Life Cycle of a Domain Name

Domain name registration is the process of purchasing a domain name from a domain registrar. 

There are different types of domain names but the most common one is Generic top-level domains (gTLDs)while we have .NG domains and Country code top-level domains (ccTLDs)

Find below some terminologies for registering a domain:

• Duration: This is the maximum period a domain can be registered with a registrar.
• Domain Name Length: This is the maximum number of characters a domain name can have.
• 60 Day Transfer Lock: This is the number of days a domain name cannot be transferred to a new registrar after registration.
• Name Servers For Zone Delegation: This is the minimum number of nameservers your hosting provider can assign to a domain name.

Below is an overview of the lifecycle of a domain

gTLDs:

Most gTLDs domain names such as .com, .net, .org etc.. can be registered for a period (1-5 years) or more in some cases. Once the domain expires, it enters the Auto-Renew Grace Period (36 days)  when the domain name can only be renewed but not transferred to another registrar. The domain then enters the next phase called "Queued For Deletion" phase which lasts for 6 days. When a domain name is in this phase, you will neither be able to renew the domain nor restore it. The next phase is the 30-days Redemption Grace Period (also known as Pending Delete Restorable) when all services associated with the domain name (eg. DNS, website, emails) will automatically not be available but the domain can still be renewed at an additional cost. At the end of the Redemption Grace Period, it enters into a 5-7 day pending delete period at this stage, the domain name can no longer be renewed. After this period, the domain will be available to the general public for fresh registration on “First come First serve basis”.

.NG:

Most.NG domain names available can be registered for a period (1-5 years). Once the domain expires, it enters Renewal Grace Period (0-60 days) when the domain name can only be renewed but not transferred to another registrar, followed by a 28-day Redemption Period (also known as Pending Delete Restorable) when all services associated with the domain name (eg. DNS, website, emails) will automatically not be available but the domain can still be renewed at an additional cost. At the end of the Redemption Period, it will enter into a 14-day Pending Purge period but the domain name can still be renewed or recovered. After this period, if the domain is not renewed, it will be available to the general public for fresh registration on the “First come First serve basis”. Unfortunately, there is no grace period.

ccTLDs

Before most ccTLDs expire, it is required by the registry that you pay for the domain renewal fees in advance regardless of the domain name expiration date. This is because immediately it expires, it enters into a redemption period when all services associated with the domain name (eg. DNS, website, emails) will automatically not be available but the domain can still be renewed at an additional cost. After this period, the domain will then be available to the general public for re-registration on the “First come First serve basis”. Unfortunately, there is no grace period.

 In Summary,