Reference
Domain lifecycle guides
What registries actually publish, how long each stage lasts, and which statuses mean a name is still recoverable. Every figure here was checked against ICANN rather than recalled.
What actually happens when a domain expires
The full ICANN domain lifecycle: auto-renew grace (0-45 days), redemption grace (30 days), pendingDelete (5 days), then release. What each status means and when a name can still be recovered.
Redemption period vs pending delete
The difference between redemptionPeriod and pendingDelete: what each status means, how long it lasts, whether the domain can still be recovered, and what each one means if you are waiting to register the name.
RDAP vs WHOIS: what changed and why it matters
RDAP replaced WHOIS for gTLDs on 28 January 2025. What changed: structured JSON instead of free text, machine-readable status codes, defined error handling, and bootstrap-based endpoint discovery.
Domain monitoring for agencies and resellers
How agencies and resellers track client domain expiry across registrars they do not control: why registrar emails fail, what the registry publishes, and which statuses actually need an alert.
Domain status codes, and which ones mean trouble
What EPP domain status codes mean: the difference between client and server codes, which ones are routine protections, and the three that indicate a domain is offline or expiring.
How to check when a domain expires
Four ways to check a domain expiry date: registrar dashboard, WHOIS lookup sites, RDAP directly, and continuous monitoring. What each one can and cannot tell you.
How a domain drop actually works
What happens when an expired domain is released: when the drop occurs, why backorder services win contested names, and which registry signals actually predict a drop.