WHOIS lookup

See which registrar a domain is with, when it expires and how it's set up, read straight from the registry.

Try:

Results for https://www.github.com/torvalds/linux

Checked 2026-11-14live lookup727 ms

Looked up github.com from the URL you pasted.
Showing the registration for github.com. www.github.com is a host inside it.

Registered

Locked down and healthy

github.com is registered with MarkMonitor Inc. since 2007-10-09 (19 years). Expires 2028-10-09 (in 695 days).

RegisteredLocked

Expires

2028-10-09 · in 695 days

Age

19years

Since 2007-10-09

Registrar

MarkMonitor Inc.

IANA ID 292

Locks on

3locks

Locked against transfer, update and deletion by the registrar

Status3

Stage 1 of 6: Registered

Locks

Deletion locked (registrar)clientDeleteProhibited
The registrar has locked the domain so it cannot be deleted.
What this status means
Transfer locked (registrar)clientTransferProhibited
The registrar has locked the domain so it cannot be transferred to another registrar.
What this status means
Update locked (registrar)clientUpdateProhibited
The registrar has locked the domain so it cannot be changed (nameservers, contacts, other registration data).
What this status means

Records

Key facts

Registrar: MarkMonitor Inc.IANA ID 292
Registered: 2007-10-0919 years ago
Expires: 2028-10-09 in 695 days
Last changed: 2026-09-072 months ago
Registrar expiry: 2028-10-09 in 695 days
DNSSEC: Not signed
Locks: 3 locks
Nameservers: 8

Nameservers

dns1.p08.nsone.net
dns2.p08.nsone.net
dns3.p08.nsone.net
dns4.p08.nsone.net
ns-1283.awsdns-32.org
ns-1707.awsdns-21.co.uk
ns-421.awsdns-52.com
ns-520.awsdns-01.net

DNSSEC

Not signed

Registrar

Name: MarkMonitor Inc.
IANA ID: 292
Website: https://www.markmonitor.com/about-us/
Abuse email: [email protected]
Abuse phone: +1.2086851750

Registry notices · 4 messages

Text supplied by the registry. We show it as written and never follow instructions in it.

Terms of Service
Service subject to Terms of Use.
www.verisign.com (www.verisign.com)
Status Codes
For more information on domain status codes, please visit https://icann.org/epp
icann.org (icann.org)
RDDS Inaccuracy Complaint Form
URL of the ICANN RDDS Inaccuracy Complaint Form: https://icann.org/wicf
icann.org (icann.org)
Terms of Use
By submitting an RDAP query, you agree that you will use this data only for
lawful purposes and that, under no circumstances will you use this data to:
(1) allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission by email, telephone,
or facsimile of mass, unsolicited, commercial advertising, or spam; or
(2) enable high volume, automated, or electronic processes that send queries,
data, or email to Markmonitor (or its systems) or the domain name contacts (or
its systems).
Markmonitor reserves the right to modify these terms at any time.
www.markmonitor.com (www.markmonitor.com)

Contacts4

Registrar
Name
MarkMonitor Inc.
Registrant
Kept private by the registry name, organisation, street, city, postcode, phone, email
Address
CA, United States
Technical contact
Kept private by the registry
Registrar
Name
Markmonitor Inc.
Organisation
Markmonitor Inc.
Address
3540 E Longwing Ln, Meridian, ID, 83646, United States

Owner details are redacted for privacy. That's normal — most registries hide personal details since 2018. To reach the owner, use the registrar's contact form; they'll pass your message on.

