ServerLookup

WHOIS Lookup

Domain registration details

Query registrar, status, lifecycle dates, contacts, and name servers via RDAP.

Returns registrar, status, contacts, and key dates

Need help reading WHOIS results? Read the WHOIS guide.

Enter a domain or IP to view WHOIS.

Submit a query to inspect registrar, lifecycle dates, and contact signals. Tabs unlock once a lookup completes.

What is WHOIS?

WHOIS is the public registry record that ties a domain name or IP address to its registrar, lifecycle dates, and contact signals, helping you verify ownership, spot expiration risks, and trace hosting details.

  • Registrar, status, and key lifecycle dates (created, updated, expires)
  • Registrant or organization hints, contact emails, and name servers
  • Network and ASN clues that reveal where the service is hosted

Want the full breakdown, best practices, and red flags to watch? Read the WHOIS guide to learn how to interpret every field.

Understanding WHOIS data

Your complete guide to domain registration information

WHOIS data reveals who owns a domain, when it was registered, and where it's hosted. Learn how to read WHOIS records and use this information effectively.

What is WHOIS?

WHOIS (pronounced "who is") is like a phonebook for the internet. When someone registers a domain name like example.com, certain information gets stored in a public database. This includes who registered it, when it was registered, when it expires, and how to contact the owner.

Think of it as a public record system—similar to how property ownership is recorded at a courthouse. Anyone can look up this information to verify domain ownership, check expiration dates, or report abuse.

Why would I use WHOIS?

  • Before buying a domain: Check if it's taken, when it expires, or if it might become available soon
  • Verify ownership: Confirm you own a domain after registering or transferring it
  • Report abuse: Find contact information to report spam, phishing, or copyright issues
  • Due diligence: Research a company or website's legitimacy before doing business
  • Expiration alerts: Check when domains expire to avoid losing them

Understanding WHOIS fields

WHOIS records contain several important fields. Here's what each one means in plain English:

🏢

Registrar

The company where you bought the domain (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains). This is who you pay renewal fees to.

Example: "GoDaddy.com, LLC"

📅

Created / Updated / Expires

When the domain was first registered, last modified, and when it needs renewal. Domains typically expire 1-10 years after registration.

Example: Created 2020-01-15, Expires 2026-01-15

🔐

Status

Shows if the domain is active, locked, or has restrictions. "clientTransferProhibited" means it's locked to prevent unauthorized transfers—this is good for security!

Common: "active", "locked", "pendingTransfer"

👤

Registrant / Organization

The person or company that owns the domain. Often hidden by privacy protection services (and that's okay—it's for security).

May show: "Privacy Protected" or actual owner name

🌍

Name Servers

The DNS servers that control where the domain points. These tell the internet which server hosts your website.

Example: "ns1.cloudflare.com, ns2.cloudflare.com"

📧

Contact Email

Email for the domain owner or registrant. Often hidden by privacy services (shows something like "privacy@registrar.com" instead).

May be masked for privacy

Privacy note: Many domain owners use "WHOIS privacy protection" to hide personal details. This is completely normal and recommended for personal websites. The registrar information and expiration dates will still be visible.

Common use cases & examples

🛒

Use case 1: Buying an expired domain

You want to buy coolstartup.com but it's already registered.

What to check:

  • Expiration date: If it expires in 2 months, you might be able to snag it after expiration
  • Status: If it shows "pendingDelete", it will be available soon
  • Current usage: Check if there's an active website—if not, the owner might not renew it

Pro tip: Use a backorder service to automatically grab the domain the moment it becomes available.

🚨

Use case 2: Reporting a phishing website

You received a suspicious email pretending to be from your bank, linking to secure-bank-login.net.

What to check:

  • Registration date: Created yesterday? Huge red flag for phishing
  • Registrar: Contact them to report abuse (look for "abuse@registrar.com")
  • Name servers: Can help identify the hosting provider to report the site
  • Contact email: May help authorities track the perpetrator

Important: Never enter personal information on suspicious sites. Report to the registrar and your email provider.

✅

Use case 3: Verifying domain ownership after transfer

You just transferred mycompany.com to a new registrar and want to confirm it worked.

