Whois Domain Lookup Tool

Retrieve domain registration records using the RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol). Enter any domain name below to look up registrar, creation/expiration dates, name servers, and contact details.

Enter a domain name and click "Lookup Domain" to retrieve registration information.

Whois Domain Lookup Guide

RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is the modern replacement for the traditional WHOIS protocol. It provides structured JSON-formatted access to domain registration records through a RESTful API. The data returned includes the domain registrar, registration and expiration dates, name server assignments, domain status codes, and when available, registrant contact information.

Unlike legacy WHOIS which used port 43 and returned inconsistent plain-text output, RDAP uses HTTPS and standardised JSON responses with strong referential integrity between related objects. RDAP is the IETF-recommended standard (RFC 7480-7484) and is adopted by all major gTLD registries including Verisign (.com, .net), PIR (.org), and many ccTLDs.

RDAP Lookup URL: https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/example.com

If the RDAP query fails (often due to CORS restrictions in the browser), this tool falls back to parsing the HTML output from public whois web directories. All processing happens entirely in your browser — no domain queries are logged server-side.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is RDAP and how is it different from standard WHOIS?

A: RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is the modern IETF-standardised replacement for the old WHOIS protocol. It returns structured JSON data over HTTPS instead of unstructured plain text, providing consistent field names, internationalisation support, and better error handling.

Q: Why might the RDAP lookup fail in my browser?

A: RDAP servers often do not send CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) headers, which modern browsers require for client-side JavaScript requests. When this happens, the tool automatically attempts fallback methods including alternative RDAP endpoints and a CORS proxy to a public whois directory.

Q: Are my lookups private and secure?

A: Yes. All queries are made directly from your browser to the RDAP registry servers or public whois services. No domain names or lookup data are sent to the toolsforcools.com backend because there is no backend — everything runs client-side.

Q: What does "clientDeleteProhibited" or "clientTransferProhibited" mean?

A: These are EPP (Extensible Provisioning Protocol) status codes set by the registrar to prevent unauthorised domain deletions, transfers, or updates. They are standard security measures to protect domain ownership.

Q: Can I look up any TLD with this tool?

A: This tool supports .com, .net, .org, and many other gTLDs as well as numerous ccTLDs through the RDAP protocol. The tool automatically picks the correct RDAP base URL based on the TLD. If the TLD is not recognised, it falls back to a generic RDAP lookup or a public whois directory.