🔎 Whois Domain Lookup
By Shihab Mia · Updated 2026-06-27
Enter a bare domain like example.com. We strip any https:// or www. for you.
Enter a domain above and click Look up domain to run a whois domain lookup. Nothing is fetched until you do.
This whois domain lookup tool shows you who registered a domain, when it was registered, when it expires, its current status codes, and which nameservers it uses. Type any domain, click the button, and the lookup runs against live registry data through a free, modern RDAP feed. Everything happens on demand, so we only query the registry when you ask. There is no signup and no cost.
What is the Whois Domain Lookup?
A whois domain lookup answers a simple but important question: what is on record for this domain? Behind every domain name there is a registry record that tracks the registrar that manages it, the dates it was created and is due to expire, the protocol status codes that lock or flag it, and the nameservers that point the domain at its hosting. Reading that record tells you whether a domain is active, when it needs renewing, and where it is hosted.
Historically this information came from the WHOIS protocol, a plain-text query and response system that dates back to the early ARPANET. WHOIS still works, but it returns free-form text that differs from one registry to the next, which makes it awkward to parse reliably. The modern replacement is RDAP, the Registration Data Access Protocol. RDAP returns clean, structured JSON with a consistent shape across registries, and that is what this whois domain lookup uses wherever the registry exposes it.
The record you see depends on the top level domain. Registries such as .org, .info, .co, .dev, .app, .xyz and .me publish open RDAP servers that we query directly, so for those domains the lookup returns the full picture: registrar, creation date, expiry date, last-changed date, status codes and nameservers. Some registries, most notably Verisign which runs .com and .net, do not allow this kind of automated query from our infrastructure. For those domains the tool still gives you useful signals: the first time the domain was seen online (from a public web archive) plus its live nameservers pulled over DNS.
It is worth being clear about privacy, because it shapes what a whois domain lookup can show today. For many years WHOIS records exposed the registrant name, address, email and phone number. Since the GDPR took effect in 2018, most registries and registrars redact personal contact details by default and replace them with a privacy or proxy service. That is why a modern whois domain lookup focuses on the operational facts of the domain, the registrar, the dates, the status and the nameservers, rather than the personal identity of the owner.
Those operational facts are exactly what most people need. A marketer checking a competitor wants the domain age and registrar. A buyer evaluating an expiring name wants the expiry date and status. A developer debugging email or a site outage wants the nameservers. This tool surfaces all of them in one place, formatted for humans, and it is genuinely free to use as often as you like.
When to use it
- Checking when a domain expires so you can renew your own in time or plan a bid on one that is dropping.
- Confirming the registrar of a domain before a transfer, a purchase, or a support request.
- Reading the status codes to see whether a domain is locked, pending deletion, or in a redemption period.
- Looking up the nameservers when you are debugging DNS, email deliverability, or a site that will not resolve.
- Estimating a domain age for SEO or due diligence, using the registration date or the first-seen-online date.
- Verifying that a newly purchased domain has the correct registrar and nameservers configured.
How to use the Whois Domain Lookup
- Type the domain you want to check into the box. A bare domain like example.com is best; we automatically strip any https:// or www. prefix.
- Click the Look up domain button. The whois domain lookup does not run on page load, so nothing is queried until you click.
- Wait for the loading indicator to finish. The tool queries live registry data and returns in a second or two.
- Read the result: registrar, registered date, expiry date, last-updated date, status codes and nameservers, all formatted for easy scanning.
- If the registry for that TLD is not openly queryable (for example .com), read the note and use the first-seen-online date and nameservers shown instead.
- Click Copy result to put a clean text summary on your clipboard for a report, ticket, or spreadsheet.
Formula & method
Worked examples
Looking up example.org, a domain on a registry with open RDAP.
- Enter example.org and click Look up domain.
- The tool queries the Public Interest Registry RDAP server for .org directly.
- It reads the registrar entity, the registration and expiration events, the status array and the nameservers.
Result: A full record: registrar name, a registered date formatted as a readable date, an expiry date, status codes such as serverDeleteProhibited, and the list of nameservers.
Looking up a .com domain, where the registry blocks automated queries.
- Enter the .com domain and click Look up domain.
- The direct RDAP query is skipped because Verisign blocks it from our infrastructure.
- The tool falls back to the Wayback first-seen date and DNS nameservers.
Result: A note explaining the limitation, plus the first-seen-online date (a good proxy for how long the site has existed) and the live nameservers.
Checking whether a domain is about to expire.
- Enter the domain and run the whois domain lookup.
- Read the Expires field, which is formatted as a plain calendar date.
- Compare it with today and check the status codes for any pending-delete or redemption flags.
Result: You can tell at a glance whether the domain is safely renewed for years, or close to expiry and worth watching.
