How to monitor domain and SSL expiry

An expired domain takes the site and mail offline; an expired certificate puts a browser warning in front of every visitor. Two monitors cover both:

• The certificate: every HTTPS Website or API monitor reads the SSL certificate on each check and reminds you 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before it expires, and on the day. There is nothing to set up. See SSL certificate expiry.
• The domain registration: a Domain & email monitor looks up the registration twice a day (through RDAP, or WHOIS for domains without it, such as .se, .nu, .io, .de and .eu) and reminds you 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before it runs out.

Add a domain monitor

1. Open Monitors, choose New monitor and pick Domain & email.
2. Enter the Domain.
3. Keep Check email authentication on to check SPF, DKIM and DMARC as well.
4. Tick the alert channels and choose Create monitor.

Shortcut: when you add a website monitor, tick Also watch the domain, and its registration and email setup are watched too.

Tips

• Act on the 30-day reminder for domains: a renewal can need a card update or a transfer code.
• Certificates from Let’s Encrypt renew about 30 days before expiry, so a reminder usually means automatic renewal has failed.
• Add a monitor for every hostname with its own certificate, such as shop.example.com and api.example.com.

Read SSL certificate monitoring and domain monitoring, or see the SSL and domain feature pages.