Does a domain stop working the day it expires?

Not always. Many registrars keep an expired generic domain in the zone for some days or weeks of grace before they suspend it, and the exact rules differ between registrars and registries. The safe assumption is that it can stop resolving at any moment after the expiration date, and that web site and mail stop with it.

What is the redemption period?

For most generic top-level domains a deleted registration enters a redemption period of about 30 days (RFC 3915 calls the status redemptionPeriod ). The domain no longer resolves, but the former holder can usually restore it through the registrar for a fee. After that comes a short pending delete period, and then the name is released for anyone to register.

Should my domain have a transfer lock?

Yes, for most domains. The status client transfer prohibited makes the registry refuse transfers to another registrar until the registrar removes it at the holder's request, which protects against hijacking with a stolen transfer code. Some country-code registries do not use the status, so its absence is not always something you can change.

Why does the lookup not show the domain owner?

Lookproof reads only the registrar from the registry's RDAP answer and discards all contact entities. Since GDPR most registries redact personal data anyway. The RDAP domain lookup shows what is needed to judge the registration: registrar, dates, statuses and nameservers.

Domain expiry and EPP status codes explained

A domain is not owned but registered for a period, usually one to ten years. When that period ends without renewal, the domain goes through a series of states before it is released. Each state is visible in the registry's data as an EPP status code, and the dates are published over RDAP. The RDAP domain lookup reads both.

RDAP: registration data over HTTPS

RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is the structured successor to WHOIS. A query is an HTTPS request, and the answer is JSON in the format of RFC 9083. IANA publishes which RDAP server is responsible for each top-level domain in a bootstrap file defined by RFC 9224; a client looks up the top-level domain there and asks that server.

The answer has events with the dates, status with the EPP statuses, the nameservers, secureDNS for DNSSEC and entities for the registrar and contacts. ICANN requires RDAP for generic top-level domains; several country-code registries do not offer it yet, and then the lookup reports RDAP_UNAVAILABLE.

Expiry dates

The expiration event is the date the current registration period ends. Renewal moves it forward. Below 30 days the check warns (DOMAIN_EXPIRING_SOON); after the date it reports DOMAIN_EXPIRED as an error.

Automatic renewal at the registrar, a payment card that does not expire before the domain does, and a contact address that someone reads prevent nearly every lapse.

EPP status codes

Registries manage domains with EPP, the Extensible Provisioning Protocol. RFC 5731 defines the domain statuses, RFC 3915 adds the grace period statuses, and RFC 8056 maps them to the spelling RDAP uses, such as client transfer prohibited for clientTransferProhibited.

Statuses that start with client are set by the registrar, those that start with server by the registry.

RDAP status	Meaning
`active`	No restrictions; the domain is in the zone.
`client transfer prohibited`	Transfers to another registrar are refused until the lock is removed.
`client update prohibited`, `client delete prohibited`	Changes or deletion are refused until the lock is removed.
`client hold`, `server hold`	The domain is left out of the zone and does not resolve.
`auto renew period`	The registry renewed the domain automatically after expiry; if the registrar deletes the domain during this period, the renewal fee is refunded.
`redemption period`	The domain was deleted; the former holder can usually still restore it.
`pending restore`	A restore has been requested during redemption.
`pending delete`	Deletion is under way. Together with `redemption period` the domain can still be restored; on its own it will be released within days and can no longer be restored.

When a domain is on hold

A hold removes the domain from DNS without deleting it. Registrars set client hold for unpaid renewals, for contact details that were never verified, or after abuse complaints; registries set server hold, for example on a court order. The check reports either as DOMAIN_ON_HOLD. The registrar can tell you why it was set and what is needed to lift it.

When a domain is about to be deleted

For most generic top-level domains a deleted domain spends about 30 days in the redemption period and then about five days in pending delete. During redemption the registrar can usually restore it for a fee; after that it is released, and drop-catching services often register valuable names within seconds. The check reports both states as DOMAIN_PENDING_DELETE. Country-code registries have their own rules.

Transfer locks

Without client transfer prohibited, a transfer only needs the transfer code (auth code). The check reports the missing lock as DOMAIN_TRANSFER_UNLOCKED for information. Remove the lock only for the duration of a planned transfer.

What the lookup does not show

The lookup shows the registrar, not the holder. Contact entities are discarded, and most registries redact them anyway. For whether the domain's DNSSEC setup works, use the DNSSEC check; RDAP only shows whether the registry holds a DS record.