How we got this

Query: domain github.com · 0 ms
IANA bootstrap (dns.json) · 0 msMATCHcom → https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/
.com registry RDAP (rdap.verisign.com) · 26 ms200
Registrar RDAP (rdap.markmonitor.com) · 692 ms200

Asked: https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/github.com
Server list entry: dns: com
Total time: 724 ms
Cache: miss

Raw

{
  "query": {
    "kind": "domain",
    "key": "github.com",
    "display": "github.com",
    "input": "www.github.com",
    "domain": {
      "ascii": "github.com",
      "unicode": "github.com",
      "tld": "com",
      "tldUnicode": "com",
      "isIdn": false,
      "isPublicSuffix": false,
      "publicSuffix": "com",
      "originalHost": "www.github.com"
    },
    "notices": [
      {
        "code": "EXTRACTED_FROM_URL",
        "message": "Looked up github.com from the URL you pasted."
      },
      {
        "code": "REDUCED_FROM_SUBDOMAIN",
        "message": "Showing the registration for github.com. www.github.com is a host inside it.",
        "data": {
          "host": "www.github.com",
          "domain": "github.com"
        }
      }
    ]
  },
  "status": "found",
  "source": "rdap",
  "domain": {
    "objectClassName": "domain",
    "ldhName": "github.com",
    "unicodeName": "github.com",
    "statuses": [
      {
        "raw": "client delete prohibited",
        "rdap": "client delete prohibited",
        "label": "Deletion locked (registrar)",
        "description": "The registrar has locked the domain so it cannot be deleted.",
        "category": "client-lock",
        "severity": "neutral",
        "setBy": "registrar",
        "epp": "clientDeleteProhibited",
        "icannUrl": "https://icann.org/epp#clientDeleteProhibited",
        "slug": "client-delete-prohibited"
      },
      {
        "raw": "client transfer prohibited",
        "rdap": "client transfer prohibited",
        "label": "Transfer locked (registrar)",
        "description": "The registrar has locked the domain so it cannot be transferred to another registrar.",
        "category": "client-lock",
        "severity": "neutral",
        "setBy": "registrar",
        "epp": "clientTransferProhibited",
        "icannUrl": "https://icann.org/epp#clientTransferProhibited",
        "slug": "client-transfer-prohibited"
      },
      {
        "raw": "client update prohibited",
        "rdap": "client update prohibited",
        "label": "Update locked (registrar)",
        "description": "The registrar has locked the domain so it cannot be changed (nameservers, contacts, other registration data).",
        "category": "client-lock",
        "severity": "neutral",
        "setBy": "registrar",
        "epp": "clientUpdateProhibited",
        "icannUrl": "https://icann.org/epp#clientUpdateProhibited",
        "slug": "client-update-prohibited"
      }
    ],
    "events": {
      "all": [
        {
          "action": "registration",
          "raw": "2007-10-09T18:20:50Z",
          "date": "2007-10-09T18:20:50.000Z"
        },
        {
          "action": "expiration",
          "raw": "2028-10-09T18:20:50Z",
          "date": "2028-10-09T18:20:50.000Z"
        },
        {
          "action": "last changed",
          "raw": "2026-09-07T09:22:52Z",
          "date": "2026-09-07T09:22:52.000Z"
        },
        {
          "action": "last update of RDAP database",
          "raw": "2026-11-14T17:43:20Z",
          "date": "2026-11-14T17:43:20.000Z"
        },
        {
          "action": "registrar expiration",
          "raw": "2028-10-09T18:20:50.000+00:00",
          "date": "2028-10-09T18:20:50.000Z"
        }
      ],
      "registration": {
        "action": "registration",
        "raw": "2007-10-09T18:20:50Z",
        "date": "2007-10-09T18:20:50.000Z"
      },
      "expiration": {
        "action": "expiration",
        "raw": "2028-10-09T18:20:50Z",
        "date": "2028-10-09T18:20:50.000Z"
      },
      "lastChanged": {
        "action": "last changed",
        "raw": "2026-09-07T09:22:52Z",
        "date": "2026-09-07T09:22:52.000Z"
      },
      "lastRdapUpdate": {
        "action": "last update of RDAP database",
        "raw": "2026-11-14T17:43:20Z",
        "date": "2026-11-14T17:43:20.000Z"
      },
      "registrarExpiration": {
        "action": "registrar expiration",
        "raw": "2028-10-09T18:20:50.000+00:00",
        "date": "2028-10-09T18:20:50.000Z"
      }
    },
    "nameservers": [
      {
        "ldhName": "dns1.p08.nsone.net",
        "unicodeName": "dns1.p08.nsone.net",
        "ipv4": [],
