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Best Domain Registrars in 2024
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What’s a Domain Name Registrar?
A domain name registrar is the middleman between a registry and prospective website owners. While the registry owns the domain names, a domain name registrar helps its customers (website owners) rent those domain names for a specified amount of time. This time can be as short as one year but stretch to 10+ years.
As mentioned before, domain names can be extremely helpful with one’s SEO strategy, increasing brand awareness and boosting credibility. Your domain name is the very first impression users get from you. These benefits make finding a great domain registrar essential.
What Does a Domain Registrar Do?
Domain registration is leasing a domain name on someone’s behalf and assigning it to them. It’s important to note that domain names cannot be purchased permanently and can only be rented for a specified time. That said, you can rent a domain name and renew it repeatedly for the foreseeable future.
Although some domain registries make it possible for people to “buy” domains from them directly, most people choose to use a domain registrar to streamline the process and benefit from the many advantages of these organisations.
These advantages include, but are not limited to, providing safety options such as private registration, round-the-clock customer support, and many other options that we’ll get to in a bit.
Why Is It Critical to Choose the Right Domain Registrar for Your Business?
Choosing the right domain registrar can impact your business in several ways. For one, we previously discussed the important role a domain name plays in your online presence and brand perception. Choosing a reliable domain name registrar with tonnes of positive reviews and testimonials ensures you get a good kickstart in setting up your online identity.
Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all domain registrar for everybody. However, by choosing the best domain registrar for your needs, you can access the full potential of “owning” a domain name. The right domain registrar also helps you improve your website’s uptime and accessibility.
An ICANN-accredited registrar is bound to abide by the industry’s rules and regulations, ensuring your website is legitimate and legal. These organisations usually include cyber protection services in their registration packages to prevent fraudulent entities from accessing sensitive information. In addition, one of the best aspects of choosing the right domain registrar is a robust customer support system, which can help customers quickly resolve any problems or mishaps.
What Makes a Domain Registrar the Best
It is important to note that it is difficult to label a domain registrar as “the best domain registrar.” Not all domain name registrars are the same, and the diverse features they offer could significantly impact client’s decisions based on their preferences. However, in order to find the best domain registrar, you can gauge a variety of factors.
These factors include a transparent pricing structure, excellent security features, an easy-to-use interface, an acceptable customer support system, reliability and uptime guarantees, and additional services the registrar offers. Each individual should prioritise these factors based on their own preferences. However, it’s always a good idea to ensure your domain registrar service scores well on the majority of these qualities.
Transparent Pricing
Different domain registrars offer different pricing based on their services, such as whether or not they’re a web hosting provider, the type of domain name extensions they offer, etc. When choosing your ideal domain registrar, you should look for competitive prices adjusted to the market’s supply and demand. Do thorough market research and ensure you’re getting fair prices.
Try to find out if your registrar has a history of adding hidden fees to its customers’ carts. These expenses include auto-renewal fees and other such fees. If you enter a contract without being aware of such fees, you’ll have no choice but to pay additional money to the register to cancel your contract.
Robust Security Features
Most domain name registrars offer free domain privacy, which can help website owners maintain their cyber security standards. Many domain registrars provide free WHOIS privacy for any of their domain registration services. By doing so, your registrar will ensure your private information is not available in the WHOIS database and that your privacy is ensured.
Your domain registrar can also offer free SSL certificates under the domain registration service. These certificates allow you to use HTTPS rather than HTTP, which is more secure. Top domain registrars also use DNSSEC, a bundle of extensions that improve DNS security. This will protect your website from being hijacked or tampered with.
User-Friendly Interface
Another consideration when choosing an ideal domain registrar is its ease of operation. Many great domain registrations allocate significant time and resources to creating an intuitive interface containing many useful domain management tools. This makes your domain easy to operate and enables you to organise and navigate through your domain control panel more effortlessly.
The best domain registrar would offer a streamlined domain search process where users can look for their domain extensions of choice and check their availability. It should also provide a clean interface for domain transfers. Lastly, whether or not a registrar offers web hosting, it should make it easy for users to link their website to their domain name extension.
