npm, GitHub and Product Hunt: claim your dev namespaces on day 0
September 4, 2026 · 4 min read
Got a Name in Mind? See If It's Free
App Store, Google Play, domains, handles and dev namespaces in one search.
Three namespaces cost nothing to claim and are almost never given back. Check them the day you pick a name.
GitHub
Organisation and user names share one namespace. If github.com/lumen is a person who joined in 2010 and has no repos, it's still taken. GitHub will release a name only for trademark violations or clearly abandoned accounts, and the process is slow. Create the org now, even if the code stays private.
Check: open github.com/yourname. A 404 means it's free.
npm
Package names are global and unique. If you'll ever publish an SDK, a CLI or a plugin, the bare package name is the one people will type. Scoped packages (@yourorg/name) are always available and increasingly normal, so a taken bare name isn't fatal, but claim it if it's free.
Check: open npmjs.com/package/yourname, or run npm view yourname. An error means it's free. Publishing a placeholder is frowned upon; instead, publish a real 0.0.1 with a README when you have something.
Product Hunt
Product slugs are unique. If producthunt.com/products/lumen exists, your launch will get a slug like lumen-2, which is fine functionally but looks second. You can't reserve a slug without launching, so this is a check, not a claim: if the slug is taken, consider whether you want a suffix on your brand from day one.
The order
- GitHub org, because it's the hardest to recover.
- npm bare name, if you'll publish anything.
- Product Hunt slug, to know what your launch URL will be.
NameHQ checks all three on every search, under Dev namespaces.
Ready to Check Your Own Name?
Run it through the same checks this guide describes. Free, no signup.