You want to buy a domain and need to know if it's actually free or when the current one expires. Or you're researching how legitimate a site is and want to know how long the domain has existed. In both cases, the answer is in WHOIS, the public record of who has registered every domain on the internet.
What WHOIS is
Every registered domain gets noted in a public database managed by its corresponding registry (Verisign for .com, each country for its national domain, etc.). That database, queryable by anyone, is WHOIS. It contains data like the registrar (the company where the domain was bought), registration and expiry dates, and the DNS servers (nameservers) it uses.
Nowadays, most of this information is served through RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol), a more modern, structured protocol gradually replacing traditional WHOIS, though the result and purpose are the same.
How to look up a domain's WHOIS
- Type the domain you want to look up.
- The tool retrieves the data via RDAP.
- Review registrar, dates and nameservers.
You can do it free with the WHOIS Lookup on this site.
What information you can expect to find
- Registrar: the company through which the domain was registered (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.).
- Registration date: how long that specific domain has existed (useful for gauging how old a project is).
- Expiry date: when the current registration expires, relevant if you're watching a domain you want to buy once it becomes available.
- Nameservers: which DNS servers manage the domain, which often reveals what hosting or CDN provider is used (Cloudflare, for example, is easily identifiable by its nameservers).
Why you sometimes don't see the owner's name
Since data protection regulations like GDPR came into force, most registrars hide personal data by default (name, email, address) in public WHOIS lookups, showing instead the details of a privacy service. This is the case for personal domains at the vast majority of registrars; some corporate domains or certain national extensions do show owner data under their local rules.
Real use cases
- Checking real availability before trying to buy a domain that seems free.
- Watching when a domain expires that you're interested in, to try registering it the moment it becomes available.
- Checking a domain's age as a signal (though not a definitive one) of a project or business's legitimacy.
- Identifying the registrar and nameservers when doing technical support or migrating a domain between providers.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to look up any domain's WHOIS? Yes, it's public information by design; anyone can query it.
Why can't I see the domain owner's name? For privacy; most registrars hide personal data by default since GDPR and similar regulations.
Are WHOIS and RDAP the same thing? RDAP is the modern protocol gradually replacing traditional WHOIS; the purpose and most of the information they offer are equivalent.
Can I tell if a domain is free with this tool? Indirectly, yes: if no registration record appears, the domain is likely available to register (always confirm with a registrar before trying to buy it).
Look up any domain's WHOIS for free with the WHOIS Lookup, with real-time RDAP data.