        "ipv6": [],
        "status": [],
        "entities": [],
        "events": {
          "all": []
        },
        "notices": [],
        "remarks": [],
        "links": []
      },
      {
        "ldhName": "dns2.p08.nsone.net",
        "unicodeName": "dns2.p08.nsone.net",
        "ipv4": [],
        "ipv6": [],
        "status": [],
        "entities": [],
        "events": {
          "all": []
        },
        "notices": [],
        "remarks": [],
        "links": []
      },
      {
        "ldhName": "dns3.p08.nsone.net",
        "unicodeName": "dns3.p08.nsone.net",
        "ipv4": [],
        "ipv6": [],
        "status": [],
        "entities": [],
        "events": {
          "all": []
        },
        "notices": [],
        "remarks": [],
        "links": []
      },
      {
        "ldhName": "dns4.p08.nsone.net",
        "unicodeName": "dns4.p08.nsone.net",
        "ipv4": [],
        "ipv6": [],
        "status": [],
        "entities": [],
        "events": {
          "all": []
        },
        "notices": [],
        "remarks": [],
        "links": []
      },
      {
        "ldhName": "ns-1283.awsdns-32.org",
        "unicodeName": "ns-1283.awsdns-32.org",
        "ipv4": [],
        "ipv6": [],
        "status": [],
        "entities": [],
        "events": {
          "all": []
        },
        "notices": [],
        "remarks": [],
        "links": []
      },
      {
        "ldhName": "ns-1707.awsdns-21.co.uk",
        "unicodeName": "ns-1707.awsdns-21.co.uk",
        "ipv4": [],
        "ipv6": [],
        "status": [],
        "entities": [],
        "events": {
          "all": []
        },
        "notices": [],
        "remarks": [],
        "links": []
      },
      {
        "ldhName": "ns-421.awsdns-52.com",
        "unicodeName": "ns-421.awsdns-52.com",
        "ipv4": [],
        "ipv6": [],
        "status": [],
        "entities": [],
        "events": {
          "all": []
        },
        "notices": [],
        "remarks": [],
        "links": []
      },
      {
        "ldhName": "ns-520.awsdns-01.net",
        "unicodeName": "ns-520.awsdns-01.net",
        "ipv4": [],
        "ipv6": [],
        "status": [],
        "entities": [],
        "events": {
          "all": []
        },
        "notices": [],
        "remarks": [],
        "links": []
      }
    ],
    "dnssec": {
      "signed": false,
      "ds": [],
      "keys": [],
      "delegationSigned": false
    },
    "contacts": [
      {
        "roles": [
          "registrar"
        ],
        "emails": [],
        "phones": [],
        "contactUris": [],
        "urls": [],
        "publicIds": [
          {
            "type": "IANA Registrar ID",
            "identifier": "292"
          }
        ],
        "isRedacted": false,
        "redactedFields": [],
        "links": [
          {
            "href": "http://www.markmonitor.com/",
            "host": "www.markmonitor.com",
            "rel": "about",
            "type": "text/html"
          }
        ],
        "events": [],
        "status": [],
        "remarks": [],
        "entities": [
          {
            "roles": [
              "abuse"
            ],
            "emails": [
              "[email protected]"
            ],
            "phones": [
              {
                "number": "+1.2086851750",
                "kind": "voice"
              }
            ],
            "contactUris": [],
            "urls": [],
            "publicIds": [],
            "isRedacted": false,
            "redactedFields": [],
            "links": [],
            "events": [],
            "status": [],
            "remarks": [],
            "entities": [],
            "origin": "registry"
          }
        ],
        "handle": "292",
        "name": "MarkMonitor Inc.",
        "origin": "registry"
      },
      {
        "roles": [
          "registrant"
        ],
        "emails": [],
        "phones": [],
        "contactUris": [
          "https://domains.markmonitor.com/whois/contact/github.com"
        ],
        "urls": [],
        "publicIds": [],
        "isRedacted": true,
        "redactedFields": [
          "name",
          "organisation",
          "street",
          "city",
          "postcode",
          "phone",
          "email"
        ],
        "links": [],
        "events": [
          {
            "action": "last changed",
            "raw": "2014-05-21T19:35:32.000+00:00",
            "date": "2014-05-21T19:35:32.000Z"
          }
        ],
        "status": [],
        "remarks": [
          {
            "description": [
