Installing the Ruachost Domain Reseller Module for WHMCS

The Ruachost Domain Reseller Module connects your WHMCS to Ruachost so you can sell domain names under your own brand. Installation takes about 15 minutes.

Once it’s installed, your customers order domains from your WHMCS as usual. Your WHMCS then sends each registration, transfer and renewal to Ruachost, which charges it to your prepaid Ruachost credit balance. Your customers never see Ruachost, and you keep the margin between your selling price and your Ruachost cost.

Before you begin

Check that you have everything below. Most failed installs trace back to one of these.

You need	Why	How to check
WHMCS 8.0 or later	TLD price import and the credential check on save need WHMCS 8	Help → About in your WHMCS admin
PHP with the cURL extension	The module talks to Ruachost over HTTPS	Ask your host, or check Utilities → System → PHP Info
Outgoing HTTPS (port 443) from your server	Every request goes to Ruachost’s API	Ask your host if your firewall blocks outbound connections
An accurate server clock	Requests more than 5 minutes off are rejected for security	Ask your host to confirm NTP time sync is on
A Ruachost partner account	Your domains and credit live on this account	Log in to your Ruachost client area
Your API key and API secret	They identify and sign every request	Sent by Ruachost when your partner account is approved, or created yourself under Account → API Credentials in your Ruachost client area
Your server’s public IP address (optional)	Ruachost can lock your key to this IP for extra security	Send it to Ruachost before you start

Caution

Keep your API secret private. Anyone holding it can order domains against your credit. If it leaks, revoke it straight away (see Manage your API credentials). The old key stops working at once.

Install the module

1. Download the latest release of the module, for example ruachost-registrar-1.1.0.zip, and unzip it on your computer. You’ll get one folder named ruachost.

   Note

   The module will soon be available to download from Ruachost on GitHub. Until then, contact support to get it.

2. Upload the ruachost folder to modules/registrars/ inside your WHMCS installation, using your hosting file manager or SFTP. The finished path must be modules/registrars/ruachost/ruachost.php.

   • Upload the folder itself, not just the files inside it.
   • Don’t rename the folder. WHMCS looks for it by name.
   • Upgrading from 1.0? Upload the new folder over the old one. Your settings are kept.

3. Activate the module. In your WHMCS admin, go to Configuration (wrench icon) → System Settings → Domain Registrars. Find Ruachost in the list and click Activate.

4. Enter your credentials in the settings that open:

   • API key: starts with rh_.
   • API secret: paste it exactly, with no spaces before or after.
   • API endpoint: leave blank unless Ruachost asks you to change it.
   • Timeout: leave at 90 seconds.
   • Debug logging: leave off. Turn it on only while troubleshooting. Errors are logged either way.

5. Click Save Changes. Saving is the connection test: WHMCS immediately checks your key and secret with Ruachost. If the test fails, an error appears at the top of the page and nothing is saved. See Troubleshooting.

When the settings save without an error, your WHMCS is connected to Ruachost.

Set up your extensions and prices

You can only sell extensions (TLDs) that Ruachost offers to your account. The fastest way to set them up is to import them.

1. Import your Ruachost costs. Go to Utilities → Registrar TLD Sync and choose Ruachost. WHMCS lists every extension available to you with your Ruachost cost for registration, renewal and transfer.
2. Set your margin. Choose a margin (a percentage or a fixed amount) and tick the extensions you want to sell. Then click Import. WHMCS creates the selling prices for you.
3. Set Ruachost as the registrar. Go to Configuration → System Settings → Domain Pricing. For each extension, set Auto Registration to Ruachost. Without this, paid orders wait in WHMCS for you to send them manually.
4. Check your currency. Imported costs come in the currency of your Ruachost account. If you sell in a different currency, check the converted prices before you go live.

To update prices later, run Registrar TLD Sync again. It only changes the extensions you tick.

Fund your account and test it

Every domain is paid from your Ruachost credit balance at the moment it’s ordered. If your balance is too low, the order is refused and nothing is charged.

1. Add funds. Log in to your Ruachost client area and add funds to your account. Keep enough credit to cover a few days of orders; renewals draw on the same balance. See Account credit and paying in advance.
2. Register a test domain. In your WHMCS admin, place an order for a cheap domain you actually want, either as a test client or from Orders → Add New Order. Pay the invoice, or mark it paid.
3. Confirm it went through. Open the domain under the client’s Domains tab. Within a minute its status should change to Active, or to Pending Transfer for a transfer.
4. Check your balance. Your Ruachost credit should have dropped by your cost for that domain, and a matching paid invoice appears in your Ruachost client area.
5. Try the management features. Reload the domain page. The nameservers and registrar lock are read live from Ruachost, so seeing real values there confirms that day-to-day management works.

