How to Restore Domains Registered at DNSimple
Karlo Soriano
on
If you've been with DNSimple for a while, you know we love automating everything we can and giving you as much control as possible over your domains. Today, we're extending that control past domain renewal and into the redemption period with our new domain restore function.
Previously, you had to reach out to us to manually restore the domain if it had passed the renewal period and stopped resolving. Now, you can recover domains registered with DNSimple when they've recently been deleted at the registrar — without needing to contact customer support.
This feature is available across all plans, to anyone with domains registered through DNSimple. But that doesn't mean you should just ignore your domain expirations and renewals — restoring a domain can cost significantly more than renewal. We recommend turning on auto-renew to avoid the issue completely.
In addition to the existing domain expiration warnings, you'll now see a warning for all domains in the restorable period, along with the date they'll be deleted at the registry.
Let's talk more about what this means for your domains, what happens when a domain is in renewal vs redemption, and what to do if you have a domain in the redemption period.
Domain expiration vs domain redemption
When does a domain expire?
Your domain's expiration date depends on when you registered it and the amount of time you registered it for — a minimum of one year to a maximum of ten. For example, if you purchased a domain on October 23, 2021 with a five year registration period, your domain would expire October 23, 2026.
What happens when a domain expires?
Whether your domain is registered with DNSimple or a different registrar, you'll receive notifications that your domain is pending expiration. These alerts will go to the email associated with the domain. If you have a domain registered with DNSimple, auto-renew enabled, and a valid credit card or sufficient credit in your account, your domain should renew automatically.
Renewal years are added to the end of the current registration period, so the new expiration date is the same whether you renew two months early or the day before expiration. You'll never lose time on your domain by renewing early.
Your dashboard displays the expiration date and renew by date for each domain. You might see different dates here, because after a domain expires our registrar partners may offer a non-guaranteed 29-day renewal grace period for generic top-level domains (gTLDs). In this case, you'll see both an expiration date and a renew by date. However, there is no guaranteed grace period. Once a domain expires, our registrar partners can delete it at any time, according to the registration agreement.
In the renewal grace period, the domain is disabled, but it's still possible to renew it from your DNSimple account at no extra cost.
What does it mean when a domain is in the redemption period?
A redemption period is provided after the registrar has issued a delete request to the registry. Your domain will not resolve if it's in the redemption period. Only the previous registrant can recover the domain during this time, and it must be retrieved through the previous registrar. The redemption grace period is named differently for some TLDs, so you'll want to be familiar with your registrar's terminology. For example, the .org equivalent is "Pending Delete - Restorable".
Domains in our system can go into a Redemption Grace Period or an Extended Redemption Grace Period. Your dashboard displays your domains in the redemption period, along with the date they will be deleted.
What to do if your domain is in the redemption period
If your domain is registered at DNSimple, you forget to renew, and you find your domain in the redemption period, you still have the opportunity to restore the domain and retain ownership. With this update, it's as easy as clicking a couple buttons.
First, locate the relevant domain in your account, and click restore.
We'll prompt you to confirm the redemption price, which will likely be higher than the renewal price. Then, click Restore exampledomain.net, and you're done.
We'll send any updates to the email registered to your DNSimple account. You can read more about domain redemption in our article on how to restore a domain. Or contact us with any questions, and we'll do our best to help you keep your domain.
Get even more control over your domains
With this release, we're increasing your control and visibility, so you can see upcoming deletions, and avoid losing important domains (but we still think you should turn on auto-renew so you don't have to think about it).
If you're ready for even more control over your domains, we've created a streamlined interface where you can manage your domains and DNS from other providers, directly from DNSimple. Check out our Domain Control Plane and view our available Integrated DNS and Domain Providers.
Whether you're working on a single passion project or managing thousands of domains, let us simplify your domain management. If you have any questions about renewing or redeeming domains, or want to talk more about your DNS needs, get in touch — we'd love to help.
Not using DNSimple yet? Take control of your domains, and experience our incredibly simple, streamlined domain management for yourself, [free for 30 day] (https://dnsimple.com/signup). If you have a larger team or want to join our reseller program, contact us, and we'll get you set up with what you need.
Karlo Soriano
Computer Musician
We think domain management should be easy.
That's why we continue building DNSimple.
