We use cookies.This website uses essential cookies to operate core features. With your consent, we also use analytics cookies to understand traffic and improve the service. For more details, see our .
We use cookies.This website uses essential cookies to operate core features. With your consent, we also use analytics cookies to understand traffic and improve the service. For more details, see our .
Was this tool helpful to use?
Your feedback helps us make it better
Look up domain WHOIS registration information via command line to retrieve key data like the owner, registrar, and expiration date.
WHOIS is a query and response protocol used to query databases storing registered users or assignees of Internet resources such as domain names, IP address blocks, or autonomous systems. The protocol stores and delivers database content in a human-readable format.
Overview
Understand what the tool solves, how it works, and the boundaries of its data.
Enter one domain name to request and display its available WHOIS record as plain text. You can optionally provide a known WHOIS server; leaving that field blank lets the lookup service choose an initial server. The result includes the returned record and shows the server used, plus a referral server when one is identified. Use the copy control to retain the text for your own comparison.
WHOIS is a legacy protocol for exchanging text queries and responses, commonly over TCP port 43. Its record layout is not a uniform schema: field names, ordering, and available details depend on the registry or server. A result may include a registrar, status, dates, or name servers, but the page should be read as raw source text rather than a complete standardized profile.
For generic top-level domains (gTLDs), ICANN designated RDAP as the definitive registration-data source beginning January 28, 2025, in place of sunset WHOIS services. Some queries can still produce WHOIS text, including where a service remains available or a referral is returned, but support varies by domain extension and server. If a gTLD lookup does not return useful data, use the official RDAP lookup path for current registration data. Country-code domains have separate registry arrangements, so do not assume the same protocol works for every suffix.
Guide
Follow the workflow and verify inputs and outputs with practical examples.
Type the domain name itself, such as example.com, without a URL scheme or page path.
Leave the optional server field blank for automatic selection. Fill it only when you already know which WHOIS server you need to query.
Run the lookup and note the displayed server and any referral server. Read the labels as supplied; different registries can use different fields and layouts.
Copy the record if useful, then confirm important dates or status with the relevant registry or registrar. For gTLD registration data, use RDAP as the current authoritative route.
Use cases
See how the tool fits into real work and everyday tasks.
A site owner can inspect whether a response lists a registrar, name servers, or dates, then compare those fields with the organization’s own registrar account and asset records.
An IT team can copy the raw response and record the query date and domain suffix so another teammate can repeat the check against the appropriate registration-data service.
Q&A
Find concise answers to common questions and confusing cases.
Public record fields may be redacted or unavailable, and privacy or proxy details may appear instead. A missing contact field does not prove that the domain has no registrant.
For gTLD registration data such as .com, ICANN identifies RDAP as the definitive source since January 28, 2025. This page queries WHOIS text, which may no longer be offered by a given server.
WHOIS is plain text with registry-specific formats. Field names and availability can differ by top-level domain and server, so interpret the returned labels in their registry context.
Treat it as a field reported by that server at the query time, not an independent confirmation. Verify important dates in the relevant registrar or registry account.
Notes
Review scope, result limitations, and important precautions before use.
WHOIS availability is not guaranteed across extensions, and gTLD registration-data service has shifted to RDAP. Fields can be missing, redacted, or specific to a server; raw text does not independently establish legal ownership or authenticate a contact. The domain name and any optional server value are submitted to the lookup service to run the query. Do not enter passwords, access tokens, or unrelated confidential information.
Related
Discover related tools, collections, and available API capabilities.