Availability Search
The availability search is the entry point of the purchase journey for your clients. This section explains how to configure the HostMyServers module so that availability searches work correctly from the WHMCS cart.
General Operation
When a client types a domain name in the WHMCS search field, the system queries the HostMyServers API for each configured extension and displays availability results in real time.
The module uses an individual domain check (one request per TLD) to guarantee the accuracy of results.
Configuring Extensions in the Search
Only extensions for which you have defined pricing in extension management appear in the search results. If an extension has no pricing, it will not be offered even if HostMyServers supports it.
To display extensions in a specific order in the search results:
- Go to Setup → Products & Services → Domain Pricing
- In the Display Order column, define priorities (lower values appear first)
Domain Suggestions
WHMCS can display alternative domain suggestions when the searched name is already taken. For example, if mybusiness.com is taken, WHMCS can suggest mybusiness.fr, mybusiness.net, mybusiness.shop, etc.
Enable suggestions
From Setup → System → General Settings → Domains tab:
- Domain Suggestions: Enabled
- Suggestion Provider: HostMyServers (if the module supports it) or WHMCS built-in
If your module version does not yet offer a native suggestion provider, use the WHMCS built-in suggestion engine, which generates variants based on the TLDs you have configured.
Suggestion Categories
Organise your extensions into themed categories to help clients choose:
| Category | Extensions |
|---|---|
| Popular | .com, .fr, .net, .org |
| Business | .shop, .store, .business, .company |
| Tech | .io, .dev, .app, .tech, .cloud |
| Geographic | .fr, .eu, .de, .es, .it, .be |
These categories are configurable in Setup → Products & Services → Domain Groups.
Clearing the Availability Cache
WHMCS caches availability results to improve performance. If you encounter incorrect results (domain displayed as available when it was just registered, or vice versa), clear the cache:
Utilities → Clear Template Cache
For a deeper cache clear, you can also clear the system cache from the WHMCS command line:
php /var/www/whmcs/crons/cron.php --action="ClearCache"
Search Performance
If the availability search is slow (several seconds), check:
- Number of configured extensions: the more TLDs you have, the longer the search takes. Limit to your best-selling extensions
- cURL timeout: if availability requests time out, check that the cURL timeout is sufficient server-side (recommended: minimum 10 seconds in the PHP configuration)
- Server → HostMyServers API connection: perform a latency test from your server to the API endpoint