Common domain status codes (EPP) and what they mean
| Status code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| clientTransferProhibited | The registrar has locked the domain against transfer, a normal anti-theft setting. |
| serverTransferProhibited | The registry has locked the domain against transfer. |
| clientDeleteProhibited | The registrar prevents deletion of the domain. |
| clientUpdateProhibited | The registrar prevents changes to the domain record. |
| pendingDelete | The domain is being removed and will soon be released for registration. |
| redemptionPeriod | The domain has expired and can still be recovered by the previous owner for a fee. |
| ok / active | The domain is active with no special restrictions applied. |
What a whois domain lookup returns by TLD type
| TLD type | Data source | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Open RDAP (.org, .info, .co, .dev, .app, .xyz, .me) | Registry RDAP | Registrar, dates, status codes, nameservers |
| Blocked registry (.com, .net) | Wayback + DNS fallback | First-seen-online date and live nameservers |
| Other TLDs | DNS fallback | Nameservers, plus first-seen-online where available |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Expecting to see the owner name and contact details. Since GDPR, registrars redact personal registrant data by default. A whois domain lookup today shows operational facts (registrar, dates, status, nameservers), not the owner identity, unless the owner has chosen to publish it.
- Assuming every TLD returns the same fields. Registries differ. Some expose open RDAP with full records, others block automated queries. When a .com lookup shows only first-seen-online and nameservers, that is the registry limitation, not a fault in the tool.
- Pasting a full URL with paths and parameters. A whois lookup works on the domain, not the page. The tool strips https:// and www. for you, but it is cleaner to enter just example.com rather than https://www.example.com/page?x=1.
- Treating the registration date as the exact site launch date. The registration date is when the domain was first registered, which may predate or postdate the live site. For age estimates on registries that block RDAP, the first-seen-online date is a closer proxy for when content went live.
- Reading status codes as errors. Codes such as clientTransferProhibited are normal, healthy locks that protect a domain from unauthorised transfer. Only codes like pendingDelete or redemptionPeriod signal that a domain is at risk.
Glossary
- WHOIS
- The original protocol for querying who registered a domain and when. It returns free-form text and is gradually being replaced by RDAP.
- RDAP
- The Registration Data Access Protocol, the modern successor to WHOIS that returns clean, structured JSON with a consistent shape across registries.
- Registrar
- The accredited company through which a domain is registered and managed, such as the place where the owner pays the renewal fee.
- Registry
- The organisation that operates a top level domain, for example Verisign for .com or Public Interest Registry for .org.
- Nameserver
- A DNS server that holds the authoritative records for a domain and tells the internet where its website and email live.
- Status code
- An EPP code attached to a domain that locks or flags it, for example clientTransferProhibited or redemptionPeriod.
- Registration date
- The date the domain was first registered with the registry. Often used to estimate a domain age.
- First seen online
- The earliest date a domain was archived by a public web archive, a useful proxy for domain age when registry data is unavailable.
Frequently asked questions
What is a whois domain lookup?
A whois domain lookup checks the public registration record for a domain and shows facts like the registrar, the registration and expiry dates, the status codes, and the nameservers. This tool runs that lookup against live registry data through RDAP, the modern structured successor to the classic WHOIS protocol.
Is this whois domain lookup free?
Yes. The tool is completely free with no signup, no account, and no usage cap that you need to worry about. It only queries the registry when you click the button, which keeps it fast and free for everyone.
Where does the data come from?
For TLDs with an open RDAP server (such as .org, .info, .co, .dev, .app, .xyz and .me) the data comes straight from the official registry. For TLDs that block automated queries (such as .com and .net) we show a first-seen-online date from the Internet Archive plus live nameservers resolved over DNS. No personal contact data is requested.
Why can I not see the owner name and address?
Because of privacy law. Since the GDPR took effect in 2018, registrars redact personal registrant details by default and replace them with a privacy service. A modern domain whois shows the operational record, the registrar, dates, status and nameservers, rather than the owner identity.
Why does my .com lookup show less detail than a .org lookup?
The registry that runs .com and .net (Verisign) does not allow automated RDAP queries from our infrastructure, so the tool falls back to a first-seen-online date and DNS nameservers. Domains on registries with open RDAP return the full registration and expiration lookup.
How do I check when a domain expires?
Run the whois domain lookup and read the Expires field, which we format as a plain calendar date. This domain expiration check works for any TLD whose registry publishes RDAP. For domains where the registry blocks queries, the expiry date may not be available.
Can I use this as a domain registrar lookup?
Yes. When the registry exposes RDAP, the tool reads the registrar directly from the record and shows its name. This domain registrar lookup is handy before a transfer, a purchase, or contacting support about a domain you do not manage.
How do I find the nameservers for a domain?
Every successful lookup lists the nameservers. Even when registry data is limited, the tool performs a nameserver lookup over DNS so you can still see where the domain is hosted, which is useful for debugging email and site outages.
Can I estimate a domain age with this tool?
Yes. Use the registration date for a domain age check on registries with open RDAP. For domains where that is unavailable, the first-seen-online date from the web archive gives you a reliable lower bound on how long the domain has been live.
What is the difference between WHOIS and RDAP?
WHOIS is the original text-based protocol, while RDAP is its structured-JSON replacement. RDAP returns consistent, machine-readable fields across registries, which is why this whois lookup uses RDAP wherever the registry offers it.