Knowledge base

Most domains must contain between 3 and 63 characters maximum. There may be exceptions depending on the extension, but in any case, the limit is stated at the time of ordering.

A domain name may be in one of several states:

"Active" or "OK"
The domain name is declared in DNS and the domain is active and unlocked. All administrative and/or technical operations may be performed.

"Registrar-Lock / Registry-Lock" or "clientTransferProhibited"
The domain name is declared in DNS. The domain is active but locked in order to protect it, against fraudulent transfer requests in particular.

"Registrar-Hold / Registry-Hold"
This status is set when the domain is expired (not renewed). The only possible operation is then renewal. Administrative and/or technical operations are not possible.

"RedemptionPeriod"
This status occurs if the domain has not been renewed. See this FAQ (click here).

"PendingRestore"
This status appears during a restore request. The registrar has 7 days to inform the registry of all information required for the domain to be restored.

"PendingDelete"
This status follows the RedemptionPeriod status after 30 days if no request is made to restore the domain. The name will be deleted within 15 days before becoming available to the public.


In the case of a .fr domain: 

"Active"
The domain name is declared in DNS (and is fully operational).

"Frozen"
The domain name is declared in DNS but no administrative and/or technical operation is possible. Possible reasons: see Article 6.1 of the AFNIC Charter.

"Bloqué"
The domain name is no longer declared in DNS; it is no longer operational and no administrative and/or technical operations are possible. Possible reasons: see Article 6.2 of the AFNIC Charter.

Any domain name bought from Infomaniak may be parked. However, you will be responsible for arranging this.

This guide explains the steps to take to delete a .de domain from Infomaniak.

Deleting a .de domain

Unfortunately, you cannot delete a domain name with a .de extension directly via the Manager. You must either:

• send us an email (from the email address mentioned in the WHOIS) requesting the deletion, or

• wait for the domain to expire, when it will be transferred to DENIC, which you can contact to request final deletion

To edit the DNS of a domain name managed by Infomaniak:

1. open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com)
2. go to Domain
3. click on the domain name concerned
4. click on DNS servers in the left side menu
5. click on Edit DNS servers
6. if your website is hosted by Infomaniak, tickInfomaniak Name Servers.
   If not, tick Custom Name Servers
7. these changes may take up to 48 hours before they become effective for you and other users

Learn more about how a domain name works: https://www.infomaniak.com/en/support/faq/2026

The domain name is the address you enter in a browser to view a site, like infomaniak.com

It is possible to transfer a domain name from one registrar to another.

Transferring a domain name to Infomaniak

1. Log in with the registrar that currently manages your domain name
2. Obtain the transfer code (or authcode) for the domain to be transferred from your current registrar (read below)
3. Check the duration of transfer (under FAQ by clicking on the extension concerned) - also read below
4. Order the domain name to be transferred from Infomaniak
5. During the transfer, be careful to keep the current DNS of the domain name
6. Enter the transfer code when you are asked for it during the order

Obtaining the transfer code from your Registrar

These guides are provided for information purposes only. Please contact your registrar if you have any issue.

You must ask for/obtain the transfer code from your current registrar. If the latter is in the list below, click on its name to get help:

• 1 & 1 (1and1)
• Gandi
• Amen
• Online
• GoDaddy
• Namebay
• OVH
• Switchplus

If you have hundreds of domains to transfer (batch / bulk import), do not hesitate to contact us.

Administrative periods

The time required to transfer a domain name is influenced by two factors:

• The conditions of the registry for the extension. For .fr for example, the Afnic defines a transfer period of 8 days.
• The conditions of the registrar that you wish to leave (e.g., OVH). The latter may oppose the transfer during the period defined by the registry. They may also automatically accept the transfer and accelerate it.

Particularities for .be and .lu

Please read this guide for .be (Belgium) and .lu (Luxembourg) domains.

