{"id":173,"date":"2023-09-10T23:15:22","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T06:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronoiac.org\/misc\/?p=173"},"modified":"2023-09-11T01:27:07","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T08:27:07","slug":"domain-expiration-monitoring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronoiac.org\/misc\/2023\/09\/domain-expiration-monitoring\/","title":{"rendered":"Domain expiration monitoring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

why<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I want to keep an eye on domains and their expiration dates without signaling that, avoiding middlemen who would like a signal of interest, to front run<\/a> the purchase, and auction it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is, to me, surprisingly hard to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

previously<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I kept an eye on various domains I\u2019d like to register, if and when they expire. I set reminders on my calendar to check. With grace periods, it gets more complicated: I\u2019ve seen expiration dates over a month ago, but still blocking a registration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Don’t go to the domain from your browser. If it works, it could signal interest. If it doesn’t work, it’s not definitive; it might not be registered, the webserver could be down, or it’s being used for email, so the webserver was never connected. Going to the whois.com<\/a> site is better about getting info like an expiration date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

stages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a handwaving way, the three stages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Before their expirations:
    Monitor a list of domains for expiration dates. This can be somewhat automated, to check weekly or monthly. As that date nears, watch more closely.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. After their expirations:
    Watching the domains as they lapse.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Once they’re available:
    Buy them. (To be perfectly honest, I haven’t gotten this far.)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    before the expiration dates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Happily, there’s a solution built for this. domain-check-2<\/a> is a shell script that can read a list of domains from a text file, check their expiration dates, and send email if there’s under a certain number of days remaining. It checks using whois<\/code>, and I think that this method is safe from would-be domain squatters. I give it a list that looks like this, only my domains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    # 2023\npronoiac.org # #me, exp 2023-10-23\nmefi.social # #mefi, exp 2023-11-11\n\n# 2027\nmefiwiki.com # #mefi, exp 2027-07-05<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
    I’m running it manually, on a weekly basis; I haven\u2019t used the email notification, but looked at the output. The comments, ordering, and exact expiration dates aren’t necessary,<\/em> but they help me fact-check that it’s working, and they might help my imperfect understanding of the domain lifecycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    around and after the expiration date<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    this is much fuzzier<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
    I checked whois<\/code> (not whois.com) from the command line, and grepped for status or date. If you want to register a domain the day<\/em> it becomes available, I’d suggest checking the status daily. Knowing when it switches to “pending delete” is important, as that starts a five day timer. Finding that it’s been renewed is another possibility, in which case, update the expiration date in the text file, and go back to step 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    status<\/th>days after expiration<\/th>renewable?<\/th>website could work<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    ok<\/td>before<\/td>yes<\/td>yes<\/td><\/tr>
    renewal grace period<\/td>0 to 30* days<\/td>yes<\/td>maybe<\/td><\/tr>
    redemption period \/ restoration grace period<\/td>30 to 60 days<\/td>yes<\/td>no<\/td><\/tr>
    pending delete<\/td>5 day duration<\/td>?<\/td>no<\/td><\/tr>
    available<\/td>35 to 75, or up to 120 days???<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    Notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Grace period:<\/em>
    probably<\/em> 0 to 30 days.
    It could be lengthened, to 40 or 90 days, or shortened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Redemption period:<\/em>
    A recovery fee required to renew: $100 to 150. The registrar could put the domain up for auction during this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Available:<\/em>
    Apparently, usually opens sometime between 11am and 2pm Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Add grace period:<\/em>
    People and registries can cancel a domain purchase within five days of purchase. This can be used for domain tasting<\/a> and domain kiting. This means, if the domain of interest was picked up by someone else, watch it for the next week. Maybe they’ll change their mind and return it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    This timeline can vary by TLD, registrar, and registry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    for further research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n