Responsive Customer Support
Reliable and responsive customer support is another key feature when choosing your ideal domain registrar. While the registrar must try its best to avoid all possible issues, some problems cannot be avoided. Domain registrars should have a reliable customer support system when these problems arise.
The customer support team should be able to address the issues in a timely manner to prevent a significant impact on customers’ website uptime and reliability. The most reliable domain registrars consider using several communicative channels, such as emails, phones, and live chats, between their support team and clients.
Reliability and Uptime Guarantee
Domain registrars should allocate time and resources to a strong infrastructure to minimise website downtime. Therefore, it is not uncommon for top domain registrars to guarantee high uptime to reduce the risks of interrupted accessibility and reliability issues. Uptime refers to the amount of time that a website is accessible by users. Conversely, website downtime refers to when users cannot access a website.
Maximising your website’s uptime can help you in several ways. For one, issues can be identified and resolved more quickly, which improves your website’s performance. By choosing a great registrar that helps you improve your website’s performance, you can ultimately enhance your users’ satisfaction.
Additional Services and Features
Most domain registrars offer additional value-added services to their customers. These services include, but are not limited to, domain name privacy protection, web development and design services, website visitor trackers, and email hosting services. They can also include premium domains and free website builders in their services.
The perfect domain registrar also offers its customers advanced DNS management tools to help them customise their domain name and scale their website if they want to. This is especially useful for clients who wish to expand their online presence but don’t want to go to a different platform, save a different password, and buy different services.
Our Picks of Top 12 Domain Registrars
Considering the six factors we discussed in the section above, we will review the top 12 domain registrars in 2024. This list is designed to help you find the best place to purchase your domain name and the best marketplace to sell it on. Keep reading to find the best domain registrations in 2024.
NameCheap
Founded in 2002, NameCheap prides itself on providing popular domain names at a competitive price. Their registration plans begin at $0.98 per year. When registering a domain name with NameCheap, you can expect additional free services such as free domain privacy for life, a two-month free trial of email hosting, and free DNSSEC security.
One of the factors that made NameCheap make this list is how easy their domains are to set up and how they help their customers at every stage. Their 24/7 customer support and guidelines help customers easily log into their accounts and set up their domain names and the other complementary services that come with them.
You can also use NameCheap’s handshake domains, which utilise blockchain technology in addition to domain transfers and bulk domain searches. NameCheap also offers hosting services, SSL protection, WordPress hosting, marketing tools, and SEO services.
Pricing: As mentioned before, NameCheap offers its lowest domain registration rate at $0.98. However, if you’re choosing to purchase these domain names, you should be aware of the steep increase in their renewal prices. Below, you can see the registration, renewal, and transfer prices for mainstream domain extensions offered by NameCheap
| Domain extension | Registration price | Renewal price | Transfer price | ICANN fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $10.28 | $15.88 | $10.48 | $0.18 |
| .net | $12.98 | $15.98 | $12.98 | $0.18 |
| .org | $7.48 | $14.98 | $10.98 | $0.18 |
Domain.com
Domain.com is a company offering top-notch domain-related services. Founded in 2000, Domain.com offers more than 300 domain extensions and claims to provide a one-stop shop for anyone trying to start building their online presence. They offer an AI-powered domain generator tool and partnered with web.com to provide an AI-fueled website builder.
Domain.com customers can get website security services, including SiteLock for malware protection, SSL certificates for security and privacy, and domain privacy protection. Keep in mind that these services will cost extra, and you should pay for them in addition to your domain name’s cost.
When transferring domains via domain.com, you can expect services such as DNS management, email forwarding, domain locking, URL forwarding, and 24/7 customer service via Domain.com’s live chat. It’s important to know that Domain.com is an ideal place to access unique domain extensions unavailable elsewhere. They also offer premium domain names for those who want an easy-to-memorise domain name.
Moreover, suppose you have a large, content-heavy website. In that case, Domain.com is a perfect marketplace for you simply because it offers unlimited storage on all its packages.
