NetKit

WHOIS lookup

Look up who a domain is registered with, when it was created and when it expires, its status locks and name servers. Uses RDAP, the registries' official successor to WHOIS.

WHOIS / RDAP
Try:

Registrar, dates, status and name servers appear here.

How a domain registration is organised

Three parties are involved. The registry runs the TLD (Verisign for .com and .net, Public Interest Registry for .org, Google Registry for .app and .dev) and publishes the authoritative record. The registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Porkbun…) sells you the name and edits that record for you. The registrant is you. RDAP queries go to the registry first, which points to the registrar's own RDAP server for extra detail.

Domain lifecycle after expiry (typical gTLD)

  • 0–45 days: auto-renew grace. The registrar may park the site; you can usually renew at the normal price.
  • 30 days: redemption period. Restorable, but at a restore fee.
  • 5 days: pending delete. Nothing can be done; then it's released to the public, often grabbed by drop-catchers within seconds.

Command line: whois example.com, or for RDAP JSON, curl -sL https://rdap.org/domain/example.com.

Questions people ask

What is WHOIS?
WHOIS is the public record of who registered a domain or IP block: the registrar, key dates, status and name servers. Registries are replacing the old text-based WHOIS protocol with RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol), which returns structured data. This tool uses RDAP.
Why is the owner's name hidden?
Since GDPR (2018), most registrars redact personal contact details, and many offer free privacy services. You will usually see the registrar and dates but "REDACTED FOR PRIVACY" or no registrant. To contact an owner, use the registrar's relay form or abuse contact.
How do I check if a domain is available?
If the lookup finds no registration record, the domain is probably available; confirm at a registrar, since a few TLDs (and recently deleted names in redemption) behave differently.
What do the status codes mean?
client transfer prohibited is a normal registrar lock that prevents hijacking. redemption period or pending delete means the domain expired and is about to be released. server hold means the registry has taken it out of DNS.
Which TLDs are supported?
All gTLDs (.com, .net, .org, .app, .dev and hundreds more) must support RDAP, as do many ccTLDs. A few ccTLDs still only offer port-43 WHOIS or a web form; for those you'll see "no RDAP record" and should use the registry's own site.