              "Some of the data in this object has been removed."
            ],
            "links": [],
            "title": "REDACTED FOR PRIVACY",
            "type": "object redacted due to authorization"
          }
        ],
        "entities": [],
        "address": {
          "lines": [],
          "region": "CA",
          "country": "United States",
          "countryCode": "US"
        },
        "origin": "registrar"
      },
      {
        "roles": [
          "technical"
        ],
        "emails": [],
        "phones": [],
        "contactUris": [
          "https://domains.markmonitor.com/whois/contact/github.com"
        ],
        "urls": [],
        "publicIds": [],
        "isRedacted": true,
        "redactedFields": [],
        "links": [],
        "events": [
          {
            "action": "last changed",
            "raw": "2014-05-21T19:35:32.000+00:00",
            "date": "2014-05-21T19:35:32.000Z"
          }
        ],
        "status": [],
        "remarks": [
          {
            "description": [
              "Some of the data in this object has been removed."
            ],
            "links": [],
            "title": "REDACTED FOR PRIVACY",
            "type": "object redacted due to authorization"
          }
        ],
        "entities": [],
        "origin": "registrar"
      },
      {
        "roles": [
          "registrar"
        ],
        "emails": [],
        "phones": [],
        "contactUris": [
          "https://www.markmonitor.com/contact-us/"
        ],
        "urls": [],
        "publicIds": [
          {
            "type": "IANA Registrar ID",
            "identifier": "292"
          }
        ],
        "isRedacted": false,
        "redactedFields": [],
        "links": [
          {
            "href": "https://rdap.markmonitor.com/rdap/domain/github.com",
            "host": "rdap.markmonitor.com",
            "rel": "self",
            "type": "application/rdap+json"
          },
          {
            "href": "https://www.markmonitor.com/about-us/",
            "host": "www.markmonitor.com",
            "rel": "about",
            "type": "text/html"
          }
        ],
        "events": [],
        "status": [],
        "remarks": [],
        "entities": [
          {
            "roles": [
              "abuse"
            ],
            "emails": [],
            "phones": [
              {
                "number": "+1.2086851750",
                "kind": "voice"
              }
            ],
            "contactUris": [
              "https://corp.markmonitor.com/domain/ui/abuse-report"
            ],
            "urls": [],
            "publicIds": [],
            "isRedacted": false,
            "redactedFields": [],
            "links": [],
            "events": [],
            "status": [],
            "remarks": [],
            "entities": [],
            "name": "Markmonitor Inc.",
            "origin": "registrar"
          }
        ],
        "handle": "292",
        "name": "Markmonitor Inc.",
        "org": "Markmonitor Inc.",
        "address": {
          "lines": [
            "3540 E Longwing Ln"
          ],
          "locality": "Meridian",
          "region": "ID",
          "postalCode": "83646",
          "country": "United States",
          "countryCode": "US"
        },
        "origin": "registrar"
      }
    ],
    "redactions": [],
    "notices": [
      {
        "description": [
          "Service subject to Terms of Use."
        ],
        "links": [
          {
            "href": "https://www.verisign.com/domain-names/registration-data-access-protocol/terms-service/index.xhtml",
            "host": "www.verisign.com",
            "rel": "terms-of-service",
            "type": "text/html"
          }
        ],
        "title": "Terms of Service"
      },
      {
        "description": [
          "For more information on domain status codes, please visit https://icann.org/epp"
        ],
        "links": [
          {
            "href": "https://icann.org/epp",
            "host": "icann.org",
            "rel": "glossary",
            "type": "text/html"
          }
        ],
        "title": "Status Codes"
      },
      {
        "description": [
          "URL of the ICANN RDDS Inaccuracy Complaint Form: https://icann.org/wicf"
        ],
        "links": [
          {
            "href": "https://icann.org/wicf",
            "host": "icann.org",
            "rel": "help",
            "type": "text/html"
          }
        ],
        "title": "RDDS Inaccuracy Complaint Form"
      },
      {
