What is WHOIS Lookup?
WHOIS (pronounced as "who is") is a query and response protocol that is widely used for querying databases that store the registered users or assignees of an Internet resource, such as a domain name, an IP address block, or an autonomous system. A WHOIS lookup provides information about who owns a domain name, when it was registered, when it expires, and contact details of the registrant.
Why Use WHOIS Lookup?
There are several reasons why you might want to perform a WHOIS lookup:
- Domain Availability: Check if a domain name is available for registration.
- Ownership Verification: Find out who owns a particular domain.
- Contact Information: Get contact details for the domain owner (if privacy protection is not enabled).
- Domain Age: Determine how long a domain has been registered, which can be useful for SEO and credibility assessment.
- Expiration Monitoring: Check when a domain will expire, which helps prevent accidental expiration of your domains.
- Preventing Fraud: Verify the legitimacy of a website by checking its registration details.
Understanding WHOIS Information
Our WHOIS Lookup tool provides comprehensive information about a domain's registration:
Registrar Information
This section shows details about the company through which the domain was registered. It includes the registrar's name, website, and sometimes their IANA ID. Registrars are organizations accredited by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) or other domain name registries to sell domain names.
Domain Dates
Three important dates are provided:
- Creation Date: When the domain was first registered.
- Updated Date: When the domain information was last modified.
- Expiration Date: When the domain registration will expire if not renewed.
Nameservers
Nameservers are the servers that translate domain names into IP addresses. This information shows which DNS servers are handling the domain's DNS records. These are typically provided by the hosting company where the website is hosted.
Domain Status
Domain status codes indicate the current state of a domain. Common status codes include:
- clientTransferProhibited: The domain cannot be transferred to another registrar.
- clientUpdateProhibited: The domain contact information cannot be changed.
- clientDeleteProhibited: The domain cannot be deleted.
- clientRenewProhibited: The domain cannot be renewed.
These status codes help protect domains from unauthorized changes or transfers.
Registrant Information
This section contains details about the domain owner. However, due to privacy concerns and regulations like GDPR, this information may be redacted or masked by privacy protection services. When available, it typically includes the registrant's name, organization, address, and contact information.
Privacy Considerations
Many domain owners use privacy protection services to shield their personal information from public WHOIS databases. This helps prevent spam, identity theft, and other potential abuses of contact information. If a domain has privacy protection enabled, you'll typically see the privacy service's information instead of the actual domain owner's details.
WHOIS Data Accuracy
Keep in mind that WHOIS data may not always be 100% accurate or up-to-date due to:
- Domain owners not updating their information after changes
- Privacy protection services masking real ownership information
- Different display formats across various WHOIS providers
- Delays in database updates
For critical matters, it may be necessary to verify information through additional sources.