Which Integration Method Should I Choose?

There is no single “right” way to connect to CentralNic Reseller — there is the right way for your business. A web host automating a few hundred domains, a registrar running EPP across several registries, and a developer building a custom platform all have different needs, and we give each of them a path that fits. This page helps you pick yours before you write any code.

The good news: you are not locked in. Many partners start in the Control Panel, add WHMCS or an API integration as they grow, and mix methods over time. Choose what gets you live soonest today; you can always deepen the integration later.

By the End of This Page You Will Know

• Which method matches your situation — hosting provider, registrar, WHMCS user or custom developer
• How the methods compare on setup effort, prerequisites, flexibility and time-to-first-registration
• Exactly which guide to open next to start building

First Things First

Whichever path you choose, everything begins with a funded, secured account. If you have not done that yet, work through Your First Day as a CentralNic Reseller first — it takes about 30 minutes and applies to every method below.

Start With Your Situation

Find the description that sounds most like you and follow the recommendation. More than one may fit — that is fine, and the comparison table below will help you decide between them.

”I Want To Be Live as Fast as Possible”

Start in the Control Panel. It is your white-label, web-based command centre — no code, no servers, nothing to install. You can register, transfer, renew and manage domains, contacts and DNS by hand from day one, and it is the fastest way to make your first real registration.

Every partner should know the Control Panel even if they later automate, because it is where you configure defaults, check pricing and verify that automation did what you expected. See Your First Day for the full walkthrough.

”I Run a Web Hosting Business”

Choose the WHMCS module. If you already bill and provision hosting through WHMCS, our module plugs domain registration straight into the platform your customers and staff already use — no separate system to build or maintain. It is the shortest path to selling domains alongside hosting under your own brand.

You will find the module and its documentation on the WHMCS page, and the everyday flows in WHMCS integration.

”I Already Use WHMCS for Something Else”

Same recommendation: the WHMCS module. There is no reason to build a custom integration when the platform you run can talk to us directly. Install the module, add your credentials, and your existing WHMCS instance becomes your domain storefront. Start at the WHMCS page.

”I’m a Developer Building a Custom Platform”

You want the API — and, if we publish one for your language, an SDK on top of it. Our HTTPS API is a straightforward request/response interface: you send a command with parameters and get a structured response back, over HTTPS, XML-RPC, SOAP or the high-performance MREG gateway. It gives you full control to build exactly the product you want.

If you would rather not hand-roll HTTP calls, our SDKs wrap the same API idiomatically. See SDK Quick Starts for the available languages, and Connecting for the five gateway options and how authentication works.

The REST API Is Now Available

CentralNic Reseller also offers a REST API — a modern JSON-over-HTTPS option for custom integrations. You can build against it in OT&E today, with the consolidated production release available from 28 July 2026. If you prefer working in REST, start with the REST API Integration Guide.

For most developers today, the HTTPS API (optionally via an SDK) is the proven, fully documented path. See the REST API Integration Guide for where REST fits once it is generally available.

”I’m a Registrar, or I Already Run EPP Elsewhere”

Choose EPP. If your team already speaks the Extensible Provisioning Protocol — the registry-industry standard — you can reuse that expertise and tooling to connect to CentralNic Reseller with minimal relearning. EPP is the natural fit for established registrars and anyone standardising on one protocol across multiple providers.

Our EPP server supports the full domain, contact, host, transfer and poll command set. See the EPP Command Reference for the complete list and the EPP Integration Guide to get connected.

Compare the Methods at a Glance

Use this table to weigh the trade-offs. “Time-to-first-registration” assumes your account is already funded and secured.

Method	Setup effort	Technical prerequisites	Control & flexibility	Typical use case	Time-to-first-registration
Control Panel	None — log in and go	A web browser	Manual operations; no automation	Getting started, testing, occasional manual tasks	Minutes
WHMCS module	Low	A running WHMCS installation	High for billing/provisioning; bounded by WHMCS	Web hosts and anyone already on WHMCS	Same day
SDK	Low–medium	Coding in a supported language	Full API access, idiomatic wrapper	Developers who want the API without hand-rolling HTTP	Days
API (HTTPS / XML-RPC / SOAP / MREG)	Medium	Ability to send authenticated HTTP requests	Full control over every command	Custom platforms and bespoke automation	Days
EPP	Medium–high	EPP client and protocol experience	Full registry-standard control	Registrars and teams already running EPP	Days

REST Joins the API Options

The REST API is a JSON-over-HTTPS flavour of the same command-based API in the “API” row above — now available (OT&E today; production from 28 July 2026). If REST is your preference, follow the REST API Integration Guide.

Not Sure Between the API and an SDK?

They reach the same system. Use an SDK if we publish one for your language and you want to move fast; call the API directly if you need a language we do not yet cover, or want the thinnest possible dependency. Either way you are talking to the identical command set behind the gateways.

Security Applies to Every API Path

Before you connect any automated method, review API Security. IP allowlisting protects the EPP, SOAP, HTTPS, XRRP and XMLRPC gateways, and setting it up early keeps your integration safe from day one.

What To Do Next

You have picked a direction — now let’s build. Open the guide that matches your choice:

Building Your IntegrationThe hub for connecting, authenticating and registering your first domain via code.

REST API Integration GuideFrom credentials to your first registered domain over the API.

EPP Integration GuideSessions, commands and transfers for registrars.

SDK Quick StartsThe same happy path, idiomatic to your language.

WHMCS ModuleAdd domains to the billing platform you already run.

Your First DayNot set up yet? Fund and secure your account first.