What a WHOIS lookup tells you
Every domain is registered through a registrar, such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, IONOS or Cloudflare, with the registry that runs its ending, like Verisign for .com or DENIC for .de. The registry keeps a public record of each registration: the registrar, the creation date, the expiry date, the status codes and the nameservers. A WHOIS lookup reads that record. This one asks the registry's RDAP server first, the modern format with clean dates, and uses classic WHOIS on port 43 where a registry has no RDAP yet.
- Before you buy a domain: see whether it is taken, how old it is and when it expires, which tells you whether waiting could pay off. Still looking for a name? The business name generator suggests ideas from your keywords.
- For your own domains: check the expiry date and that the transfer lock is on, so nobody can move the domain away.
- After a move: confirm the nameservers changed, then check the records with the DNS lookup.
- For a suspicious email or shop: check the creation date; a shop that claims years of history should not run on a domain registered last week.
What the domain status codes mean
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| client transfer prohibited | The registrar blocks transfers to another registrar. Normal protection against domain theft. |
| client delete / update prohibited | The registrar blocks deleting or changing the domain without the owner. |
| server ... prohibited | The same locks, set by the registry itself, at the owner’s request as an extra lock or during a dispute. |
| active / ok | No locks and no pending actions. |
| redemption period | The domain has expired and was deleted. For 30 days the old owner can still restore it, for a fee. |
| pending delete | The domain will be released in a few days and can then be registered by anyone. |
| client hold / server hold | The domain is registered but switched off in DNS, often over unpaid bills or a dispute. |
The codes come from EPP, the protocol registrars use to talk to registries. A domain usually carries several at once. In classic WHOIS the same codes are written in camel case, like clientTransferProhibited, and DENIC uses its own short words: connect means active, free means available.
Domain age and expiry date
The domain age is counted from the first registration. It does not reset when a domain changes owner, so an old domain is not proof that the current site is old. The expiry date, called the expiration date in many WHOIS records, moves forward with every renewal, so a date a few months away is no warning sign by itself. If you depend on a domain, turn on auto-renew at your registrar and keep the payment method current: once an expired domain is deleted and released, anyone can register it. The website cost calculator adds up what a site costs in the first year and after, from the domain and hosting to design and your own time.
How to look up a domain
- 1Type the domain or paste any address from it; a subdomain or a www in front is fine.
- 2Read the top line: registered with the registrar and its age, or no registration found.
- 3Check the expiry date, the status locks and the nameservers, or open the raw answer for the full record.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the owner’s name not shown?
Since the GDPR began to apply in May 2018, registries and registrars hide the personal data of domain owners in public WHOIS and RDAP. You usually see the registrar, the dates and the nameservers. To reach an owner, use the contact form or email relay many registrars offer, or the registrar’s abuse address for legal problems.
Does "no registration found" mean I can buy the domain?
Very likely, but not for sure. Some names are reserved by the registry, blocked as premium names or only open to residents of a country. Search for the name at a registrar to confirm the price and that it can really be registered.
What is the difference between WHOIS and RDAP?
Both answer who manages a domain. WHOIS is the original text protocol from the 1980s, and every registry formats it differently. RDAP is its modern replacement with structured answers, and since January 2025 it is the official source for generic endings like .com. This tool asks RDAP first and falls back to WHOIS for domain endings like .de that still only offer WHOIS.
What happens when a domain expires?
For generic endings like .com, the registrar decides how long the owner can still renew after the expiry date, and ICANN rules only guarantee a short window. Once the registrar deletes the domain, it stays in a 30 day redemption period, in which the owner can restore it for a fee, and about five days after that it is released and anyone can register it. Country endings like .de or .uk follow their own registry’s rules.
Why does a subdomain show the main domain?
Only the main domain is registered. A name like blog.example.com is created by the owner of example.com in their own DNS, so the tool looks up example.com. Endings like co.uk or com.au are treated as one unit.