diff --git a/api/http/server.go b/api/http/server.go
index e8062ccdb2..d7e2b4f47c 100644
--- a/api/http/server.go
+++ b/api/http/server.go
@@ -138,10 +138,14 @@ func WithAddress(addr string) func(*Server) {
 		// If the address is not localhost, we check to see if it's a valid IP address.
 		// If it's not a valid IP, we assume that it's a domain name to be used with TLS.
 		if !strings.HasPrefix(addr, "localhost:") && !strings.HasPrefix(addr, ":") {
-			ip := net.ParseIP(addr)
+			host, _, err := net.SplitHostPort(addr)
+			if err != nil {
+				host = addr
+			}
+			ip := net.ParseIP(host)
 			if ip == nil {
 				s.Addr = httpPort
-				s.options.domain = immutable.Some(addr)
+				s.options.domain = immutable.Some(host)
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index 2e67eadc49..dbcfc54ab5 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ import (
 	ma "github.com/multiformats/go-multiaddr"
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
 	"github.com/spf13/viper"
+	"golang.org/x/net/idna"
 
 	badgerds "github.com/sourcenetwork/defradb/datastore/badger/v3"
 	"github.com/sourcenetwork/defradb/logging"
@@ -296,18 +297,37 @@ func (apicfg *APIConfig) validate() error {
 	if apicfg.Address == "" {
 		return ErrInvalidDatabaseURL
 	}
-	ip := net.ParseIP(apicfg.Address)
-	if strings.HasPrefix(apicfg.Address, "localhost") || strings.HasPrefix(apicfg.Address, ":") || ip != nil {
-		_, err := net.ResolveTCPAddr("tcp", apicfg.Address)
-		if err != nil {
-			return NewErrInvalidDatabaseURL(err)
-		}
-	} else if ip == nil {
-		return ErrInvalidDatabaseURL
+
+	if apicfg.Address == "localhost" || net.ParseIP(apicfg.Address) != nil { //nolint:goconst
+		return ErrMissingPortNumber
+	}
+
+	if isValidDomainName(apicfg.Address) {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	host, _, err := net.SplitHostPort(apicfg.Address)
+	if err != nil {
+		return NewErrInvalidDatabaseURL(err)
 	}
+	if host == "localhost" {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if net.ParseIP(host) == nil {
+		return ErrNoPortWithDomain
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
+func isValidDomainName(domain string) bool {
+	asciiDomain, err := idna.Registration.ToASCII(domain)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	return asciiDomain == domain
+}
+
 // AddressToURL provides the API address as URL.
 func (apicfg *APIConfig) AddressToURL() string {
 	if apicfg.TLS {
diff --git a/config/config_test.go b/config/config_test.go
index 0030346b1a..2337a39eda 100644
--- a/config/config_test.go
+++ b/config/config_test.go
@@ -478,9 +478,45 @@ func TestValidationInvalidLoggingConfig(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrInvalidLogLevel)
 }
 
-func TestValidationAddressBasic(t *testing.T) {
+func TestValidationAddressBasicIncomplete(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg := DefaultConfig()
 	cfg.API.Address = "localhost"
 	err := cfg.validate()
 	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrFailedToValidateConfig)
 }
+
+func TestValidationAddressLocalhostValid(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := DefaultConfig()
+	cfg.API.Address = "localhost:9876"
+	err := cfg.validate()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestValidationAddress0000Incomplete(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := DefaultConfig()
+	cfg.API.Address = "0.0.0.0"
+	err := cfg.validate()
+	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrFailedToValidateConfig)
+}
+
+func TestValidationAddress0000Valid(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := DefaultConfig()
+	cfg.API.Address = "0.0.0.0:9876"
+	err := cfg.validate()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestValidationAddressDomainWithSubdomainValidWithTLSCorrectPortIsInvalid(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := DefaultConfig()
+	cfg.API.Address = "sub.example.com:443"
+	cfg.API.TLS = true
+	err := cfg.validate()
+	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrNoPortWithDomain)
+}
+
+func TestValidationAddressDomainWithSubdomainWrongPortIsInvalid(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := DefaultConfig()
+	cfg.API.Address = "sub.example.com:9876"
+	err := cfg.validate()
+	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrNoPortWithDomain)
+}
diff --git a/config/errors.go b/config/errors.go
index 97f25ac6ce..926c8bebf2 100644
--- a/config/errors.go
+++ b/config/errors.go
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ const (
 	errLoadingConfig               string = "failed to load config"
 	errUnableToParseByteSize       string = "unable to parse byte size"
 	errInvalidDatastorePath        string = "invalid datastore path"
+	errMissingPortNumber           string = "missing port number"
+	errNoPortWithDomain            string = "cannot provide port with domain name"
 )
 
 var (
@@ -82,6 +84,8 @@ var (
 	ErrUnableToParseByteSize       = errors.New(errUnableToParseByteSize)
 	ErrInvalidLoggerConfig         = errors.New(errInvalidLoggerConfig)
 	ErrorInvalidDatastorePath      = errors.New(errInvalidDatastorePath)
+	ErrMissingPortNumber           = errors.New(errMissingPortNumber)
+	ErrNoPortWithDomain            = errors.New(errNoPortWithDomain)
 )
 
 func NewErrFailedToWriteFile(inner error, path string) error {
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 6b55dbd7d2..035b606c7b 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ require (
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v0.36.0
 	go.uber.org/zap v1.24.0
 	golang.org/x/crypto v0.7.0
+	golang.org/x/net v0.9.0
 	google.golang.org/grpc v1.54.0
 )
 
