WHOIS

WHOIS is a query service used to obtain registration information about Internet resources such as:

• Domain names
• IP address blocks
• Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs)

WHOIS helps identify who is responsible for a domain or network resource and provides administrative information about its registration.

A WHOIS lookup may include information such as:

• Domain name
• Registrar
• Registration date
• Expiration date
• Last update date
• Domain status
• Name servers
• Registrant information (when public)

The exact information depends on the registry and privacy settings.

A WHOIS lookup for:

example.com

might return:

Registrar:
Example Registrar Inc.

Created:
1995-08-14

Expires:
2027-08-13

Nameservers:
ns1.example.com
ns2.example.com

A registrar is the company through which a domain name is registered.

Examples include:

• GoDaddy
• Namecheap
• Tucows
• Gandi

The registrar is responsible for managing the domain registration.

WHOIS usually lists the authoritative name servers.

Example:

ns1.example.com
ns2.example.com

These servers host the domain's DNS records.

WHOIS commonly reports three important dates.

When the domain was first registered.

When the current registration period ends.

The last time registration information was modified.

WHOIS may report one or more status values.

Examples:

• clientTransferProhibited
• clientDeleteProhibited
• clientUpdateProhibited

These statuses help protect domains from unauthorized changes.

Many domain owners enable WHOIS Privacy.

Instead of showing personal information, WHOIS displays the contact details of a privacy service.

Example:

Registrant:

REDACTED FOR PRIVACY

This helps reduce spam and protect personal information.

WHOIS can also be used for IP addresses.

Example:

8.8.8.8

may return:

• Organization
• Regional Internet Registry (RIR)
• Country
• Network range
• ASN

This information identifies the organization responsible for the IP address.

IP address registrations are managed by Regional Internet Registries (RIRs).

These include:

• ARIN (North America)
• RIPE NCC (Europe, Middle East, and parts of Central Asia)
• APNIC (Asia-Pacific)
• AFRINIC (Africa)
• LACNIC (Latin America and Caribbean)

WHOIS and DNS provide different types of information.

WHOIS tells you who registered the domain, while DNS tells you how the domain works.

The Telenegar WHOIS Lookup service can display information such as:

• Registrar
• Registration dates
• Domain status
• Name servers
• WHOIS server
• Registrant information (when available)

This information is useful for:

• Domain investigations
• Security analysis
• Troubleshooting
• Domain management

• WHOIS shows the current website owner.
  • Not always. Many domains use privacy protection or organizational registrations.

• WHOIS and DNS contain the same information.
  • False. They serve different purposes.

• Every domain reveals personal information.
  • False. Many registrations are protected by privacy services or registry policies.

• DNS Explained
• Authoritative DNS Server
• Reverse DNS
• DNS Check
• WHOIS Lookup

whois domains registrar dns diagnostics