.
Look up a domain
In the Domains section of the Control Panel, select the + icon to open the Add a Domain window. Enter a name or keywords and select Search. You can scope the search by checking:
- gTLDs: all global top-level domains and their status (available, taken, and so on).
- Popular ccTLDs: .au, .ca, .cc, .co, .es, .eu, .me, .nl, .tv, .uk, .us.
- More ccTLDs: all other country-code top-level domains.
If the domain is available, select Register Now? to open the Domain Registration Form. If the domain is taken but not locked, you can initiate a transfer instead.
Complete the Domain Registration Form
The Domain Registration Form is divided into four blocks. Key fields are described below.
| Section | Field | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Registrant info | Username | The username used to access the domain in the Manage Web Interface (MWI). |
| Affiliate ID | Free-text field recorded with the order, used to track orders submitted by affiliates. | |
| Password | The password used to access the domain in MWI. | |
| Associate with existing user | Opens a list of existing users; selecting one attaches the domain to that user's MWI profile. | |
| Registrant profile | Registration period | Number of years to register the domain. |
| Auto Renew | Automatically renews the domain 30 days before its expiration date. | |
| Contact Privacy | Hides real WHOIS contact details and displays the Tucows Privacy service instead. | |
| Lock Domain | Places a registrar lock to prevent transfers and DNS changes. | |
| Contact information | Owner / Administrator / Billing / Technical | Contact details for each role on the domain. |
| Nameservers | Use our Nameservers | Use the OpenSRS DNS servers. |
| Parked Pages | Displays advertisements on the domain; resulting shared revenue is added to your reseller account. | |
| Use Your Own Nameservers | Enter custom DNS servers. The test environment supports only ns1.systemdns.com and ns2.systemdns.com. | |
| DNS | DNS Template | Apply a template created under Domains > Settings. |
| Finishing up | Save as Draft | Stores the order in Pending Orders to submit later. |
| Submit Registration | Processes the order. |
When you submit, you return to the main menu. Confirmation and error messages appear at the top of the screen.
Useful options for new resellers
Domain Quick Filter
The Domain Quick Filter appears as soon as you enter the Domains section. If you see the message Your results are currently being filtered, select View Filters to see what is applied. If no filters are applied, all domains in your account are listed.
Through Advanced Filtering, you can view domains by gTLD, ccTLD, verification status, brand, status, creation or expiration date, and various domain settings (domain locking, auto renew, and more). Once filtered, you can make changes one at a time or in bulk.
Manage registered domains
As a reseller, you manage domains in the Control Panel. End users manage their own domains in the Manage Web Interface (MWI) at manage.opensrs.net using the username and password you set in the order.
MWI URLs:
- Test: manage.test.opensrs.com
- Live: manage.opensrs.com
OpenSRS Storefront
A Storefront is a public-facing website you can brand and configure so customers can register domain names with a credit card. Configure it from the Settings menu at the top right of the Control Panel.
Next steps
- Configure your account settings. Set up two-factor authentication, branding, messaging, and funds. See the Your Quick-Start Guide to OpenSRS article.
- Practice in Horizon. Use the test environment to rehearse registrations before committing real funds. See the Horizon / Test System Accounts article.
- Learn the management interfaces. Familiarize yourself with RCP, MAC, MWI, and Storefront. See the OpenSRS Management Interface article.
- Bookmark login URLs. Keep a single reference for every OpenSRS service. See the Login URLs for OpenSRS Services article.
Questions? Contact OpenSRS Support.
How helpful was this article?
Thanks for your feedback!
Do you still need help? If so please submit a request here.