Pricing: Domain.com offers competitive prices for its domain name registration service. However, it is certainly not the cheapest player in the market. In fact, not only do they have a significant price increase upon domain name renewal, but they also charge an additional $8.99 for domain privacy. That said, their domain name rates start at $1.99 per year.
| Domain extension | Registration price | Renewal price | Transfer price | ICANN fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $11.99 | $21.99 | $9.99 | - |
| .net | $14.99 | $22.99 | $9.99 | - |
| .org | $9.99 | $20.99 | $9.99 | - |
Google Domains
Google Domains started in early 2015 but was officially out of beta in March 2022. They offer over 300 domain extensions, including top-level domains (TLDs). One thing that sets Google Domains apart from other domain registrars is their fixed rates for domain names, which means the renewal cost of a domain name isn’t different from its registration fee.
Google Domains offers free domain privacy protection with every domain purchase, which protects the customer’s personal information. Their built-in security also includes two-factor authentication, one-click DNSSEC, automated domain lock, and domain permission options for domain name management purposes. In addition, Google Domains mainstreams DNS management on their user-friendly platform.
It’s important to know that Google Domains decided to migrate to Squarespace back in 2023, only 14 months after its General Availability (GA). However, they claim that this migration would not impact customers’ domains.
Something to know about Google Domains is that they don’t offer web hosting like many of their competitors. This makes them a less-than-ideal option for people already purchasing their web hosting services, as many providers include a free one-year domain name on their standard web hosting packages.
Google Domains does not offer email hosting services. However, with its easy-to-use interface, Google Domains guides you to Google Workplace, where you can buy your email hosting service at a lowered rate. You can also use their 24/7 customer service via live chat and email to resolve potential issues.
Pricing: As mentioned before, Google Domains doesn’t increase its prices upon domain name renewal. Additionally, its domain transfer rates are the same as those of its regular prices.
| Domain extension | Registration price | Renewal price | Transfer price | ICANN fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $12 | $12 | $12 | - |
| .net | $12 | $12 | $12 | - |
| .org | $12 | $12 | $12 | - |
Hostinger
Founded in 2004, Hostinger is a web hosting service provider and a domain registrar based in Lithuania. They offer more than 100 TLDs. Their domain availability checker tool tells you if your desired domain is available and gives suggestions regarding SEO value and branding purposes.
All domain name purchases on Hostinger come with free WHOIS domain privacy protection. Additionally, purchasing one of their web hosting plans gives you access to a free domain name, a free website builder, and email hosting services. According to their website, domain transfers are free on Hostinger. When you transfer domains, you’ll also receive a one-year extension on your current expiration date.
As for their hosting services, they offer web, cloud, VPS, and managed WordPress hosting. They also have their own Minecraft server. Their 24/7 customer service team is ready to help you overcome any possible issues regarding your website hosting plan or domain name. They offer their services in 10 different languages.
Pricing: Hostinger’s domain services start at $0.99. They also offer competitive prices for popular LTDs.
| Domain extension | Registration price | Renewal price | Transfer price | ICANN fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $9.99 | $15.99 | $9.99 | - |
| .net | $7.99 | $15.99 | $12.99 | - |
| .org | $14.99 | $15.99 | $14.99 | - |
DreamHost
Another name on the list is DreamHost. This web hosting service provider offers domain registration services. Its user-friendly interface allows customers to easily manage their domains, edit DNS records, and set up domain forwarding.
When you purchase a domain name from DreamHost, you get lifetime WHOIS privacy protection for free. Additionally, if you get one of their hosting plans, such as shared, VPS, or dedicated hosting, you can get an unlimited number of subdomains for free.
Using DreamHost’s domain name search tool, you can determine whether your domain of choice is available. Alternatively, you can take advantage of their personal domains to add a touch of professionalism to your business profile. DreamHost also has a WordPress website builder, which is perfect for beginners who lack the coding knowledge to create a website.
Pricing: DreamHost’s domain name prices begin at $1.99. Also, the prices for more mainstream TLDs are as described below.
| Domain extension | Registration price | Renewal price | Transfer price | ICANN fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $9.99 | $15.99 | $9.99 | - |
| .net | $7.99 | $15.99 | $12.99 | - |
| .org | $14.99 | $15.99 | $14.99 | - |
Hover
Hover is a Toronto-based domain registrar founded in 2008. They offer over 300 extensions, along with easy-to-use business email hosting.
