Ever wondered who owns a website, when a domain was registered, or where it's hosted? WHOIS is the public database that answers these questions.

What Is WHOIS?

WHOIS (pronounced "who is") is a query-and-response protocol used to look up registration information for domain names and IP addresses. It was one of the earliest internet protocols, standardized in the 1980s, and is still in use today.

When someone registers a domain like example.com, the registrar stores their contact details in a public WHOIS database. Anyone can query this database to find out who controls a domain.

What Does a WHOIS Record Contain?

  • Registrant: The person or organization that owns the domain
  • Registrar: The company where the domain was purchased (e.g. Namecheap, GoDaddy)
  • Registration date: When the domain was first registered
  • Expiry date: When the registration expires
  • Nameservers: Which DNS servers handle the domain's records
  • Status codes: Current state of the domain (e.g. clientTransferProhibited)

What Is WHOIS Privacy Protection?

Most registrars offer WHOIS privacy (also called domain privacy or WHOIS masking). Instead of showing your real contact details, the registrar displays their own proxy information. This prevents spam and protects personal data.

Since GDPR came into effect in 2018, European registrars are required to redact personal data from public WHOIS records by default. As a result, many WHOIS lookups now show limited information for .com and other gTLDs.

How to Perform a WHOIS Lookup

There are several ways to query WHOIS:

  1. Online tools: Websites like who.is or your registrar's WHOIS tool let you look up domains instantly
  2. Command line: On Linux/macOS, type whois example.com in the terminal
  3. DNS lookup tools: Our DNS lookup tool shows nameserver and DNS record information for any domain

WHOIS vs DNS: What's the Difference?

WHOIS and DNS are often confused but serve different purposes:

  • WHOIS: Tells you who owns and registered the domain — administrative information
  • DNS: Tells you where the domain points — IP addresses, mail servers, and other technical records

You need DNS to visit a website; WHOIS tells you who's behind it. Use our DNS lookup to inspect DNS records for any domain.

Common Uses for WHOIS

  • Checking if a domain name is available
  • Finding contact info to report abuse or copyright violations
  • Verifying a website's legitimacy before trusting it
  • Researching competitors or checking when a domain was first registered
  • Finding expired domains with existing backlinks

Conclusion

WHOIS is a useful tool for understanding who controls any domain on the internet. While privacy protection has reduced the personal data available, you can still find registrar details, nameservers, and registration dates. Pair it with a DNS lookup to get the full picture of any domain's configuration.