Whois Lookup

Please enter domain name
	Example: google.com

What is Whois?

Whois is a protocol among domain registrars that helps Internet users get in contact with domain registrants. Whois servers are maintained by trusted authorities, registries or domain registrars themselves. For example, Verisign is responsible for storing Whois information for most .com top level domain names. We have compiled a full list of top level domains (TLD’s) and their respective Whois servers.

When a user sends a Whois request, Whois server responds with some basic contact information about the registrant. This usually includes:

Domain registrar name

Domain registrant name

Domain registrant mailing address

Domain registrant email address

Domain registrant telephone number

Domain name servers

Domain creation date

Domain registration date

Domain expiration date

However, there are some quirks and inconsistencies among Whois databases, so a Whois request may return less information or different information from one Whois database to another.

Oftentimes, a Whois request will be referred to another Whois database. For example, if the domain registrant purchased the domain through GoDaddy, a Whois request would be referred to GoDaddy’s Whois server.

How to use Whois?

Whois is useful for a number of purposes. Both users and law enforcement professionals can use Whois to verify the source of web content or emails. For example, if you receive malicious emails, spam or hacking attempts that originates from a certain domain, you can use Whois to investigate who owns the domain, which will possibly help you track down the responsible party. Likewise, if you are visiting a website of questionable reputability, such as an e-commerce website or a retailer, you can learn more about the website name owner by sending a Whois request.

Whois Privacy

There are some limitations to Whois, both as a tool for end users and for domain registrars. For one, making your contact information public through Whois can expose you to spammers and other unsolicited contact. To help minimize this risk, many domain registrars offer private domain registration to hide your contact information. In this arrangement, the domain registrar becomes the registrant, so that a Whois request only returns information about the registrar. For example, if you were to purchase a private domain registration from GoDaddy, GoDaddy would be listed in the Whois database as the registrar AND the registrant, rather than you or your company. If an interested party needed to ascertain the identity of the owner of the domain, they could contact GoDaddy directly.

Private domain registration services, as well as the possibility that Whois information was entered incorrectly or incompletely, somewhat obscures the accountability of domain registrations to casual users. However, for determined consumers and law enforcement entities, tracking down the owner of a domain is made possible through Whois. If nothing else, a quick Whois check can provide users validation that the website they are visiting is being represented honestly.