About the WHOIS Lookup
WHOIS shows a domain's registration record: the registrar, the created, updated and expiry dates, the EPP status codes, the delegated name servers and whether DNSSEC is signed. The summary shows how many days are left before the domain expires and flags it when fewer than 30 remain.
This tool starts at IANA to find the registry's WHOIS server for the TLD, queries it over port 43, and follows the referral to the registrar's server for thin registries such as .com. Some registries, including Google's .dev and .app, no longer run port-43 WHOIS, so the tool falls back to RDAP, the JSON-based replacement, using IANA's bootstrap list. The raw response is available below the parsed fields.
How to use it
- Enter a domain such as
example.com. A leadingwww.and any URL path are removed. - Select Look up.
- Read the parsed fields, or open Raw WHOIS response for the full text.
Examples
- Look up WHOIS for example.com: a
.comdomain resolved through the registry and registrar servers. - Look up WHOIS for web.dev: a
.devdomain answered over RDAP. - Look up WHOIS for example.org: the
.orgregistry record and status codes.
Common questions
Why is the registrant's name hidden?
Since GDPR took effect in 2018, most registries and registrars redact personal contact data in public WHOIS and RDAP output. The registrar can usually relay messages to the owner.
What does clientTransferProhibited mean?
It is an EPP status set by the registrar that blocks transfers to another registrar until you remove the lock. It is a normal protective setting, not a problem.
What is the difference between WHOIS and RDAP?
RDAP (RFC 9082 and 9083) returns structured JSON over HTTPS instead of free-form text over port 43, and ICANN now allows gTLD registries to retire WHOIS in its favor.
Related tools
- DNS Lookup: check whether the listed name servers actually answer for the domain.
- DNS Propagation Checker: watch a name server change spread to public resolvers.
- SSL Certificate Checker: see which certificate the domain serves.