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EPP Status Codes

The standardized flags on a domain that show its state — locked, on hold, pending transfer, and more.

FBFenwei BianAuthorVZVictor ZhouEditorJune 22, 2026
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EPP status codes are the machine-readable flags defined by the Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) that describe exactly what operations are permitted on a domain at any given moment. They come in two namespaces: client* codes set by the registrar and server* codes set by the registry, with the server codes taking precedence. Common ones include clientTransferProhibited (the transfer lock that blocks outbound moves), serverDeleteProhibited (registry-level protection against deletion), clientHold (suspends DNS resolution, often for non-payment), and pendingDelete which marks a domain in its grace period before it is released and available for registration again — a state adjacent to pending delete. Understanding these codes matters practically: a domain showing serverTransferProhibited cannot be moved even after the registrar unlocks it, which surprises buyers mid-transaction.

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Contributors

Fenwei Bian

Software Developer & Writer • Namefi
Author

Fenwei Bian is a software developer in her thirties who spends her working hours in pull requests and her weekends with her hands in soil or sawdust. Years of open source on GitHub taught her that names are interfaces: a good one is clear, honest about what it does, and kind to whoever has to use it next.

She gardens because it rewards patience and punishes wishful thinking, and she does woodwork because a joint either fits or it doesn't. Both habits show up in how she writes about naming — measure twice, check the source, and don't sand over a rough spot and hope no one notices.

For Namefi she writes about how domain markets actually move, the practical trade-offs of tokenizing and flipping names, and picking a domain you'll still be glad you own in twenty years.

GitHub

Victor Zhou

Founder & Standards Editor • Namefi
Editor

Victor Zhou is a technology founder and standards editor focused on digital identity and trust. He founded Namefi, edits Ethereum Improvement Proposals, and previously led smart-contract architecture work at Google Labs.

His work sits at the intersection of naming, ownership, and the systems people use to establish identity online. That perspective makes him especially interested in the way names move between personal meaning, public recognition, and digital infrastructure.

For Namefi, Victor edits and writes about domains as durable digital identity: how names become ownable onchain assets, how tokenization changes custody and trust, and what naming can learn from the systems people use to establish identity online.

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