        "description": [
          "By submitting an RDAP query, you agree that you will use this data only for",
          "lawful purposes and that, under no circumstances will you use this data to:",
          "(1) allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission by email, telephone,",
          "or facsimile of mass, unsolicited, commercial advertising, or spam; or",
          "(2) enable high volume, automated, or electronic processes that send queries,",
          "data, or email to Markmonitor (or its systems) or the domain name contacts (or",
          "its systems).",
          "Markmonitor reserves the right to modify these terms at any time.",
          "By submitting this query, you agree to abide by this policy.",
          "Markmonitor Domain Management(TM)",
          "Protecting companies and consumers in a digital world.",
          "Visit Markmonitor at https://www.markmonitor.com",
          "Contact us at +1.8007459229",
          "In Europe, at +44.02032062220"
        ],
        "links": [
          {
            "href": "https://www.markmonitor.com/legal/domain-management-terms-and-conditions",
            "host": "www.markmonitor.com",
            "rel": "related",
            "type": "terms-of-service"
          }
        ],
        "title": "Terms of Use"
      }
    ],
    "remarks": [],
    "links": [
      {
        "href": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/github.com",
        "host": "rdap.verisign.com",
        "rel": "self",
        "type": "application/rdap+json"
      },
      {
        "href": "https://rdap.markmonitor.com/rdap/domain/GITHUB.COM",
        "host": "rdap.markmonitor.com",
        "rel": "related",
        "type": "application/rdap+json"
      }
    ],
    "conformance": [
      "rdap_level_0",
      "icann_rdap_technical_implementation_guide_1",
      "icann_rdap_response_profile_1",
      "icann_rdap_technical_implementation_guide_0",
      "icann_rdap_response_profile_0"
    ],
    "lifecycle": {
      "stage": "registered",
      "badges": [
        "registered"
      ],
      "severity": "neutral",
      "label": "Registered",
      "summary": "This domain is registered and expires on 2028-10-09.",
      "isLocked": true,
      "isOnHold": false,
      "isNew": false,
      "earliestExpiry": "2028-10-09T18:20:50.000Z",
      "ageDays": 6976,
      "expiresInDays": 695,
      "periodProgress": 0.9093956617274295
    },
    "discrepancies": [],
    "handle": "1264983250_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN",
    "registrar": {
      "name": "MarkMonitor Inc.",
      "ianaId": "292",
      "handle": "292",
      "url": "https://www.markmonitor.com/about-us/",
      "abuse": {
        "email": "[email protected]",
        "phone": "+1.2086851750"
      },
      "rdapUrl": "https://rdap.markmonitor.com/rdap/domain/github.com"
    },
    "port43": "whois.markmonitor.com"
  },
  "availability": {
    "verdict": "registered",
    "caveats": [],
    "registerLinks": []
  },
  "provenance": {
    "bootstrap": {
      "kind": "dns",
      "entry": "com",
      "source": "iana",
      "publication": "2026-10-28T22:00:04Z"
    },
    "queryUrl": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/github.com",
    "serverUrl": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/",
    "finalUrl": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/github.com",
    "registrarUrl": "https://rdap.markmonitor.com/rdap/domain/GITHUB.COM",
    "trace": [
      {
        "step": "input",
        "label": "Query: domain github.com",
        "ms": 0
      },
      {
        "step": "bootstrap",
        "label": "IANA bootstrap (dns.json)",
        "host": "rdap.verisign.com",
        "status": "MATCH",
        "ms": 0,
        "note": "com → https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/"
      },
      {
        "step": "registry",
        "label": ".com registry RDAP (rdap.verisign.com)",
        "url": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/github.com",
        "host": "rdap.verisign.com",
        "status": 200,
        "ms": 26
      },
      {
        "step": "registrar",
        "label": "Registrar RDAP (rdap.markmonitor.com)",
        "url": "https://rdap.markmonitor.com/rdap/domain/GITHUB.COM",
        "host": "rdap.markmonitor.com",
        "status": 200,
        "ms": 692
      }
    ],
    "totalMs": 724,
    "fetchedAt": "2026-11-14T17:43:34.066Z",
    "cache": "miss"
  },
  "registrar": {
    "status": "found",
    "url": "https://rdap.markmonitor.com/rdap/domain/GITHUB.COM",
    "ms": 692
  }
}

