When does a .net domain expire and drop?
An expired .net drops about 80 days later, on the same schedule as .com. Here is that timeline in full, plus who runs .net and how to register one.
An expired .net is released about 80 days after expiry, on the same schedule as .com. .net is one of the original generic top-level domains, delegated in 1985 and operated by Verisign on the same platform as .com, open to anyone worldwide through accredited registrars.
- Registry
- Verisign
- Backend
- Verisign
- Type
- gTLD
- Delegated
- 1985-01-01
- DNSSEC
- Yes
- IDN
- Yes
- Restrictions
- Open
- Label length
- 1–63 chars
- Grace
- 45 days
- Redemption
- 30 days
- Pending delete
- 5 days
- Expiry to drop
- 80 days
- Daily drop window
- 13:00–20:00 UTC
The infrastructure extension, still widely trusted
.net began as the home of network providers and infrastructure, and it kept a technical, dependable connotation. Today it is a general-purpose extension and the most common first fallback when the matching .com is taken.
Because Verisign runs .net on the same platform as .com, the two behave identically: the same published stages, the same EPP statuses on the public record, and the same daily drop batch. A watched .net gives you exactly the signals a .com does.
Who runs .net, and since when
.net was delegated in 1985 as one of the first top-level domains and has been operated by Verisign throughout its modern history under an ICANN registry agreement.
It shares Verisign's backend with .com, which is why their lifecycles are indistinguishable. Anything you learn about .com deletion timing transfers directly to .net.
How to register a .net domain
A .net is open to anyone with no eligibility rules. It is the natural second choice for a brand whose .com is unavailable, and short .net names, while less picked-over than .com, are still largely taken.
No minimum term beyond one year and no local presence requirement. Register through any accredited registrar; the registry does not sell direct.
- Open registration: anyone worldwide can hold a .net domain, with no local-presence requirement.
- Register through any accredited registrar; the registry sells wholesale, not direct to the public.
- Labels run up to 63 characters using letters, digits and hyphens, never starting or ending with a hyphen.
- Registration is annual and renewable; an unrenewed name enters the deletion timeline below.
The .net timeline, stage by stage
The stages an unrenewed .net passes through, each at its ICANN-contracted length, identical to .com.
| Stage | Window | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal grace: about 45 days | Day 0 to 45 after expiry | The registration has expired but the current owner can still renew at the normal price, usually through their registrar. The name often stops resolving during this window, and nobody else can register it. Registrars frequently delete earlier than the final day, which starts the rest of the timeline early. |
| Redemption: about 30 days | Day 45 to 75 after expiry | Deletion has begun. Only the current registrant can recover the name now, typically by paying a restore fee on top of the renewal, and it cannot be registered by anyone else. A restore during this stage is a strong signal the name will not drop. |
| Pending delete: 5 days | Day 75 to 80 after expiry | The point of no return. Recovery is no longer possible for anyone, including the original owner, and the registry releases the name at the end of this fixed window. This is the stage worth acting on if you want the name. |
| Released: registrable by anyone | From about day 80 | The name leaves the registry's deletion pipeline and returns to the public pool, registrable at the standard price on a first-come basis through any registrar. Availability monitoring exists to catch this moment. |
.net technical profile
How .net publishes registration data, secures its zone, and handles non-Latin names.
WHOIS and RDAP
Registration data for every .net domain is queryable over RDAP at https://rdap.verisign.com/net/v1/ and legacy WHOIS at whois.verisign-grs.com, so status, dates and record changes are machine-readable, which is exactly what our monitoring reads.
DNSSEC
The .net registry supports DNSSEC, so a domain can publish DS records and let resolvers cryptographically validate its DNS answers against tampering.
Internationalized names
The .net registry supports internationalized domain names, so labels in non-Latin scripts register as punycode alongside ordinary ASCII names.
https://rdap.verisign.com/net/v1/
whois.verisign-grs.com
Verisign deletes pending-delete .net names in the same daily batch process it uses for .com, so the release rhythm you learn on one transfers directly to the other.
Is .net a good domain?
Where a .net earns its place.
The trusted fallback
When the exact-match .com is gone, .net is the extension most people still recognise and trust, which makes it the safest alternative for a broad audience.
Technical heritage
Its origins as the network operators' domain still read as infrastructure and reliability, which suits developer tools, APIs and platform brands.
More room than .com
The .net pool is less exhausted, so a name unavailable in .com is more often free in .net, though the strongest short names have still gone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about .net domains.
Is .net run by the same company as .com?
Yes. Verisign operates both on the same backend, which is why they share an identical lifecycle, the same EPP statuses and the same daily drop batch.
How long does an expired .net take to drop?
About 80 days: up to 45 days of grace, 30 days of redemption, then 5 days of pending delete. The same figures as .com.
Is .net a good alternative when the .com is taken?
It is the most recognised alternative for a general audience and reads as technical and dependable. For a broad consumer brand a .com is still stronger where you can get it.
Does .net support DNSSEC and RDAP?
Yes. The zone is signed for DNSSEC, and registration data is published over RDAP at https://rdap.verisign.com/net/v1/ and WHOIS at whois.verisign-grs.com.
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