WHOIS Lookup
What Is a WHOIS Lookup?
A WHOIS lookup retrieves the publicly available registration information for a domain name. When someone registers a domain, the registrar records details such as the registrant's contact information, the registration and expiry dates, the nameservers assigned to the domain, and the domain's status codes. This information is stored in the WHOIS database maintained by the domain registry for each top-level domain (TLD).
WHOIS data serves several important purposes. Network administrators use it to identify the owner of a domain when investigating abuse or misconfiguration. Security researchers rely on WHOIS records to trace the ownership of domains involved in phishing or malware campaigns. Business professionals check WHOIS data to verify the legitimacy of a company's web presence or to identify the owner of a domain they wish to acquire.
The WHOIS protocol has been in use since the early days of the internet, originally defined in RFC 954 in 1985. While newer protocols like RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) are gradually replacing WHOIS for some registries, WHOIS remains the most widely used method for querying domain registration data. Our tool queries the appropriate WHOIS server for the domain's TLD and parses the response into a structured, readable format.
Privacy regulations, particularly the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), have significantly changed how WHOIS data is displayed. Many registries now redact personal information from public WHOIS results, showing only technical data like nameservers and status codes. Additionally, most registrars offer WHOIS privacy services that replace the registrant's contact details with proxy information, making it harder to identify individual domain owners.
Domain status codes (also known as EPP status codes) in WHOIS results provide valuable information about a domain's current state. Codes like "clientTransferProhibited" indicate that the registrar has locked the domain against unauthorized transfers, while "redemptionPeriod" means the domain has been deleted and is in a grace period before being released for re-registration. Understanding these codes is essential for domain management and troubleshooting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a WHOIS lookup?
A WHOIS lookup queries a public database to retrieve registration information about a domain name, including the registrar, registration and expiry dates, nameservers, and domain status codes. This data is maintained by domain registrars and registries.
Why is WHOIS data sometimes hidden?
Many domain registrars offer WHOIS privacy protection that replaces the registrant's personal information with the registrar's contact details. Additionally, GDPR regulations have led many registries to redact personal data from WHOIS results for domains registered by individuals in the EU.
What do WHOIS status codes mean?
WHOIS status codes (EPP status codes) indicate the current state of a domain. Common codes include clientTransferProhibited (transfer locked), ok (no pending operations), and serverHold (suspended by registry). These codes help identify whether a domain can be transferred, renewed, or modified.
How often is WHOIS data updated?
WHOIS data is typically updated within minutes to hours after a change is made through the registrar. Cached queries from third-party services may show older data. For the most current information, query the authoritative WHOIS server for the domain's TLD directly.