What is WHOIS?

WHOIS is a query-response protocol that provides public registration information about domain names, IP address blocks, and autonomous systems. When a domain is registered, the registrar submits the registrant's contact details, registration and expiry dates, authoritative name servers, and registrar information to a central registry. The WHOIS protocol lets anyone query this database to look up who owns a domain, when it was registered, when it expires, and which name servers it uses. The data is served from a distributed network of WHOIS servers maintained by domain registries such as ICANN, Verisign, and regional internet registries.

Tool description

The WHOIS Lookup tool queries the WHOIS record for any domain name and returns both the raw text response and a structured parsed view. Enter a domain name (with or without www.), click Lookup, and switch between the Raw tab for the full server response and the Parsed tab for the key fields extracted in a readable form.

Features

  • Raw and parsed views — the Raw tab shows the complete WHOIS server response; the Parsed tab extracts the most important fields into labeled text fields.
  • One-click copy and download — copy the full raw output to the clipboard or download it as a .txt file.
  • Key field extraction — the Parsed tab highlights domain name, creation/update/expiry dates, registrar, DNSSEC status, name servers, and domain status codes.

Options explained

Raw tab:

  • Shows the complete, unmodified text as returned by the WHOIS server.
  • Useful when you need the full record, including fields the parser may not extract.

Parsed tab:

Field Description
Domain Name The canonical domain as stored in the registry.
Created Date the domain was first registered.
Updated Date the registration record was last modified.
Expires Date the current registration period ends.
Registrar The company where the domain was purchased.
DNSSEC Whether DNS Security Extensions are enabled.
Domain Status EPP status codes that indicate what actions are currently allowed on the domain.
Name Servers Authoritative DNS servers responsible for the domain.

Tips

  • Enter just the second-level domain (e.g. example.com), not a full URL or subdomain.
  • Domains registered with privacy protection services will show the privacy provider's contact details instead of the registrant's personal information.
  • Status codes like clientTransferProhibited are standard EPP codes; they indicate the domain is locked against unauthorized transfers, which is normal for most active domains.