// RDAP
WHOIS Lookup
Look up registration data for a domain or IP over RDAP — registrar, status, key dates and name servers.
// What WHOIS and RDAP tell you
WHOIS is the long-standing way to ask who a domain or IP block is registered to. Its modern replacement, RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol), returns the same information in a structured, machine-readable form with a consistent format across registries — which is why this tool uses RDAP.
A lookup typically returns the sponsoring registrar, the domain's status codes, the dates it was created, last updated and expires, and the name servers it delegates to. Status codes are worth reading: clientTransferProhibited, for example, means the registrar has locked the domain against transfer, which is a sign the owner has protection switched on rather than a sign of trouble.
Much of the contact detail that WHOIS once exposed is now redacted. Under GDPR and equivalent privacy rules, registrars withhold the registrant's name, address, email and phone for most domains, usually replacing them with a forwarding address. Expect to see the organisation behind a domain only when it has chosen not to redact.
// Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between WHOIS and RDAP?
- Both return registration data for domains and IPs. RDAP is the newer, standardised, machine-readable replacement for the older free-text WHOIS protocol. This tool uses RDAP.
- Why is the registrant's contact information hidden?
- Since GDPR and similar privacy rules, registrars redact most personal contact details. You will usually see the registrar, status and dates, but not the registrant's name or address.
- Can I look up an IP address as well as a domain?
- Yes. IP lookups return the allocation from the regional internet registry — the organisation the block is assigned to, and the range it sits in.
- What does a domain status code mean?
- Status codes describe restrictions on the domain. clientTransferProhibited means the registrar has locked it against transfer; pendingDelete means it is on its way to being released.