Lifecycle of a Domain Name

Thousands of domain names are registered every day. Almost every domain name starts off in the similar manner – they are all available for registration and expire at a point of time. For those who are interested in purchasing a domain name, you must understand a typical lifecycle of any Domain name. Since it is the most important thing on the internet, let’s understand what happens between the registration and deactivation of a domain name. Once you get a fair idea about the lifecycle of a domain name, you can possibly retain a domain name that is on the verge of deletion or may have accidentally expired.

Available Domain Names

In any domain name lifecycle, the first stage is its availability. Here, the domain name is available and not registered by any entity. Use a registrar to search for an available domain name and go for it. These domain names are available for registration for a period of 1 to 10 years.

Registered Period

The domain name will become active and registered for the term you have made the payment for. After registration, the current registrar should keep it for a minimum period of 60 days after which, it can be transferred to another registrar, if need be. Also, if you want to keep it for a longer period, you need to renew the domain name. A majority of registrars will notify you well in advance before the domain is due to expire. This makes it easier for you to renew the domain name early without wasting any time.

Expired Period

In case you fail to renew the domain before it expires, the domain name will get deleted. All services related to domain name are then put to an end. In fact, the domain name cannot be transferred to another registrar, unless it is renewed. After the expiry, the domain name enters a Grace Period that may last up to 30 to 45 days depending upon the extension and registrar. This is the period when you can renew the domain name at a regular rate without having to pay a penalty (if not auctioned). However, if it still is not renewed during this phase, the domain enters the redemption grace period.

Redemption Grace Period

At the end of the expired period, the domain enters a 30 day redemption period. During this phase, most of the registrars delete all the information about the domain. The domain is then removed thus making it expensive to recover again. Most registrars charge a lump sum during this period to reclaim the domain.

Pending Delete Period

If the domain is still not renewed in redemption period then it goes into the pending delete phase. This period lasts for 5 days, after which the domain gets deleted and is available to public for registration.

Deleted and Active – Renew ASAP

The domain name is deleted and available to anyone for registration. To avoid your domain name from getting deleted, the best thing to do is renew it at the earliest.