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
What happens when a domain expires: auto-renew grace, 30-day redemption, 5-day pendingDelete, then release — and when a name can still be recovered.
Redemption period vs pending delete
Redemption period lasts 30 days and the domain is recoverable for a fee. Pending delete lasts 5 days and it is not, at any price. How to tell them apart.
Domain redemption fees by registrar
Redemption fees to restore an expired .com at Namecheap, GoDaddy, Spaceship, Squarespace, Hover and five more, each sourced from the registrar and dated.
RDAP vs WHOIS: what changed and why it matters
RDAP replaced WHOIS for gTLDs in January 2025. What actually changed: structured JSON instead of free text, real status codes, and defined error handling.
Domain monitoring for agencies and resellers
How agencies track client domain expiry across registrars they do not control: why renewal emails fail, and which registry statuses actually need an alert.
Domain status codes, and which ones mean trouble
What every EPP domain status code means: client vs server codes, which are routine protections, and the three that mean a domain is offline or expiring.
How to check when a domain expires
Four ways to check when a domain expires: registrar dashboard, WHOIS sites, RDAP directly, or monitoring. What each one can and cannot tell you.
How a domain drop actually works
When do expired domains drop? When the release happens, why backorder services win contested names, and which registry signals actually predict a drop.
Check domain expiry in GitHub Actions
Add a weekly domain expiry check to GitHub Actions: a free action that reads expiry live from the registry over RDAP and fails the run before a domain lapses.
SSL certificate expiry monitoring
Monitor SSL certificate expiry: check a certificate's end date, see why auto-renewal fails, and get alerted 14, 7 and 1 days before HTTPS lapses.
Domain expiry MCP server for Claude, Cursor and VS Code
A free MCP server that lets Claude, Cursor and VS Code check domain expiry, lifecycle stage, drop date and SSL certificates live from the registry over RDAP. No API key.
The best domain monitoring tools for expiry and renewals
The best domain monitoring tools for expiry and renewals: five compared on free plans, prices, data sources and alerts, and which one fits which job.