What a WHOIS lookup shows

WHOIS is the public record of a domain registration. A lookup shows which registrar the domain is with, when it was registered and when it expires, which locks are on it and which nameservers answer for it.

LookupOwl asks the registry that runs the domain's extension (the part after the last dot, such as .com), so you read the source and not a scraped copy. It uses RDAP, the modern, structured version of WHOIS, and falls back to classic WHOIS for extensions that have no RDAP, mostly country codes.

Field	What it tells you
Registrar	The company the domain is registered through, with its IANA ID (the number IANA lists for each registrar) and an abuse contact when one is published.
Registered, last changed, expires	The registry's own dates. Expiry is the day the registration must be renewed by.
Status	Locks and lifecycle flags such as `clientTransferProhibited` or `redemptionPeriod`, each explained in plain English. The EPP status code guide covers them all.
Nameservers	The servers the domain is delegated to, which usually shows who hosts its DNS. Follow up with an NS lookup.
DNSSEC	Whether the registry holds DNSSEC data (a DS record) for the domain. DNSSEC adds signatures that protect DNS answers from tampering.
Registrant	The owner, but only if the registry or registrar still publishes it. Most personal details are hidden today.

How to use it

Enter a domainType example.com, paste a URL or an email address, or use a Unicode name such as bücher.de. Subdomains are trimmed, so www.example.com looks up example.com.
Start with the tilesThe top of the result shows the domain's stage, a countdown to expiry, its age, the registrar and how many locks it has. The Status tab explains each status in plain English, and Records lists the dates and nameservers.
Go deeper when you need toHow we got this shows which server answered and how long it took. Raw holds the structured result as JSON, or the reply text where WHOIS answered. To see the registry's own RDAP response too, switch on Include raw RDAP JSON under More options, or use the RDAP lookup.
Move on to the next checkUse the nameservers for a DNS lookup and the dates for a domain age check.

How to read the result

Two organisations can sit behind one record. The registry runs the whole extension and is the authority on dates, statuses and nameservers. The registrar is the company the owner bought the domain from. Some registries, such as Verisign for .com, keep only basic data. When the registry points to the registrar's own RDAP server, LookupOwl asks that too (you can switch this off under More options). It adds the registrar's contacts and its own expiry date, and tells you if the two expiry dates differ. The registry's date is the one to trust.

Last changed moves whenever the registry's record changes, for example after a renewal or a nameserver edit. It does not mean the owner logged in.
clientTransferProhibited is the lock most registrars apply by default. It protects the domain, so it is a good sign.
clientHold or serverHold takes the domain out of DNS, so its website and email stop working.
redemptionPeriod or pendingDelete means the domain has been deleted, usually after it expired, and is heading for release. The expiry checker explains the stages.

When something is missing

“Nobody has this name yet.” The registry has no record of it, so it is probably unregistered. The domain availability checker confirms that and explains reserved and premium names.
A date or the registrar is blank. Some country-code registries publish less than others. When we last checked, .de showed no creation date, no expiry date and no registrar, so the page says the registry does not publish them. The lookup is working. The registry just doesn't share them.
Only WHOIS text. Extensions without RDAP show WHOIS text instead. We read it as best we can and keep the raw reply in the Raw tab. Some registries restrict automated WHOIS queries. You then get an error or a note that no lookup is available, never a guess.
A rate-limit message. Registries limit how often they answer automated queries, and we pace our own requests too. Wait a minute and try again.
A registry error or timeout. That is on the registry's side. It usually clears within a minute.

How the lookup works

LookupOwl finds the RDAP server for the domain's extension in IANA's public bootstrap list, plus a short hand-checked list for a few extensions IANA leaves out. It then asks that server for /domain/<name> over HTTPS. The server answers in JSON with fixed field names. Extensions with no RDAP service, mostly country codes, are asked over WHOIS on port 43 instead, using a reviewed list of servers.

