How to Monitor Domain Expiry and Never Miss a Renewal
Set up automatic domain expiry alerts so you never accidentally let a domain lapse. Works for owned domains and client portfolios.
How to Monitor Domain Expiry and Never Miss a Renewal
Letting a domain expire is one of the most avoidable disasters in web management. It can take down a website, break email, or hand the domain to a squatter. This guide shows you how to set up automated expiry monitoring with layered alerts.
How Domain Expiry Monitoring Works
When you add a domain to ElasticDomain, the system queries the authoritative WHOIS server for that TLD directly over port 43 (the WHOIS protocol, RFC 3912). For a .com domain, it contacts whois.verisign-grs.com. For .ro, it contacts whois.rotld.ro. ElasticDomain supports 50+ country-code TLDs with their correct WHOIS server mappings.
From the WHOIS response, the system extracts the expiration date and stores it. On each subsequent scan, it recalculates daysUntilExpiry and compares it to your alert thresholds.
Setting Up Expiry Alerts
Step 1: Open Alert Rules
- Go to your domain's detail page.
- Click the Alerts tab.
- Click Create Alert Rule.
Step 2: Configure the First Alert (30 Days)
- Trigger: Domain Expiring Soon
- Threshold: 30 days
- Notify via: Email
- Email: Your address (pre-filled)
Click Save.
Step 3: Add a Second Alert (7 Days)
Repeat the process with threshold set to 7 days. This is your safety net in case the 30-day alert gets missed or the renewal is delayed.
Step 4: Optional - Add a Third Alert (60 Days)
For critical production domains (e-commerce, SaaS, brand domains), add a third alert at 60 days. This gives you time to verify your payment details, update billing info, and renew without any last-minute pressure.
Applying Alerts to Multiple Domains
If you have a portfolio of domains, setting alerts one by one is slow. Use Bulk Alert Assignment:
- From the dashboard, select multiple domains using the checkboxes.
- Click Actions → Apply Alert Template.
- Choose or create an alert template with your preferred thresholds.
- Confirm.
All selected domains get the same alert rules instantly.
Monitoring Client Domains as an Agency
When you add client domains with type Client, alerts work the same way - but you can also configure alerts to notify your client's email address instead of (or in addition to) your own.
In the alert rule, add the client's email to the notification recipients. They'll get the same expiry warning directly.
What the WHOIS Data Looks Like
After a scan, the WHOIS tab shows:
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Registrar | GoDaddy.com, LLC |
| Registration date | 2018-03-15 |
| Expiry date | 2026-03-15 |
| Days until expiry | 356 |
| Nameservers | ns1.example.com, ns2.example.com |
| Privacy protection | Yes (GDPR redacted) |
WHOIS Privacy and GDPR
Many registrars redact registrant contact details under GDPR. The expiry date is not redacted - it's always available. ElasticDomain correctly extracts expiry dates even when full WHOIS data is privacy-protected.
Common Issues
"Expiry date not found" - Some ccTLDs (country-code TLDs) format dates in unusual ways or use non-standard field names. ElasticDomain parses dozens of date formats, but a small number of obscure TLDs may not return parseable data. In this case, check the raw WHOIS text on the WHOIS tab.
Domain shows as "expiring" but you already renewed - WHOIS data can take 24-48 hours to update after a renewal. Wait one day and trigger a manual scan (click Scan Now on the domain detail page).