Expiring, lapsing, dropped: following domains through their life cycle
How DigStory's WHOIS lists show domains close to expiry, in redemption, about to be released and newly registered, and how to filter them by TLD and registrar.
Every registered domain moves through the same stages: it is created, renewed (or not), expires, sits in a grace period, and if nobody renews it, the registry eventually releases it for anyone to register. Each of those moments matters to someone: the owner who forgot to renew, the investor waiting for a name to drop, the security team watching for brand lookalikes appearing.
The WHOIS page in DigStory turns those stages into lists you can browse.
The lists
Expiring. Registered domains whose expiry date is within the next 30 days, or passed up to 30 days ago without a renewal showing yet. Most registries renew automatically at the expiry date; the ones that do not move on to the next list.
Lapsing. Registrations that have lapsed. In redemption the owner can still buy the domain back, usually for a fee. In pending delete the registry releases it within days, and the list puts the closest releases first.
Dropped. Domains the registry has released: a lookup found no registration where there used to be one. Most of them can be registered again.
New registrations. Domains created in the last 7 days, by the registry's creation date, newest first.
Changes. Recent WHOIS changes across all domains: stage, registrar, name servers, statuses, expiry date and existence.
Registrars. Registrars ranked by the registered domains they hold, with how many expire within 30 days. Open one to see its domains.
Narrow it down
Type a TLD into the filter (com, io, .de all work) to see only that extension. From the Registrars list, open a registrar to filter Expiring, Lapsing, Dropped and New registrations to the domains it holds.
Who uses this
Domain investors check Lapsing and Dropped to find names on their way back to the market, and the pending-delete order tells them what is coming up next.
Brand and security teams scan New registrations for names that imitate their brand, and watch suspicious ones to catch the moment they start resolving.
Registrars and resellers use the Registrars list to compare their book with competitors' and to see how many of their customers' domains are about to expire.
Owners of large portfolios filter Expiring by their registrar to catch a renewal that did not happen before it turns into a redemption fee or a lost domain.
Go further
Every domain in these lists links to its full page, with the complete WHOIS history and the original record text. Watch a domain to receive its next WHOIS change as an event, or pull any list through the API at GET /api/v1/whois/{list}. Visitors and free teams see a sample of each list; paid plans page through all of it.