WHOIS Lookup

What is WHOIS Data?

WHOIS is a public record of who owns a domain name and how to get in contact with them. When someone registers a domain, ICANN (the organization that manages domain names) requires them to provide contact information. This information is then stored in the public WHOIS database.

Our tool queries this database to retrieve key details like the domain registrar, creation and expiration dates, the domain's current status, and the nameservers it points to. It's an essential tool for researching domain ownership, checking a domain's age, or finding contact information for a website owner.

WHOIS Privacy: Protecting Your Personal Information

When you register a domain, your personal contact information (name, address, email, phone number) is added to the public WHOIS database. This can lead to spam, unwanted solicitations, and a loss of privacy.

WHOIS Privacy (sometimes called Domain Privacy or ID Protect) is a service offered by most domain registrars that replaces your personal information in the WHOIS database with the information of a proxy service. This keeps your details private while still complying with ICANN's rules. We highly recommend enabling WHOIS privacy for all your domains unless you have a specific reason to keep your information public.

Understanding WHOIS Status Codes

The WHOIS record often includes status codes that tell you about the state of the domain. Here are some of the most common ones:

• ok: This is the standard status. The domain is active and can be renewed, but not transferred.
• clientTransferProhibited: This is a security measure set by your registrar to prevent unauthorized transfers. You must ask your registrar to remove this status before you can transfer the domain to another provider.
• redemptionPeriod: This means the domain has expired, and the original owner has a grace period (usually 30 days) to renew it, often for a higher fee. After this period, it may be released to the public.
• pendingDelete: The domain has passed the redemption period and is waiting to be deleted from the registry. Once deleted, it becomes available for anyone to register.