If all five steps work, you’re ready to sell.

What you and your customers can do

Everything below runs through Ruachost automatically once the module is active.

Action	Where	Charged to your credit?
Search for available domains	Your order form’s domain search	No
Register a domain	New order, once the invoice is paid	Yes, at your registration cost
Transfer a domain in	New transfer order with the EPP code	Yes, at your transfer cost
Renew a domain	Renewal invoice paid, or Renew in admin	Yes, at your renewal cost
Change nameservers	Client area or admin domain page	No
Lock or unlock a domain	Client area or admin domain page	No
Update registrant contacts	Client area or admin domain page	No
Get the EPP / transfer code	Client area or admin domain page	No
Turn ID protection on or off	Admin domain page	No

WHMCS’s daily Domain Sync cron job also checks each domain’s status and expiry date with Ruachost, so your records stay correct. Make sure it’s enabled under Configuration → System Settings → Automation Settings.

Renewals only happen when your WHMCS asks for them, so you stay in control of which domains renew.

Manage your API credentials

You manage your own keys from your Ruachost client area, under Account → API Credentials. Only the account owner can open this page, and every change asks for your password. Ruachost emails you whenever a key is created or revoked.

To rotate a key without any downtime:

1. Click Create credential and copy the new key and secret. The secret is shown only once.
2. In your WHMCS, paste them into Domain Registrars → Ruachost and save. Saving tests the new key.
3. Back on the API Credentials page, check the new key shows a Last used time. Then Revoke the old key.

You can hold two active keys at a time. If a key is lost or exposed, revoke it at once; requests signed with it are refused immediately.

The same page shows your available credit, your account status and your recent API activity, each with a reference you can quote to support.

Troubleshooting

When something fails, WHMCS shows the message Ruachost sent back. For the full request and response, turn on logging under Configuration → System Logs → Module Log, repeat the action, then open the newest ruachost entry. Your key and secret are hidden in that log.

Message contains	What it means	What to do
API endpoint is not configured	The module has no Ruachost address	Download the latest release of the module, or enter the endpoint Ruachost gave you
Enter your Ruachost API key and secret	A field is empty	Fill in both in Domain Registrars → Ruachost
Invalid or revoked API credentials	The key or secret is wrong, or the key was revoked	Paste them again with no spaces, or create a new key under Account → API Credentials
timestamp is outside the allowed window	Your server clock is off by more than 5 minutes	Ask your host to enable NTP time sync
are not allowed for this account	Your server’s IP isn’t on your allowlist	Send Ruachost your server’s current public IP
Could not reach Ruachost	Your server can’t connect out over HTTPS	Ask your host to allow outbound port 443 and check that cURL works
limiting requests from your account	Too many requests in a minute	Wait a minute and try again
credit balance is too low	Not enough available Ruachost credit for this order	Add funds, then retry. You aren’t charged for the failed attempt
are paused on this account	New orders and renewals are paused; your domains still work	Contact Ruachost support
account is suspended	All API access is paused	Contact Ruachost support
is not offered	Ruachost doesn’t offer that extension or term to you	Remove it from your pricing, or ask Ruachost to add it
not available through this account	Someone else already holds the domain	Offer the customer a different name
registrant … is missing / not valid	The customer’s contact details are incomplete	Fix the client’s details, then retry. Nothing was sent or charged
Payment received, but the registry rejected	You were charged, but the registry refused the request	Fix the cause (often contact details or EPP code), then retry. You won’t be charged again
still being processed	An earlier attempt for the same action is running	Wait a minute and check the domain status before retrying

A registration the registry is still processing shows as Pending Registration. WHMCS’s daily domain sync turns it Active once the registry confirms; you don’t need to retry.

Retrying a failed registration, transfer or renewal is always safe: the module recognises a repeat of the same action and never charges twice. Error messages end with a reference such as (Ref: rr-1a2b…); keep it for support.

Getting help

Open a support ticket from your Ruachost client area, or call or WhatsApp us on +234 702 500 0200. We’re available 24/7. To get a fast answer, include:

• the domain name and the action that failed (register, transfer, renew or another);
• the date and time it happened;
• the error message WHMCS showed, including its reference (Ref: …);
• for orders, the order reference (RO-…) if WHMCS showed one.

Danger

Never send your API secret in a ticket or email. Ruachost will never ask for it.

Related articles

• All about .ng domains
• Domain life cycle for .com and other international domains
• Official Ruachost emails and websites