// domain glossary
domain deletion lifecycle.
The domain deletion lifecycle is the sequence an unrenewed domain passes through — active, expiring, grace, redemption, pending delete, then available — with each stage carrying different costs and a different set of options for the owner.
A domain does not switch from yours to anyone else's on its expiry date. It passes through a defined sequence of registry states, each one narrowing what you can do and raising what it costs to fix. Knowing the sequence is the difference between a mildly irritating renewal and a five-figure recovery conversation.
the stages, in order
Active is the normal state: registered, resolving, renewable at the ordinary price. Expiring is not a formal registry state at all, just the run-up — ICANN's expired-registration rules oblige gTLD registrars to send renewal reminders roughly a month and a week before expiry, plus one shortly afterwards. [Grace](/glossary/grace-period) begins at the expiry date, commonly runs around 30 to 45 days, and still allows renewal at the normal price, though the domain usually stops resolving during it. [Redemption](/glossary/redemption-period) follows for about 30 days: the domain is out of the zone, only the original registrant can recover it, and only by paying a restore fee that dwarfs the renewal. [Pending delete](/glossary/pending-delete) is the last five days or so, in which nothing can be done by anybody. Then the registry releases the name and it is available — for a matter of milliseconds, if it is any good.
the numbers vary, and they vary a lot
The figures above describe the common gTLD pattern, and they are genuinely typical, but not one of them is a universal guarantee. The grace period is entirely at the registrar's discretion and can be zero. Redemption is a registry policy, so ccTLD operators set their own — some run longer protection windows, some have no redemption stage at all, and .uk in particular follows a quite different suspension-then-release schedule. Treat published day counts as planning aids, never as deadlines you can bank on.
The only reliable way to know where a domain actually stands is to read its EPP status codes from the registry, which is what RDAP is for. Status codes are authoritative; a date arithmetic guess is not. The expiry checker does this lookup live and maps the result onto the stages above.
For your own portfolio the practical conclusion is dull but correct: the entire lifecycle is irrelevant if you renew on time, and alerts at 90, 30, 7 and 1 days make that the default rather than an act of vigilance. For domains you are hoping to acquire, the same stage model tells you when to stop watching and start arranging a backorder.
// stop checking one at a time
knowing the terms is the easy part.
Owndle tracks every domain you own across every registrar — what each one costs to renew, what you would save moving it, and when it expires. Free for your first ten domains.
start free — 10 domains →// no card · magic-link sign-in · alerts at 90/30/7/1 days