Every result says which server answered and how long it took. Requests never go to private or reserved addresses.

Shell

# Ask the .com registry directly, as LookupOwl does
curl -s https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/example.com | jq '{ldhName, status, events}'

# Let rdap.org find the right registry for any extension
curl -sL https://rdap.org/domain/example.com | jq .ldhName

# Classic WHOIS from a terminal
whois example.com

Standards behind it

RFC 3912: the original WHOIS protocol on TCP port 43.
RFC 7480, RFC 9082 and RFC 9083: RDAP over HTTP, its query formats and its JSON responses.
RFC 9224: the IANA bootstrap list that maps extensions to RDAP servers.
RFC 5731 and RFC 8056: EPP domain status values and how they map to RDAP.
RFC 9537: how RDAP marks redacted fields.

Questions people ask

Is this WHOIS lookup really free?

Yes. There is no signup, no captcha and no daily cap. Each network gets a budget that refills over time, so very heavy use may need a pause. The same lookup is available through a free REST API and an MCP server for AI agents. The terms explain fair use.

Why can't I see the domain owner's name?

Most registries and registrars now hide it. Since 2018, when the EU's GDPR took effect, personal details are redacted by default. The Contacts tab then says they are kept private, and the raw record may read “REDACTED FOR PRIVACY”. That is normal. To reach an owner, look for a contact form on the registrar's website. Use the abuse contact only to report abuse.

What is the difference between WHOIS and RDAP?

WHOIS is a decades-old plain-text protocol with no standard layout. RDAP is its replacement. It answers in JSON over HTTPS, with fixed field names, proper error codes and a standard way to mark redacted data. LookupOwl tries RDAP first. The full comparison goes deeper.

How current is the data?

It is as current as the registry's own database, unless we looked up the same domain a short while ago. We keep a copy for up to about an hour, often less, so a change made minutes ago may not show yet. Press Check again to ask the registry afresh, up to 10 times an hour. If a registry is down, we may show a stored copy and say so.

Does it work for every domain extension?

Nearly all of them. Extensions with an RDAP service work, and most country-code extensions without one work through WHOIS. A few registries publish very little or refuse automated queries. You then see what they allow, or a plain message saying the registry doesn't offer a lookup.

Can I look up an IP address or an AS number here?

Not on this page. Use the IP WHOIS lookup for addresses and the ASN lookup for autonomous system numbers, the IDs of networks on the internet. Both ask the five regional internet registries (ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC, LACNIC and AFRINIC), which hand out IP addresses and AS numbers. If you paste an address here, you get a pointer to the right tool.

Do you keep a record of the domains I search?

Our server logs hold no raw IP addresses and no query strings, so they cannot tie a domain to you. The website does count lookups with Google Analytics, which records the domain you searched as part of a usage count, without your name or account. API and MCP calls are not sent to it. The registry receives the name from our servers. See the privacy policy for what is kept and how to opt out.

Can I see who owned a domain in the past?

No. LookupOwl shows the current registration only and keeps no history of earlier owners, registrars or dates, and a registry publishes only its current record. Paid WHOIS history services collect old records over time. The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine can show what the website looked like at an earlier time.

Use it from AI, the API or the command line

Every LookupOwl tool is also a free API and an MCP tool, with no key and no account. This one is whois_lookup. Please be kind to the rate limits.

curl

curl "https://lookupowl.com/api/v1/tools/whois-lookup?q=example.com"

MCP

claude mcp add --transport http lookupowl https://lookupowl.com/mcp

Description for AI agents · OpenAPI · llms.txt

Locked down and healthy

Locks

Key facts

Nameservers

DNSSEC

Registrar

Registrar

Registrant

Technical contact

Registrar

What a WHOIS lookup shows

How to use it

How to read the result

When something is missing

How the lookup works

Standards behind it

Questions people ask

Use it from AI, the API or the command line

You might also need

Domain report

Who hosts this site

Domain availability

EPP status codes

DNS lookup

SSL checker

IP WHOIS