ismysiteup.online/DOMAIN_MONITORING_SETUP.md

Domain Expiration Monitoring Setup

This feature allows you to monitor domain expiration dates and receive alerts when domains are expiring soon.

Features Implemented

1. Database Migration

• Table: domains
• Columns:
  • id - Primary key
  • site_id - Foreign key to sites table
  • domain - Domain name (e.g., example.com)
  • expires_at - Domain expiration date
  • last_checked_at - Last WHOIS check timestamp
  • is_active - Enable/disable monitoring
  • created_at, updated_at - Timestamps

2. Models & Relationships

• Domain Model (app/Models/Domain.php)

  • Belongs to Site
  • Helper methods:
    • isExpiringSoon() - Check if expiring within 30 days
    • isExpired() - Check if already expired
    • daysUntilExpiration() - Get days remaining

• Site Model updated with domains() relationship

3. Background Job

• Job: CheckDomainExpiry (app/Jobs/CheckDomainExpiry.php)
  • Performs WHOIS lookup via API
  • Updates domain expiration date
  • Creates notifications for expiring domains (within 30 days)
  • Logs errors for monitoring

4. Artisan Command

• Command: monitor:domains
  • Dispatches CheckDomainExpiry job for all active domains
  • Shows progress bar
  • Run manually: php artisan monitor:domains

5. Scheduled Task

• Schedule: Daily at midnight (configurable in routes/console.php)
• Automatically runs monitor:domains command
• Logs output to storage/logs/domain-monitoring.log

6. Web Interface

Routes

• GET /domains - List all domains
• GET /domains/create - Add new domain form
• POST /domains - Store new domain
• GET /domains/{domain} - View domain details
• GET /domains/{domain}/edit - Edit domain form
• PUT /domains/{domain} - Update domain
• DELETE /domains/{domain} - Delete domain
• POST /domains/{domain}/check - Manually trigger WHOIS check

Views

• resources/views/domains/index.blade.php - Domain list with status badges
• resources/views/domains/create.blade.php - Add new domain
• resources/views/domains/edit.blade.php - Edit domain
• resources/views/domains/show.blade.php - Domain details and expiration info

Setup Instructions

1. Configure WHOIS API

The system uses WHOIS XML API (https://www.whoisxmlapi.com/) by default. You can use alternatives like:

• WhoisFreaks (https://whoisfreaks.com/)
• Domainr (https://domainr.com/)

Add to .env file:

WHOIS_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Get a free API key:

1. Visit https://www.whoisxmlapi.com/
2. Sign up for a free account
3. Get your API key from the dashboard
4. Free tier includes 500 requests/month

2. Run the Migration

If not already run:

./vendor/bin/sail artisan migrate

3. Start the Queue Worker

The domain checking jobs run in the background queue:

./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:work

Or if you're already running the queue worker, it will automatically pick up these jobs.

4. Set Up Scheduled Tasks

Make sure your Laravel scheduler is running. In production, add this to your crontab:

* * * * * cd /path-to-your-project && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

In development with Sail, the scheduler should run automatically if you started with composer dev.

5. Test the System

1. Add a domain:

   • Navigate to /domains
   • Click "Add Domain"
   • Select a site and enter a domain name
   • Save

2. Manual check:

   • View the domain details
   • Click "Check Expiry Now"
   • The job will queue and process in the background

3. Test the command:

   ./vendor/bin/sail artisan monitor:domains
   

Usage

Adding Domains

1. Go to "Domain Monitoring" in your application
2. Click "Add Domain"
3. Select the associated site
4. Enter the domain name (without http://)
5. Save - the system will automatically check expiration

Monitoring

• Automatic: Runs daily via scheduled task
• Manual: Click "Check Now" on any domain
• Command: Run php artisan monitor:domains anytime

Notifications

When a domain is expiring within 30 days or has expired:

• A notification is created in the system
• Shows in your alerts/notifications section
• Contains domain name, expiration date, and days remaining

Status Badges

• Active (Green) - Domain valid, not expiring soon
• Expiring Soon (Yellow) - Expires within 30 days
• Expired (Red) - Domain has expired
• Unknown (Gray) - Not yet checked

Alternative WHOIS APIs

If you want to use a different WHOIS provider, modify app/Jobs/CheckDomainExpiry.php:

WhoisFreaks Example:

$response = Http::timeout(30)
    ->get('https://api.whoisfreaks.com/v1.0/whois', [
        'apiKey' => config('services.whois.api_key'),
        'whois' => $this->domain->domain,
    ]);

// Parse response differently based on provider's format

Free WHOIS API:

You can also use a free WHOIS lookup service, but be aware of rate limits and reliability.

Troubleshooting

Jobs not processing

• Check queue worker is running: ps aux | grep queue
• Check failed jobs: ./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:failed
• Restart queue: ./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:restart

WHOIS API errors

• Verify API key is set in .env
• Check API quota/limits
• Review logs: storage/logs/laravel.log

Schedule not running

• Development: Ensure scheduler is part of your dev command
• Production: Verify cron job is set up
• Test manually: ./vendor/bin/sail artisan schedule:run

File Structure

app/
├── Console/Commands/
│   └── MonitorDomains.php          # Artisan command
├── Http/Controllers/
│   └── DomainController.php        # Web controller
├── Jobs/
│   └── CheckDomainExpiry.php       # Background job
└── Models/
    ├── Domain.php                   # Domain model
    └── Site.php                     # Updated with domains relationship

config/
└── services.php                     # WHOIS API config

database/migrations/
└── 2026_01_18_120803_create_domains_table.php

resources/views/domains/
├── index.blade.php                  # List view
├── create.blade.php                 # Create form
├── edit.blade.php                   # Edit form
└── show.blade.php                   # Detail view

routes/
├── console.php                      # Scheduled tasks
└── web.php                          # Web routes

API Response Format

The job expects WHOIS API responses with expiry date in these formats:

• WhoisRecord.registryData.expiresDate
• WhoisRecord.expiresDate
• expiresDate

Dates can be in any format parseable by Carbon (ISO 8601, RFC 2822, etc.)

Future Enhancements

Consider adding:

• Email notifications for expiring domains
• Slack/Discord webhooks
• Configurable warning thresholds (7, 14, 30, 60 days)
• Domain auto-renewal reminders
• Historical tracking of expiration checks
• Bulk import from CSV
• Integration with domain registrars