Whois: the public record of a domain name
2 min read
What a whois query shows, where the data comes from, and the registry vs registrar distinction. How domain lookup works and how to read the output correctly.
What whois tells you
Whois is the public identity record of a domain: when it was registered, when it expires, which company it is registered through (the registrar), which name servers it points to and — unless redacted — who owns it. It is the first place to look before buying a domain, trusting a site, or debugging a DNS problem.
The data is not central: every extension (.com, .tr, .de…) has a registry that keeps the ledger, and queries go to that ledger. Our whois tool recognises the extension, connects to the right registry server on port 43, and shows the raw answer both verbatim and parsed into cards.
Registry vs registrar
The registry keeps the extension's ledger (Verisign for .com, TRABİS for .tr); the registrar is the retailer that sold you the domain (GoDaddy, Namecheap…). The "Registrar" line in whois output names that retailer. All domain operations — renewal, transfer, DNS changes — go through the registrar; end users never deal with the registry directly.
Reading it right: three critical lines
Check three things first in any whois output: the expiry date (is the site about to lapse?), the creation date (how old is it — a "bank" registered yesterday is a serious red flag) and the status codes (transfer lock, suspension). The tool surfaces all three with a timeline, a colored countdown and badges; the age is computed from the same registry data.
Look up your own domain
Everything in this guide, our tool shows with live data in seconds: registration and expiry dates, registrar, nameservers, age and value analysis — free, no signup.
Query with WhoisFrequently asked questions
Is querying whois free and legal?
Yes; whois data is public and querying it is entirely legal. Registries only rate-limit excessive (bulk) querying.
How fresh is whois data?
Registration changes usually reach the ledger within minutes, though some registries cache responses briefly. Before a critical decision, query twice a few minutes apart.