How to use
- 1Enter a domain name (e.g. example.com).
- 2Press “Look up”; we query the registry’s RDAP or Whois server.
- 3See the registrar, created and expiry dates, days left, status and nameservers.
- 4If the domain is free, you’ll see a clear “available” result.
RDAP: the modern Whois
RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) replaced classic port-43 Whois as the official source for generic TLDs such as .com, .net and .org, returning structured, consistent data. We use RDAP wherever it is available and fall back to the registry’s Whois server for country-code domains that don’t offer it, showing the raw response along with the key facts we can extract.
Why the owner’s name is usually hidden
Since GDPR took effect in 2018, registrars redact personal registrant data (name, email, phone, address) for most domains, and many registrants add privacy services on top. To contact an owner, use the registrar’s anonymized contact form or the email relay address shown in the record. Company-owned domains sometimes still show the organization name.
Reading domain status codes
clientTransferProhibited is a normal lock that prevents unauthorized transfers. clientHold or serverHold means the domain won’t resolve — often unpaid or suspended. redemptionPeriod means it has expired and been deleted, with about 30 days to restore it, usually at a high fee; pendingDelete means it will be released in about five days. If your own domain is close to expiry, turn on auto-renew now: an expired domain takes your website and email down with it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I find out who owns a domain?
Often not directly, because of privacy redaction. The registrar is always shown, and you can contact the owner through the registrar’s relay or contact form.
What happens when a domain expires?
Typically a grace period of around 0–45 days (renew at normal price), then a ~30-day redemption period (costly restore), then ~5 days pending delete before it becomes available to anyone.
Is a domain shown as “available” really free?
It means the registry has no registration for it. Premium or reserved names may still be unavailable or priced higher; check with a registrar to buy.
Why does a country-code domain show raw text?
Some ccTLD registries don’t offer RDAP, so we show their Whois server’s text output and highlight the dates and registrar we can recognize.
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