The domain name is a very important part of any web project, however, there is more to it than just the registration and renewal of a domain; there are several stages in the life cycle of a domain name and each of them allows for different actions and may have different costs.
What is the purpose of knowing the life cycle of a domain name?
To know how to rescue an expired domain, to get a good domain soon to expire, or better said, to be deleted and to check the extra costs that each registrar imposes in stages after the expiration of a domain.
Stages of a domain name life cycle
The following diagram shows in a simple way the stages a gTLD domain goes through:
Available. The domain is available for registration.
Registered / Active. Registered domain, which can be from one to ten years.
Expiration. This is the date when the domain registration expires. Contrary to what you may think, after this date the domain can still be renewed and there is still a long way to go before it is available for registration again.
Grace period / Registrar Hold. The expiration date has passed, the website is no longer available, but the domain owner can still renew at regular prices, the normal period is 30 to 40 days. The registration fee or the length of this period may vary according to the domain registrar.
Redemption period. After the grace period without being renewed, the domain goes to the redemption period, which is approximately 30 days. The domain can still be renewed but at a much higher cost than normal, up to 300 dollars. Again, the length of the period and the cost of renewal vary according to the registrar company.
Pending delete. If a domain is not renewed in the previous stages, it reaches its last 5 days of life. At this point it is no longer possible to renew the domain and it is waiting to be deleted to be available again to anyone and thus completing its cycle.
Conclusion
The ideal way to keep our domains working is to renew them well before the expiration date and if possible for several years. It is also advisable to check the rates and post-expiration condition of the domain from our registrar to avoid surprises.
It should be clarified that this cycle applies to gTLD domains (.com, .net, .org, .info, etc), ccTLDs (.mx, .cl, .es, .ar, etc) or newTLDs domains may have slightly different cycles that should also be consulted with the official registrar.