While Hover doesn’t provide its customers with any web hosting services, it’s a good match for beginners who want to purchase a domain easily, people who intend to purchase domains in bulk, those who want high-volume discounts, and those who want to take advantage of Hover’s built-in privacy features, as they offer free WHOIS privacy and email verification before checkout.
On the other hand, people who need web development services or those with a limited budget might not find Hover’s domain-related plans ideal. One of the best things about Hover is its straightforward registration process and clean interface. These features, along with a lack of upsells on this platform, make Hover a great choice for registering, renewing, and transferring domains.
Hover also has a tool named “Connect,” which will help you connect your domain name to your hosting website builder, making the process easier than manually. Hover’s customer support team handles customer problems via email, live chat, and phone. Though their services are not available 24/7, they are available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
Pricing: Hover’s domain name prices might be a bit more expensive than those of its competitors. That being said, it’s important to know that they don’t charge any transfer fees but an additional registration fee to renew the domain name for another year.
| Domain extension | Registration price | Renewal price | Transfer price | ICANN fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $14.99 | $16.99 | - | - |
| .net | $13.99 | $13.99 | - | - |
| .org | $16.99 | $18.99 | - | - |
GoDaddy
GoDaddy is probably one of the biggest names in the domain registration industry. With over 21 million users and 87 million domains, GoDaddy offers domain registration services, web hosting, and digital marketing solutions.
They have a clean, user-friendly interface with over 500 extensions and 100+ subdomains. Upon purchasing a domain name from GoDaddy, you’ll get a free professional email address, a free trial of their website builder, and a free SSL certificate.
GoDaddy is also one of the few places that offers domain auctions, making it a marketplace for domain buyers and sellers. While their more comprehensive plans contain free online domain protection, GoDaddy offers other domain-based services, including bulk domain search, domain transfers, new domain extensions, a domain name generator, domain broker services, and domain investing.
They offer 24/7 chat support via their live bot and WhatsApp, along with a phone support team that takes care of their customers’ problems.
Pricing: While the cheapest domain extension on GoDaddy costs $0.99, their mainstream TLDs can be a bit more expensive than competitors.
| Domain extension | Registration price | Renewal price | Transfer price | ICANN fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $19.99 | $19.99 | $10.99 | - |
| .net | $20.99 | $20.99 | $10.99 | - |
| .org | $20.99 | $22.99 | $10.99 | - |
Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the oldest domain stores, founded in 2003. Their services include domain name registration and WordPress hosting. Bluehost offers a very secure platform and supports a plethora of TLDs. You can find three classes of domains on Bluehost, including original top-level, country-code, and new generic top-level domains.
Bluehost offers tools that streamline domain management and provide solid customer service. Their customer services are available 24/7 via live chat, phone, and Twitter. They also have an official Knowledge Base full of educational material and guides.
One of the downsides of using Bluehost is its non-refundable purchase policy. Additionally, its domain transfer services are limited. Lastly, depending on the customer’s location, Bluehost may add VAT (Value Added Tax) to its prices.
While using Bluehost, it’s important to renew your domain name regularly. You can use auto-renewal to do this; however, if you choose to do this manually and forget about it, or if the auto-renewal doesn’t go through, you’ll be given a 30-day Grace Period to renew your domain. If you fail to renew your domain name at this time, Bluehost also has a Redemption Period, during which they’ll keep your domain name inaccessible to the public. However, upon renewing your domain, you’ll have to pay extra to Bluehost.
Pricing: Below are the registration and renewal prices for the “.com,” “.net,” and “.org” extensions. Bluehost offers free domain transfers. However, they require a $15 fee for domain privacy services.
| Domain extension | Registration price | Renewal price | Transfer price | ICANN fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $12.99 | $21.99 | - | - |
| .net | $14.99 | $22.99 | - | - |
| .org | $9.99 | $20.99 | - | - |
HostGator
HostGator is another old name in the domain name industry that was launched in 2002. While working with HostGator, you can get a free domain name for a year if you buy a hosting plan.