@@ -181,10 +182,9 @@ require (
 	go.uber.org/multierr v1.9.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20230129154200-a960b3787bd2 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/mod v0.8.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/net v0.8.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/sync v0.1.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/sys v0.6.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/text v0.8.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/sys v0.7.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/text v0.9.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/tools v0.6.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20220907171357-04be3eba64a2 // indirect
 	google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20230110181048-76db0878b65f // indirect
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 00b8c261e8..6a8eda91aa 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -1151,8 +1151,8 @@ golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20210525063256-abc453219eb5/go.mod h1:9nx3DQGgdP8bBQD5qx
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20210726213435-c6fcb2dbf985/go.mod h1:9nx3DQGgdP8bBQD5qxJ1jj9UTztislL4KSBs9R2vV5Y=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20220127200216-cd36cc0744dd/go.mod h1:CfG3xpIq0wQ8r1q4Su4UZFWDARRcnwPjda9FqA0JpMk=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20220225172249-27dd8689420f/go.mod h1:CfG3xpIq0wQ8r1q4Su4UZFWDARRcnwPjda9FqA0JpMk=
-golang.org/x/net v0.8.0 h1:Zrh2ngAOFYneWTAIAPethzeaQLuHwhuBkuV6ZiRnUaQ=
-golang.org/x/net v0.8.0/go.mod h1:QVkue5JL9kW//ek3r6jTKnTFis1tRmNAW2P1shuFdJc=
+golang.org/x/net v0.9.0 h1:aWJ/m6xSmxWBx+V0XRHTlrYrPG56jKsLdTFmsSsCzOM=
+golang.org/x/net v0.9.0/go.mod h1:d48xBJpPfHeWQsugry2m+kC02ZBRGRgulfHnEXEuWns=
 golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20180821212333-d2e6202438be/go.mod h1:N/0e6XlmueqKjAGxoOufVs8QHGRruUQn6yWY3a++T0U=
 golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20181017192945-9dcd33a902f4/go.mod h1:N/0e6XlmueqKjAGxoOufVs8QHGRruUQn6yWY3a++T0U=
 golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20181203162652-d668ce993890/go.mod h1:N/0e6XlmueqKjAGxoOufVs8QHGRruUQn6yWY3a++T0U=
@@ -1253,8 +1253,8 @@ golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220704084225-05e143d24a9e/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBc
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220811171246-fbc7d0a398ab/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220908164124-27713097b956/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20221010170243-090e33056c14/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.6.0 h1:MVltZSvRTcU2ljQOhs94SXPftV6DCNnZViHeQps87pQ=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.6.0/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.7.0 h1:3jlCCIQZPdOYu1h8BkNvLz8Kgwtae2cagcG/VamtZRU=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.7.0/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
 golang.org/x/term v0.0.0-20201117132131-f5c789dd3221/go.mod h1:Nr5EML6q2oocZ2LXRh80K7BxOlk5/8JxuGnuhpl+muw=
 golang.org/x/term v0.0.0-20201126162022-7de9c90e9dd1/go.mod h1:bj7SfCRtBDWHUb9snDiAeCFNEtKQo2Wmx5Cou7ajbmo=
 golang.org/x/term v0.0.0-20210927222741-03fcf44c2211/go.mod h1:jbD1KX2456YbFQfuXm/mYQcufACuNUgVhRMnK/tPxf8=
@@ -1266,8 +1266,8 @@ golang.org/x/text v0.3.3/go.mod h1:5Zoc/QRtKVWzQhOtBMvqHzDpF6irO9z98xDceosuGiQ=
 golang.org/x/text v0.3.4/go.mod h1:5Zoc/QRtKVWzQhOtBMvqHzDpF6irO9z98xDceosuGiQ=
 golang.org/x/text v0.3.6/go.mod h1:5Zoc/QRtKVWzQhOtBMvqHzDpF6irO9z98xDceosuGiQ=
 golang.org/x/text v0.3.7/go.mod h1:u+2+/6zg+i71rQMx5EYifcz6MCKuco9NR6JIITiCfzQ=
-golang.org/x/text v0.8.0 h1:57P1ETyNKtuIjB4SRd15iJxuhj8Gc416Y78H3qgMh68=
-golang.org/x/text v0.8.0/go.mod h1:e1OnstbJyHTd6l/uOt8jFFHp6TRDWZR/bV3emEE/zU8=
+golang.org/x/text v0.9.0 h1:2sjJmO8cDvYveuX97RDLsxlyUxLl+GHoLxBiRdHllBE=
+golang.org/x/text v0.9.0/go.mod h1:e1OnstbJyHTd6l/uOt8jFFHp6TRDWZR/bV3emEE/zU8=
 golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20180412165947-fbb02b2291d2/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ=
 golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20181108054448-85acf8d2951c/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ=
 golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20190308202827-9d24e82272b4/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ=