Types of WHOIS data from a domain: States and lifecycle

Types of WHOIS data from a domain: States and lifecycle

Since domains have an expiration date, they go through a series of phases or periods, as explained in the life cycle:


By checking the status of a domain, which we obtain through a whois lookup, we can know which phase of the life cycle it is in:

  • OK: Active domain
  • clientTransferProhibited, clientDeleteProhibited, clientUpdateProhibited: Active domain (but locked for transfers).
  • clientHold: Expired domain. Grace Period. The domain can be renewed at the normal price.
  • redemptionPeriod: Expired domain. Redemption Period. The domain can be renewed at a higher price.
  • pendingDelete: Deletion Period. The domain cannot be recovered. You must wait for it to be released.
 
Remember that to transfer a domain, it must not be in a locked state (clientTransferProhibited) nor in an expired state (clientHold, redemptionPeriod). In other words, it must not be locked or expired.