WHOIS Domain Lookup

About this tool

WHOIS Domain Lookup is meant to show a domain's registration record. You enter a domain (an http:// prefix or any path is stripped) and the page asks the UtilityKit server for the record, then lists Registrar, Status, Created, Updated, Expires, Nameservers and Domain in a table, with a Raw button that toggles the full returned text and a Copy button for it. At the moment the server has no WHOIS endpoint, so every lookup ends with a “Not found” error and no data is shown. Until it is restored, use ICANN Lookup (lookup.icann.org), your registrar's WHOIS page or the whois command on your computer. The tool does not query RDAP itself, decode EPP status codes or flag upcoming expiry dates.

Why use it

• Collects the key registration fields (registrar, dates, name servers, status) in one table when a lookup succeeds.

• The Raw view and Copy button keep the full returned record at hand.

• Accepts pasted URLs; the scheme and path are stripped before the lookup.

How to use

1. Enter a domain name such as example.com; any http:// or https:// prefix and path are removed.
2. Click Lookup or press Enter to send the domain to the UtilityKit server.
3. If a record comes back, read the Registrar, Status, Created, Updated, Expires and Nameservers rows.
4. Click Raw to toggle the full returned text, and Copy to copy it.
5. If you see a “Not found” error, the lookup service is unavailable; use ICANN Lookup or your registrar instead.

When it helps

• Checking when a domain expires before attempting to register or buy it.
• Identifying the registrar responsible for a domain so you can request DNS or transfer changes.
• Investigating a suspicious domain during a security incident.
• Verifying domain registration details match expected owner information.

Examples

example.com

Not found (error box; the server WHOIS endpoint is unavailable, so no table is shown)

https://www.example.org/about

The input is reduced to www.example.org before the request; the result is the same Not found error.

Tips

• Add 'clientTransferProhibited' and 'clientUpdateProhibited' status codes through your registrar to harden against domain hijacking.
• Set calendar reminders 60 and 30 days before WHOIS expiry — many registrars only auto-renew if the credit card on file is valid.
• If WHOIS shows an unexpected registrar, your domain may have been transferred without authorization — file an abuse report immediately.
• GDPR redacted fields can still be reached via the registrar's abuse contact email, which is always public.
• Use the parsed name servers as a starting point for diagnosing DNS issues — paste them into the DNS Propagation Checker.
• For brand protection, set up monthly WHOIS monitoring on your top-level domains to detect unauthorized changes.
• RDAP responses are JSON and easier to script against than legacy WHOIS text — reach for RDAP when automating audits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Glossary

WHOIS

A query and response protocol (RFC 3912) used to look up registered users or assignees of an internet resource such as a domain name or IP address block. WHOIS servers respond on TCP port 43 with text records.

RDAP

Registration Data Access Protocol (RFC 7480-7484) — the modern successor to WHOIS that returns structured JSON data over HTTPS, supports authentication, internationalization, and is the required protocol for new gTLDs.

Registrar

An ICANN-accredited organization that sells domain registrations to end users (e.g. GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare Registrar) and submits registration data to the registry.

Registry

The organization that operates the master database for a specific TLD (e.g. Verisign for .com, PIR for .org). Registrars push records into the registry via EPP.

EPP status codes

Extensible Provisioning Protocol status flags such as clientTransferProhibited, serverHold, and redemptionPeriod that describe the current state of a domain registration.

Redemption period

A 30-day grace window after a domain expires during which the original owner can recover it by paying a redemption fee, typically $80-$200 above normal renewal cost.

Name server (NS)

DNS servers authoritative for a domain. WHOIS lists which name servers the domain is delegated to at the registry level.

GDPR redaction

Privacy masking applied to WHOIS records for EU-based registrants under the General Data Protection Regulation, replacing personal contact details with proxy values.