WHOIS Lookup
Query a domain, IP, CIDR block or ASN — registrar, RIR allocation and abuse contact.
Enter a target
e.g. example.com · 8.8.8.8 · 203.0.113.0/24 · AS15169 — press ⏎ / ⌘⏎
What is WHOIS Lookup?
WHOIS shows a domain's registration and expiry dates, registrar, nameservers and EPP status codes. The query starts at IANA and follows referrals to the TLD registry and then the registrar.
The same tool answers IP, CIDR and ASN queries. There the data comes from a regional internet registry (ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC, LACNIC, AFRINIC) rather than a registrar, and includes the address range, allocation type, organization and abuse contact.
Since GDPR most registrars redact personal data — "REDACTED FOR PRIVACY" is expected, not an error. Corporate domains usually still expose the organization name.
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsWhat can I query besides a domain?
IP addresses (8.8.8.8), CIDR blocks (203.0.113.0/24) and ASNs (AS15169). For number resources the answer comes from the relevant RIR (ARIN, RIPE, APNIC, LACNIC, AFRINIC) rather than a registrar, and includes the address range, allocation type and abuse contact.
Why is registrant data hidden?
Since GDPR most registrars redact personal data — you'll see "REDACTED FOR PRIVACY" or a privacy service. That's expected. Corporate domains usually still show the organization; personal ones don't.
What do status codes like clientTransferProhibited mean?
They're EPP status codes. clientTransferProhibited means the registrar has locked the domain against transfer — a good thing. pendingDelete and redemptionPeriod are post-expiry recovery stages. serverHold means the domain has been removed from DNS.
Why doesn't the expiry date match what DNS is doing?
The WHOIS expiry is the registry record. DNS usually keeps working through a 30-45 day redemption period after expiry, and conversely a renewal may not yet be reflected at the registry.
What is the abuse contact for?
It's where you report attacks, spam or abuse originating from an IP. RIRs require it to be published and kept working; networks that ignore it lose reputation over time.
Can I tell whether a domain is available?
Indirectly. A "No match" or "NOT FOUND" response means it isn't registered, but WHOIS is not a sales channel: some TLDs show reserved or premium names as unregistered too. Check a registrar's availability search for a definitive answer.
What's the difference between WHOIS and RDAP?
RDAP is the modern JSON-based replacement, with structured data, authentication and internationalised text. WHOIS returns free-form text in a different shape per registry. This tool uses WHOIS because coverage is still broader.
I hit a query limit — what happened?
Registry and registrar WHOIS servers rate-limit hard per IP; too many queries in a row return an empty answer or "query limit exceeded". Results here are cached for six hours, so repeating a lookup doesn't issue a new request.
Why do some ccTLDs look different?
Each ccTLD registry uses its own WHOIS layout and field names. The raw output section always shows exactly what the server returned, so information may be present even when the parsed fields are blank.
Can the creation date be changed?
No — it's a registry record and only changes if the domain is deleted and re-registered. A recent creation date on an old-looking domain often means it dropped and someone else picked it up.