In addition to the free domain name, you can get free WHOIS privacy on your domains without extra fees. It also offers easy domain management, DNS management, and email forwarding.
HostGator’s domain finder can help you find the best available option in your niche. It’s also worth noting that HostGator is an official partner of domain.com. Considering this, while they offer a limited range of extensions, you can always go to domain.com to find the extensions you’re looking for.
Their web hosting plans offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee, a site builder tool, and an SSL certificate. They also offer shared, cloud, WordPress, VPS, dedicated, and reseller hosting. Lastly, HostGator’s customer support is ready to answer customers’ questions through email and live chat 24/7.
Pricing: HostGator’s base domain price starts at $1.99. Until November 2023, HostGator did not charge for domain transfers. However, they now charge a flat rate of $12.99 for every domain transfer.
| Domain extension | Registration price | Renewal price | Transfer price | ICANN fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $12.99 | $19.99 | $12.99 | - |
| .net | $18.99 | $19.99 | $12.99 | - |
| .org | $9.99 | $19.99 | $12.99 | - |
Network Solutions
Network Solutions is a subsidiary of Web.com. It is a web hosting, domain registration, business email, and web security company. This American tech company is the 4th largest “.com” domain registrar and has over 6.7 million registrations.
4 All services and web hosting plans on Network Solutions come with a control panel, which may make this registrar a bit less easy-to-use compared to its main competitors. That said, when you find your way around their control panel, you’ll realise that Network Solutions is not only an easy-to-use platform, but also offers decent features to users.
Network Solutions provides its customers with a drag-and-drop site builder. If you have already purchased hosting for your website from a third-party company, you can connect your domain name to your website. It’s also worth noting that Network Solutions is not the most affordable option in the market, but it does provide flexible billing options, which is ideal for people on a tight budget.
Network Solutions charges its customers for services that are part of other registrars’ standard domain registration services. For example, while domain forwarding services cost $12.99 on Network Solutions, you can get free domain forwarding on other platforms. Network Solutions is a great option for those interested in renting domains for prolonged periods of time, like 100 years. This is contrary to other domain name registration service providers that let you buy domains for a maximum period of 10 years at a time.
Pricing: The lowest domain on Network Solutions costs $9.99. However, more popular domain extensions will be more expensive.
| Domain extension | Registration price | Renewal price | Transfer price | ICANN fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $25 | $25 | $9.99 | - |
| .net | $25 | $25 | N/A | - |
| .org | $25 | $25 | N/A | - |
BuyDomains
On our mission to find the ideal domain registrar in the market, we could not skip BuyDomains. While they don’t necessarily take part in everything that a domain registrar does, their domain registration is unique.
Founded in 1999, BuyDomains specialises in premium, costly domains. There are only 21 TLDs available on their website. Their cheapest domain names sell for $500, with the price of more “fancier” domains going up to thousands of dollars.
As mentioned before, BuyDomains does not offer all the standard services a domain registrar provides. Therefore, you cannot transfer your domains to their website. After you register domains on BuyDomains, you should use a third-party registry for domain transfers and connect them to your web hosting plans.
Since BuyDomains focuses on providing luxurious, premium domains, its prices are expected to be heftier than in other places. However, an interesting feature on its website is the ability to negotiate and bargain with the company so you can buy your domain at an ideal price.
BuyDomains is also another partner of Domain.com, which makes domain transfers easy. Additionally, BuyDomians doesn’t offer refunds after you purchase a domain. This, combined with their high domain prices, makes it crucial to consider your purchasing decisions before carrying on with them. BuyDomains has an intuitive interface and offers customer support from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday via email, live chat, and telephone.
Pricing: BuyDomains does not offer set prices for its domain names. However, as mentioned before, you can negotiate the prices with the company. Their prices can range from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.
Shopify
Shopify is a reputable e-commerce platform for people to start, manage, and grow online businesses. This all-inclusive platform offers website hosting options and acts as a domain registrar. By choosing Shopify as your e-commerce domain registrar, you’ll get access to a free domain availability tool as well as assistance with choosing the right domain name so your branding and SEO efforts are as effective as possible.
