Bluesky applies for its own ".bsky" domain suffix

Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider teased long-term plans on Monday when he shared that the company has applied to make “.bsky” an internet domain suffix, like “.com” or “.org.” If approved, users would be able to turn their longer social handles into shorter, cleaner domain names.

For instance, instead of @sarahp.bsky.social, a handle could one day become just “sarahp.bsky.”

That could leave Bluesky room to innovate around user profiles, turning them from a simple page housing someone’s bio and posts into a more comprehensive personal home page establishing someone’s online presence.

Bluesky’s application hasn’t been approved yet. Schneider said ICANN, the nonprofit that oversees domain names for the internet, will publish the new-domain applications on October 7, 2026, and Bluesky’s request will be among them. The process will take 18 to 24 months to complete.

Reached for comment, Bluesky said it hasn’t finalized how “.bsky” domains would be requested, registered or distributed, but the company said it has no plans to sell or monetize the domains.

That’s a notable decision given that domain registration can be a profitable business that could serve as a potential revenue stream for a startup that has raised significant funds but isn’t yet generating ad revenue.

However, Bluesky says selling domains would go against its belief in an open web.

“Domains are a big part of the open web, as they allow users to control their own online identity,” Bluesky COO Rose Wang said in a comment shared with TechCrunch. “Bluesky was built on the belief that you should own your presence online, not rent it from a platform that can take it away.”

Why it matters

By seeking its own domain suffix rather than selling it, Bluesky is tying its identity strategy to the idea of user-owned handles — a bet that portable identity, not ad revenue from domains, is the platform’s long-term differentiator.