Hey, I'm Pat 👋
I build the internet's plumbing at Name.com—the stuff that makes domain registration actually work.
Been doing this for 15+ years now. When I'm not debugging distributed systems or arguing about the EPP protocol, you'll find me hunting powder days in Colorado.
Debugging DNS issues at 11,000ft 🏔️⚡️
I make domains work
I've spent my entire career—over 15 years—at Name.com, working on the systems that make domain registration work. It's the kind of infrastructure most people never think about unless it breaks.
As a Principal Engineer, I focus on designing systems that handle millions of domain registrations, building distributed architectures that talk to registries worldwide, and solving problems at scale. Real-time domain auctions, zone file processing, registry communications—that kind of thing.
The work keeps me engaged because there's always something new to figure out. Plus, I genuinely enjoy the challenge of making complex systems reliable and maintainable.
A few things about me:
Quick facts
Name.com
15+ years and counting
Colorado College
CS degree, Block Plan survivor
Current focus
Distributed systems, domain infrastructure
Side project
bussin.domains — because why not
One company, 15 years
I know, I know—who stays anywhere that long? But when you're building cool stuff with great people, why leave?
Principal Engineer
The "figure it out" years
Now I'm the one people ask when things break. I design the big systems, make architecture decisions, and try to keep everything from falling over. It's basically professional Jenga.
Senior DevOps
The "why is it on fire" years
Monitoring, alerting, metrics—making sure we knew about problems before customers did. Learned that 3am pages build character (and caffeine tolerance).
Software Engineer
The "learning everything" years
Started fresh out of college. Wrote PHP, Java, JavaScript. Built domain backorder systems. Accidentally became an expert in the EPP protocol. Crushed approximately one million bugs.
Colorado College
The "block plan" years
CS degree from CC. One class at a time, three and a half weeks each. Intense, weird, and honestly pretty great preparation for production incidents.
And yes, I still get excited about domain stuff. Don't @ me.
Tools of the trade
15 years of accumulated knowledge and battle-tested skills
Languages
Data
Infrastructure
Protocols
Things I've built
From side projects to systems handling millions of requests
Zonechecker
A high-performance HTTP service that checks domain presence using bloom filters built from zone files and other data sources. Fast, efficient, and handles massive datasets.
Bussin.domains
A fun, modern domain search and discovery tool. Find the perfect domain name with a unique, engaging interface that makes domain hunting actually enjoyable.
namecom
A command-line interface for Name.com. Register domains, manage DNS, and run an entire domain portfolio without leaving the terminal — with profiles, shell completion, and JSON output for scripting.
plat
Domain lookups, reconciled. Queries registry and registrar RDAP and WHOIS concurrently, then merges them into one record with per-field source provenance — which source supplied each value, and where they disagree.
gTLD Acquisition Engine
@ Name.comReal-time domain acquisition system for new gTLDs. Processes thousands of requests per second during launch windows.
Domain Backorder System
@ Name.comScaled to handle .COM, .NET, .ORG and 6+ other major TLDs with high availability.
Registry Gateway
@ Name.comApache MINA-based connection manager. Achieved 5x increase in concurrent registry connections.
Monitoring Platform
@ Name.comComprehensive alerting and metrics system focused on reducing failures and maximizing uptime.
Let's connect
Whether it's about distributed systems, domain infrastructure, or just good skiing spots in Colorado—I'd love to hear from you.
Say hello
Want to chat about infrastructure, distributed systems, domains, or the best ski runs in Colorado? Drop me a line.
Get in Touch