Every domain carries status codes set by its registry, and they control what can and can't happen to it right now — whether it can move to another registrar, whether it still resolves, and whether it's heading toward deletion. This article is for anyone who sees an unfamiliar status on a domain in InfraNest and wants to know what it actually means.
Overview
- InfraNest shows a domain's status in plain words wherever it can, and this page is the full reference behind those words.
- A domain usually carries several statuses at once — they describe different angles of the same state, not a sequence of steps.
- Whether a status starts with "client" or "server" tells you who can lift it: your registrar, or only the registry.
NoteEach heading below matches a status code exactly, so it can be linked to directly from elsewhere in InfraNest.
How to read a status
- Remember a domain can have more than one status at once — for example, having no nameservers and being queued for deletion are two separate facts about the same domain, not two stages.
- Check whether the status starts with "client" or "server". A
client…status was set by your registrar and you can usually remove it yourself in their control panel. Aserver…status was set by the registry, and only the registry can remove it — typically for a dispute, a legal hold, or a stage of deletion. - Check your registrar's own wording if a status doesn't look familiar. "Transfer lock", "domain lock" and "registrar lock" all refer to the same thing:
clientTransferProhibited. - Don't confuse a status code with the EPP code (also called an auth code or transfer key, which is a password for moving a domain to another registrar) or with your registrar's own account/billing status — neither of those is a registry status.
The standard codes
These come from the system registries use to talk to each other, and apply to every common domain ending (.com, .net, .io, .app, and most country endings too).
ok
The normal state: registered, no locks, nothing pending. Some registries call this active instead. If you expected a lock and see ok, there isn't one.
active
The same as ok at most registries. A few country registries use active to mean something broader — see the .de section below.
inactive
The domain has no nameservers set at the registry, so nothing resolves — no website, no email. It's still registered and still owned. This is normal right after buying a domain, and it's also often the first sign of an abandoned one.
addPeriod
The first few days after registration. Deleting in this window usually refunds the fee. Transfers are blocked for 60 days after registration regardless.
autoRenewPeriod
The domain passed its expiry date and was renewed automatically. The registrar can still cancel that renewal and get the fee back (usually within 45 days) — this is what happens when an owner has stopped paying. On a domain you're watching, this is the start of the road to a drop.
renewPeriod
A renewal just happened and can still be reversed by the registrar for a few days.
transferPeriod
A transfer between registrars just completed and can still be reversed for a few days.
redemptionPeriod
The registrar deleted the domain, and the registry is holding it for 30 days in case the owner wants it back. It doesn't resolve and can't be registered by anyone else during this time. The original owner can still recover it, usually for a restore fee.
If you're waiting for a domain to drop, this is the stage where you find out whether the owner really let it go.
pendingDelete
Redemption is over and nobody rescued the domain. The registry holds it for a final 5 days, then releases it. It can't be restored from here.
This is the stage a drop-catch watch cares about most: the name becomes available at the end of it, usually within a predictable window, and competition for a good name is fierce.
pendingCreate
A registration has been requested and the registry hasn't finished processing it.
pendingRenew
A renewal has been requested and hasn't completed yet. Usually momentary.
pendingRestore
Someone has asked to rescue a domain out of redemptionPeriod, and the registry is waiting for the registrar to confirm. A watched domain that reaches this status is not going to drop — the owner has paid to get it back.
pendingTransfer
A transfer to another registrar has been requested and is waiting. Transfers typically take 5 to 7 days.
pendingUpdate
A change to the domain's registry record has been requested and hasn't been applied yet.
clientHold
Your registrar has asked the registry to stop publishing the domain, so it won't resolve for anyone. Common causes are unpaid invoices, unverified contact details, or an abuse complaint. Contact your registrar — it's almost always fixable.
serverHold
The same effect, set by the registry instead. Rarer, and usually tied to a dispute or legal order. Only the registry can remove it.
clientTransferProhibited
The transfer lock, and the most common reason an inbound transfer quietly fails. Most registrars set this by default. Turn it off in your current registrar's control panel before starting a transfer.
serverTransferProhibited
The registry is blocking transfers, usually as part of a dispute, legal hold, or the deletion process. Your registrar can't lift this one.
clientUpdateProhibited
Your registrar is blocking changes to the domain's record, including nameservers. Turn it off before changing nameservers.
serverUpdateProhibited
The registry is blocking changes. Not something you can turn off yourself.
clientDeleteProhibited
Your registrar is blocking deletion — usually a protective setting.
serverDeleteProhibited
The registry is blocking deletion.
clientRenewProhibited
Your registrar is blocking renewal. Rare, and worth asking about, since a domain you can't renew will expire.
serverRenewProhibited
The registry is blocking renewal. Rare.
Codes you'll see on country domains
Country registries sometimes use their own words instead of the standard codes above. Where InfraNest doesn't have a translation for one, it shows the registry's own wording exactly as given, rather than guessing — so an unfamiliar word on a country domain is information, not an error.
connect — .de
The registry's word for a registered .de domain that is fully set up: it exists and its nameservers pass the registry's checks. It's roughly the equivalent of ok, but stricter, since the nameservers are actively verified.
.de has no redemption period — a deleted .de domain can become available immediately, which makes timing much tighter than for a .com. Some dropped .de domains are moved into a holding service instead of being deleted, in which case they never become available at all.
locked — .nl
The registrant lock on a .nl domain. While it's on, the domain can't be transferred to another registrar. Your registrar sets and clears it, and it's .nl's equivalent of clientTransferProhibited.
quarantine — .nl and .eu
Both .nl and .eu hold a cancelled domain in quarantine for 40 days before releasing it, instead of the 30-day-plus-5-day process used elsewhere. During quarantine the domain doesn't resolve and the former owner can reclaim it. When quarantine ends, the name becomes available again.
If you're watching a .nl or .eu domain, this is the stage that matters — InfraNest's drop estimate for these endings is based on this 40-day window.
What a status means for a domain you're watching
On a Drop Catch watch, the stage shown is derived from these statuses, and checks happen more often as a drop gets closer. In rough order along the road to a drop:
| Status | What it tells you |
|---|---|
ok / active |
Nothing is happening. The owner still has it. |
autoRenewPeriod |
Expired and auto-renewed. The owner may or may not pay. |
inactive |
Nameservers removed — often the first real sign it's abandoned. |
redemptionPeriod |
Deleted by the registrar. The owner can still rescue it. |
pendingRestore |
The owner is rescuing it. It will not drop. |
pendingDelete |
Nobody rescued it. It drops at the end of this stage. |
Statuses are only part of the picture — expiry date, whether a site still resolves, and whether the name has gone to auction all matter too.
TipIf a domain you own shows
clientTransferProhibited,clientUpdateProhibitedorclientDeleteProhibited, check your registrar's control panel before trying to transfer or change nameservers — turning these off yourself is usually all it takes.
Troubleshooting
- A transfer keeps failing — check for
clientTransferProhibitedfirst; it's the single most common cause, and your current registrar can remove it. - Nameserver changes aren't saving — look for
clientUpdateProhibited, which blocks record changes until your registrar turns it off. - A domain stopped resolving unexpectedly — check for
clientHoldorserverHold; if it'sclientHold, contact your registrar, since it's almost always something fixable like an unpaid invoice or unverified contact details.
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