If, for example, you manage your DNS from an independent platform, a configuration that enables you to provide customized DNS that your clients configure with their registrar, you will need to add "glue records" to your domain (add name servers for your domain - ns1.domain.xyz which points to a specific IP - and then make the same domain point to its own name servers).

Glue records correspond to the IP addresses of a NS (name server). Before you can use their domain name for a NS, you must therefore create this record.

For example: make the domain name exampledomain.ch point its NS to ns1.exampledomain.ch, although it has never been registered or points to the wrong IP address.

Via an A record

This method consists of creating an A (address) record for ns1.exampledomain.ch pointing to the NS IP. This will register the IP with the registry. You will then be able to add ns1.exampledomain.ch, which will be recognized and redirected to the right NS.

Via the Glue record option

This method allows you to create, but also to change, existing Glue records:

1. Open the admin console (https://manager.infomaniak.com)
2. Go to Domain
3. Click the domain name concerned
4. Click DNS management, then DNS Servers
5. Click Manage glue records
6. Click Add a server
7. Enter the server name to be added, as well its IP address
8. Click Confirm

NB:

• Adding a NS does not automatically add it to the DNS zone. You will need to manually update the DNS zone of your domain.

This guide explains how to order  a domain name without hosting. This allows you to host your site with a web host other than Infomaniak, or just use the free services related to your domain name:

• 1 unlimited email address with syncing of contacts and calendars
• 1 x10 Mb web space
• Newsletter tool

Registering a domain name without hosting

1. If necessary, create an Infomaniak client account
2. open the admin console (https://manager.infomaniak.com)
3. go to Domain name
4. click on Order a domain
5. enter the domain to be registered
6. tick the extensions to be reserved
7. click on next (and not on Order hosting only)
8. at the bottom of the page, select No hosting
9. click on Next and complete the procedure

Checking the availability of a domain name

This page lets you quickly check if a domain is free for registration or not.

There are at least 3 main distinct indications:

• Available (in this case it's fine, you can order it)
• Transferable ---you must own it with another provider in order to transfer it to us--of that is the case, read https://faq.infomaniak.com/1814
• Unavailable ---it will unfortunately not be possible to order it if it is not abandoned by its current holder
  

This guide explains how to add, change or delete specific entries (A records, MX records, DKIM, CNAME, SRV, etc.) within a DNS zone of a domain name. It may also help you to:

• edit the DNS zone present at Infomaniak for a domain name managed by another Registrar
• link an Infomaniak-managed domain name to a Web/Mail hosting managed by another hosting service provider

Logging into the DNS zone

1. Open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com)
2. Go to Domain
3. Click the domain name to be modified
4. Click DNS zone in the left side menu
5. The entries currently in place are listed in the Simple Mode table

The DNS present here is only valid and used if the server names are those of Infomaniak. Any modification can take up to 48 hours to become active.

In a nutshell:

• an MX record enables you to indicate where the EMAIL part of your domain should be managed
• an A record allows you to direct a domain name (e.g., your-site.com) or a subdomain name (e.g., example.your-site.com) to a Web server that has a static IP address
• a DKIM record (Domain Keys Identified Mail) is a method of authentication that enables you to know whether an email actually comes from its sender's domain. This standard thus stops spammers from posing as legitimate entities
• an SRV record (Service Resource Records) shows which services are available for a domain. SRV records are often used for XMPP or LDAP protocols, or for the use of Microsoft Office 365.

We also support AAAA, DNAME, CAA, TXT, etc. records.

• If you have ordered a domain name with Infomaniak, normally you have nothing more to do to link the domain name to your Infomaniak Web/Email host.
• If you have ordered DNS zone management with Infomaniak for a domain name managed by another registrar, transmit our DNS to your current registrar (en savoir plus).
  • The DNS zone is configured, by default, so that the domain name will be linked to your Infomaniak Web/Email host.
  • To automatically detect and correct problems linked with DNS: https://faq.infomaniak.com/2124