Linux43 here, long time lurker. Sam, run your own EPP check if you have a registrar accreditation, otherwise use whois directly. Hetzner's layer adds failure modes.
I wrote a small script using Net::EPP for my own monitoring. Not for registration, just for accurate status. Can share if useful.
Appreciate the offers but I don't have registrar accreditation and don't want to maintain EPP tooling for one domain. I'll just use a proper registrar.
Lesson learned: Hetzner for servers, not domains. The integration is theater.
Still annoyed about the float. Three payments held, that's real money out of pocket.
3-2-1 rule applies to registrar choices too. Three separate services, two you trust, one you test restores on.
I use iwantmyname for search accuracy, Cloudflare for pricing, and keep a backup registrar funded. Never all eggs in Hetzner's basket, especially after reading this: https://status.hetzner.com
Test your restore. Test your registrar. Same principle.
Member
Madrid here. I manage domains for clients and this exact Hetzner issue cost me a client last year. Ghost availability on a .es domain, payment taken, registration failed, client blamed me for "losing" the domain to a competitor.
Now I pre-check with Donuts WHOIS directly for gTLD and Red.es for .es before any cart action. Double work, zero surprises.