On its website, Shopify claims that it offers free WHOIS privacy for all its domains except those on the WHOIS database exception list. Aside from the free WHOIS privacy, Shopify also includes free SSL certificates under domain purchase orders. However, the free SSL certificate only comes with a paid Shopify plan.
While using Shopify as a domain registrar, you can edit domains, create subdomains, and forward emails. They offer 24/7 customer support, but it may be difficult to get in touch and find answers to your queries on Shopify since their AI-powered live chatbot might not answer all your questions.
Pricing: Shopify is not super transparent with its domain prices on its website. While you can see the registration prices on their website, their information regarding domain renewals is a bit foggy. As for domain transfers, their website states that you must pay a registration fee for domain transfer services. More detailed information regarding Shopify’s domain pricing is provided in the table below.
| Domain extension | Registration price | Renewal price | Transfer price | ICANN fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $15 | N/A | $15 | - |
| .net | $18 | N/A | $18 | - |
| .org | $17 | N/A | $17 | - |
How to Choose the Best Domain Name Registrar?
So far, we have reviewed some of the greatest domain registrations in the market. However, to choose the ideal domain registrar for you and your needs, you’ll need to pay attention to a few factors that seem simple enough but are crucial to consider. In this section, we encourage you to check our criteria to find the best domain registrar that suits your needs.
Check Registrar Accreditation and Reputation
When choosing the perfect domain registrar, you should first know whether or not you can trust them. There are multiple ways to gauge their trustworthiness. For one, you can check whether or not the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which regulates and centralises domain registration, accredits a domain registrar. You can also check if your domain name registrar of choice is certified by any other regulatory bodies in the industry. Another good way to study domain registrars’ reliability is word of mouth. Check reviews, testimonials, and ratings from previous users, and make sure there haven’t been any violations of industry rules or major complaints against the registrar for the best results.
Assess Registration Process, Pricing, Terms and Conditions
When seeking a good domain registrar, look for a straightforward registration process. Ensure your registrar has a clean, intuitive interface without upselling attempts and hard-to-navigate policies. Pricing also plays a significant role in deciding on a domain name. Look for competitive, transparent prices that give you good value for your money. Keeping this in mind, you should determine whether you won’t want to purchase premium domains, which are more expensive. Lastly, it’s essential to learn the registrar’s terms and conditions before you purchase a domain from them. That way, you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into, and there will be no surprises on your way.
Check Domain Transfer Policies
Domain transfers are among the most important factors when choosing your perfect domain registrar. Many companies try to upcharge you for domain transfers. By giving unclear instructions regarding their transfer services, different domain registrars cause disruptions in the user experience when customers have no way back. Most domain registrars have a simple set of rules for domain transfers. These requirements include locking domains for 60 days prior to transferring them, specific transfer costs, and the other registrar unlocking the domain before the transfer. Remember that some domain name registrars don’t offer transfers as a part of their services, or some might only have limited transfer options.
Evaluate Add-On Services
A registrar’s add-on services can be a make-or-break point for many customers. Most domain registrars offer web hosting packages as part of their services. This could be especially beneficial to those who wish to get a free domain registration while signing up for web hosting. In addition to the free domain option, registrars can offer website builder tools and WordPress-related services to help beginners easily set up their online presence. Adding digital marketing to the mix is also a nice touch. Also, one of the main reasons domain names matter so much is their importance in branding attempts and SEO principles. By offering these additional services, registrars try to become a one-stop shop for potential customers.
Wrapup: Getting the Best Domain Registration Deal in 2024
With the World Wide Web being more competitive than ever, choosing and maintaining a great domain name becomes essential to building an online presence. That’s why choosing the perfect domain registrar becomes an important task for business owners, influencers, bloggers, and anyone who uses the internet for business.
Choosing the best domain registration services requires prioritising one’s preferences and paying attention to details. The top qualities of a good domain registrar include transparent pricing, strong infrastructure, a clean interface, great security measures, and other add-on services such as free website builders or free WHOIS privacy.
With years of experience in SEO, web development, and web design, we help businesses establish an impactful online presence. Reach out to our digital marketing experts at Revpanda and get a free consultation to strategise your online business journey for long term growth.
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