WHOIS is the public directory of domain registration data, such as who holds a domain and when it expires.
WHOIS is a system for looking up who a domain is registered to and the key facts about its registration. A WHOIS lookup typically shows the registrar, the creation and expiration date, the domain's status codes and its nameservers. It may also show contact details for the registrant, unless they're redacted or hidden by a privacy service.
It dates back to the early days of the internet, when it worked like a phone book of network administrators. Today it's used by domain owners checking their own records, buyers researching a name, security teams tracing abuse and brand owners chasing cybersquatting.
What a WHOIS record shows
A typical record includes:
- The domain name and registry domain ID
- The registrar's name and abuse contact
- Creation, update and expiry dates
- Status codes, such as clientTransferProhibited
- Nameservers
- DNSSEC status
- Registrant and other contacts, often redacted
WHOIS privacy and redaction
Publishing names, addresses and phone numbers for every domain led to spam, scams and privacy risks. Since GDPR came into force in 2018, most registrars redact personal data from public WHOIS by default. On top of that, domain privacy services replace your details with those of a proxy service. You still own the domain, and the registrar still holds your real details. AblePage includes free WHOIS privacy with every domain.
WHOIS vs RDAP
RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is the modern replacement for WHOIS. It returns the same kind of data in a structured format, works over HTTPS and supports different levels of access. ICANN has made RDAP the official source for generic domain registration data, so many lookup tools now use RDAP behind the scenes even when they're still labelled WHOIS.
How to do a WHOIS lookup
- Use your registrar's lookup tool, ICANN's lookup at lookup.icann.org, or a whois command in a terminal.
- Enter the domain on its own, without http:// or www.
- Check the registrar, dates and status. To reach the owner, look for a contact form or the registrar's listed email.
Why WHOIS matters for your domain
Your registration data is how your registrar reaches you about renewals, transfers and disputes. If the email address on file is out of date, you can miss expiry notices or transfer approvals and lose the domain. ICANN requires registrars to remind you once a year to check your details, so don't ignore that email.