WHOISGlobal WHOIS lookup tool · one domain lookup for registrar, expiry and nameservers
Run a real-time WHOIS lookup on any domain to see its registrar, domain expiry, nameservers and RDAP data, straight from each TLD's authoritative servers.
WHOIS is the open internet protocol for querying domain registration data (RFC 3912); RDAP is its structured successor. This site connects directly to authoritative WHOIS and RDAP servers at every TLD registry and registrar so you can look up any domain's registrar, creation date, expiry, nameservers, DNSSEC and status — no registration required.
All TLDs Supported
Covers .com, .net, .org and all country-code domains
Real-time Queries
Direct WHOIS server connections for the latest data
All-in-one lookup
WHOIS, RDAP and DNS in one query, plus IP WHOIS
What is a WHOIS lookup?
A WHOIS lookup queries the authoritative TLD registry and registrar servers for a domain's registration data — including the registrar, creation and expiry dates, nameservers, DNSSEC, and domain status. This site prefers RDAP and falls back to port-43 WHOIS when needed, querying each TLD's authoritative servers directly — never a third-party cache — for accurate, real-time results.
Where WHOIS comes from
WHOIS dates back to RFC 812 (1982), when ARPANET users relied on it to look up hosts and points of contact; RFC 954 (1985) established the query model still in use, and today's standard is RFC 3912 (2004), which defines the plain-text protocol served over port 43. For four decades WHOIS has been core internet-governance infrastructure: ICANN long required every gTLD registrar to provide WHOIS service (a contractual obligation that sunset in January 2025 in favor of RDAP), and ccTLD registries (such as TWNIC for .tw) run their own authoritative servers.
What WHOIS lookups are used for
Site operators, security teams, legal practitioners and everyday users all reach for WHOIS in situations like these:
- Tracking a domain's status: confirm the registrar, creation date and expiry date so a domain never lapses and gets snapped up.
- Domain deals and disputes: verify that a seller actually holds the domain, or gather the registration records a UDRP dispute requires.
- Security forensics and abuse reporting: use IP WHOIS to identify the owning ASN and abuse contact when reporting phishing, spam or attack sources.
- Brand protection: watch registrations of look-alike domains to catch impersonation and cybersquatting early.
How WHOIS relates to RDAP
RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol, RFC 7480–7484) is the IETF's 2015 successor to WHOIS: it moves transport to HTTPS and returns structured JSON, fixing WHOIS's registry-specific formats that resist programmatic parsing. Every lookup on this site tries RDAP first and falls back to port-43 WHOIS automatically, so you never have to pick a protocol yourself. To compare the two in depth, read WHOIS vs RDAP or the complete WHOIS guide.
How do you look up a domain with WHOIS? (3 steps)
Enter a domain or IP
Type the domain you want to look up (e.g. example.com) or an IP address into the search box above and press Lookup.
The system picks RDAP or WHOIS automatically
Based on each TLD's official announcements, the backend calls the RDAP endpoint first; if the registry only maintains legacy port 43, it falls back to WHOIS automatically.
Read the structured result
The result page shows the registrar, creation/expiry dates, nameservers, domain status and DNSSEC, plus links to further DNS, SSL and performance checks.
WHOIS FAQ
What is WHOIS?
WHOIS is an open internet protocol — first defined in RFC 812 (1982) and standardised today as RFC 3912 (2004) — used to query authoritative TLD registry and registrar servers for the registration data of a domain name (or IP address).
- The fields returned include the registrar, creation/expiry dates, nameservers, DNSSEC status, and domain status.
- "WHOIS" refers both to the protocol itself and to the data obtained through it.
- The successor standard RDAP (RFC 7480–7484, 2015) returns structured data over HTTPS and JSON and is already adopted by most TLDs.
- This site prefers RDAP for every supported domain and only falls back to port-43 WHOIS when necessary.
Are WHOIS lookup and domain lookup the same thing?
"Domain lookup" is the umbrella term for any way of inspecting a domain's registration data; WHOIS and RDAP are two of those protocols. WHOIS is the open ICANN-defined protocol used to query authoritative registry and registrar servers for domain registration data — registrar, creation and expiry dates, nameservers, DNSSEC, and domain status. This site also supports RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol), which returns the same data as structured JSON consistently across TLDs.
Is this WHOIS lookup tool free?
Yes. The WHOIS lookup is completely free, with no registration and no daily quota. Type a domain or IP into the search box and hit Lookup.
What is the difference between WHOIS and RDAP?
WHOIS is a plain-text protocol on TCP port 43, in use since RFC 812 (1982); its output format varies by registry. RDAP, defined in RFC 7480-7484, is the modern successor: HTTPS-based, returns JSON, and is consistent across TLDs. This site prefers RDAP and falls back to port-43 WHOIS only when the registry does not offer RDAP.
Does WHOIS lookup support IP addresses?
Yes. Enter an IPv4 or IPv6 address and the tool switches to IP WHOIS, returning the ASN, network range (CIDR), owning organization, geolocation, and abuse contact.
Learn more about WHOIS
Dig into the WHOIS protocol, how lookups work, the move to RDAP, and how this site is built