[Help] Expiring domain name script

[Razvan]

Hi, I want to make my own site like expired.name ( http://expired.name ) . What I need to know is, where does the script get the info about those expiring domains?


Thanks,
~ Razvan

 

[monaco]

well, the expired.name site looks to be an easy format to parse...you could always write a scrape script that hits alot of sites like that one, de-dupes them, reformats the list and displays it.

Not a very cool thing to do, but it's one way :D

 

[Razvan]

Not a very cool thing to do, but it's one way :D

I'd preffer to try it the other way :] .. any other ideas?

 

[primacomputer]

Hi, I want to make my own site like expired.name ( http://expired.name ) . What I need to know is, where does the script get the info about those expiring domains?


Thanks,
~ Razvan

Looks like a simple zone file diff. You compare the zone file for yesterday with the zone file for today and that gives you a list of names that have “expired” and will drop soon, or not so soon.

If you want to duplicate the function of the site exactly you'll also need a random number generator to generate those bogus “Expired Dates” that have absolutely no relation to when the name actually expired or dropped

 

[andreimatei]

Looks like a simple zone file diff. You compare the zone file for yesterday with the zone file for today and that gives you a list of names that have “expired” and will drop soon, or not so soon.

If you want to duplicate the function of the site exactly you'll also need a random number generator to generate those bogus “Expired Dates” that have absolutely no relation to when the name actually expired or dropped

sorry, but I can't understand this; can you explain more detailed?
Thanks

 

[monaco]

Don't forget, he'd need to "register" the domain in-house the second he queries it's availability, and then charge the customer through the nose to register it, while meanwhile, all other registrars magically show it as taken...:D

Edit: forgot to put my source for that comment:

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1991365,00.asp

 

[NeeJam]

Thanks for the expired.name link i've never seen this site before

 

[primacomputer]

sorry, but I can't understand this; can you explain more detailed?
Thanks

Ok, well the second paragraph was just taking the piss out of how inaccurate the information on that site is so you can ignore that

You can get a “zone file” for an entire TLD. This contains a list of all the name servers for each domain. When a name expires it's name servers are removed from the zone file. So you compare the zone file from today with the zone file from yesterday. Anything new is a newly registered name*. Anything missing is an expired name*

*Sorta. In reality all this tells you is what names have name servers. It is possible to make a name pop in and out of the zone file by adding or removing name servers but this doesn't happen much.

 

[Luc]

Also, it's important to not confuse EXPIRED with DROPPED.

When a domain expires, it's NOT available. In fact, it may be a few months before it is DROPPED and made available.

Depending on the TLD (ex: .com/.net or .us) most domains go through different EXPIRATION stages which start when the domain EXPIRED. It first goes to Registrar-Hold, then Redemption Grace Period, finally to PendingDelete. Then it gets deleted and is available. This is different for ccTLDs.

Just wanted to point out the importance of understanding the difference. Expired != Available.