What to check:

  • Registrar: Should now show your new registrar (e.g., Cloudflare instead of GoDaddy)
  • Updated date: Should show today's date or very recent
  • Status: Should no longer show "pendingTransfer"
  • Registrant info: Verify your contact details are correct

Note: WHOIS updates may take a few hours to propagate. Check back if information looks outdated.

⏰

Use case 4: Avoiding domain expiration disasters

You manage multiple domains and want to make sure none expire accidentally.

What to check:

  • Expiration date: Set calendar reminders 30 and 7 days before expiration
  • Auto-renew status: Some status codes indicate if auto-renew is enabled
  • Contact email: Make sure the email on file is valid and monitored
  • Payment info: Log into your registrar to verify payment method is current

Horror story: Letting a domain expire can mean someone else snaps it up immediately, and getting it back can cost thousands of dollars!

Understanding domain status codes

WHOIS records often include cryptic status codes. Here's what they mean in plain language:

✓

clientTransferProhibited / serverTransferProhibited

The domain is locked to prevent unauthorized transfers. This is good! It protects you from domain hijacking. You can unlock it when you need to transfer to another registrar.

ⓘ

ok / active

The domain is in good standing with no restrictions. It's working normally and can be transferred or modified as needed.

⚠

pendingTransfer

The domain is currently being transferred to a new registrar. This usually takes 5-7 days. During this time, you can't make changes to DNS settings.

✕

redemptionPeriod / pendingDelete

Critical! The domain has expired and will be deleted soon. You typically have 30-45 days to recover it (often with a fee), after which it becomes available for anyone to register.

🔒

clientHold / serverHold

The domain is suspended and won't resolve (your website will be down). This can happen due to non-payment, legal disputes, or policy violations. Contact your registrar immediately.

⏳

autoRenewPeriod

The domain recently expired but is in an auto-renew grace period. If you have auto-renew enabled, it will be renewed automatically. If not, act quickly to avoid losing it!

Troubleshooting & FAQs

❓ Why can't I see the domain owner's name?

Most domain owners use WHOIS privacy protection (also called "domain privacy"). This hides personal information and shows generic registrar contact info instead. This is perfectly normal and actually recommended for personal domains to avoid spam and unwanted contact.

If you need to contact the owner for legitimate reasons, most registrars provide a privacy-protected email relay system.

❓ WHOIS shows my old information after I updated it

WHOIS data can take 24-48 hours to propagate across all WHOIS servers worldwide, similar to DNS propagation. If you just updated your domain information, wait a day and check again.

You can log into your registrar's control panel to see the current information immediately.

❓ I got a "WHOIS lookup failed" error

This can happen for several reasons:

  • The domain doesn't exist or hasn't been registered yet
  • It's a very new TLD (domain extension) that hasn't been added to WHOIS databases yet
  • The registry is temporarily unavailable or experiencing technical issues
  • Some country-specific domains (ccTLDs) have restrictions on WHOIS lookups

Try again in a few minutes, or verify the domain name is spelled correctly.

❓ What's the difference between WHOIS and RDAP?

RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is the modern replacement for WHOIS. It provides the same information but in a standardized, machine-readable JSON format instead of plain text. Our tool uses RDAP when available, falling back to traditional WHOIS if needed.

For you as a user, there's no difference—you'll get the same information either way!

❓ Is it legal to look up WHOIS information?

Yes, absolutely! WHOIS data is intentionally public. ICANN (the organization that manages domain names) requires registrars to make this information available for transparency and accountability purposes.

However, using WHOIS data for spam, harassment, or identity theft is illegal and against registrar policies. Use this tool responsibly.

Quick reference: Key WHOIS actions

Before purchasing a domain:

  • Check if it's available or when it expires
  • Look at registration history (frequent transfers = red flag)
  • Verify it's not trademark-protected

After registering a domain:

  • Verify your information is correct
  • Enable WHOIS privacy if you want it
  • Enable domain lock (transfer prohibition)
  • Set up auto-renewal to avoid losing it

For security research:

  • Check domain age (new = higher risk)
  • Look for privacy protection (absence can indicate legitimacy)
  • Compare registrar to expected owner
  • Check name servers for hosting clues

For domain management:

  • Monitor expiration dates regularly
  • Keep contact email up to date
  • Document registrar login credentials securely
  • Review and update name servers when migrating hosts