Is WHOIS information public?

It depends. Historically, all WHOIS data was public. Since GDPR (2018), most registrars redact personal details by default. You'll typically see the registrar name, registration and expiration dates, and nameservers — but the registrant's name, email, and phone number are usually hidden behind a privacy proxy.

RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) officially replaced WHOIS in January 2025. RDAP uses modern HTTPS connections, standardized JSON responses, and built-in access controls. Most lookup tools (including DNSFly) now use RDAP behind the scenes, though the term 'WHOIS lookup' is still widely used.

Can I hide my WHOIS information?

Yes. Most domain registrars offer free WHOIS privacy protection (also called domain privacy). This replaces your personal contact details with the registrar's proxy information. Many registrars now enable this by default. You can check if your details are hidden using DNSFly's WHOIS Lookup tool.

How do I find out who owns a domain?

Use a WHOIS lookup tool like DNSFly's WHOIS Lookup. Enter the domain name and you'll see registration data including the registrar, creation date, expiration date, and nameservers. If privacy protection is enabled, you'll see the registrar's proxy details instead of the actual owner's information.

Why does WHOIS matter for domain buyers?

WHOIS data tells you when a domain expires (so you can try to register it when it becomes available), who the registrar is (in case you want to make an offer), and how long the domain has been registered. Domain age can indicate value — older domains often carry more authority.

What is WHOIS? Domain Lookup Explained (2026 Guide)

What is WHOIS?

WHOIS is a protocol and database that stores registration information about domain names. Every time someone registers a domain, ICANN (the organization that coordinates domain names globally) requires the registrar to collect and store the owner's contact information.

Think of it like a land registry for the internet. Just as you can look up who owns a piece of property, WHOIS lets you look up who registered a domain name, when they registered it, and when it expires.

A typical WHOIS record includes:

Domain name

The domain being queried (e.g. example.com)

Registrar

The company where the domain was registered (e.g. GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare)

Registration and expiration dates

When the domain was first registered and when it's set to expire

Nameservers

The nameservers the domain is pointing to (e.g. ns1.cloudflare.com)

Registrant contact (often redacted)

The domain owner's name, email, phone, and address — though since GDPR, this is usually hidden behind a privacy proxy

What Does a WHOIS Lookup Actually Show?

What you see in a WHOIS lookup depends on whether the domain owner has privacy protection enabled. Here's the difference:

Field	Without Privacy	With Privacy (most domains)
Registrant name	John Smith	Redacted for privacy
Email	john@example.com	Proxy email from registrar
Phone	+1.5551234567	Redacted for privacy
Registrar	Namecheap, Inc.	Namecheap, Inc.
Created date	2020-03-15	2020-03-15
Expiry date	2026-03-15	2026-03-15
Nameservers	ns1.cloudflare.com	ns1.cloudflare.com

Notice that registrar, dates, and nameservers are always visible. These are useful even when personal details are hidden — you can still determine the domain's age, when it expires, and which DNS provider is being used.

Why WHOIS Matters

Even with privacy protections, WHOIS data is useful for several practical purposes:

Buying or acquiring a domain

Check if a domain is taken, when it expires, and who the registrar is. If you want to make an offer, knowing the registrar helps you contact the owner through their proxy email.

Investigating suspicious websites

WHOIS data can reveal if a domain was just registered (a common sign of phishing or scam sites). A brand-new domain claiming to be a well-known company is a red flag.

Checking domain age

Domain age is a factor in SEO and trust. Older domains generally carry more authority. You can check domain age with DNSFly's Domain Age Checker.

Trademark and legal disputes

If someone registers a domain that infringes on your trademark, WHOIS data is the starting point for identifying the registrant and pursuing a domain dispute through ICANN's UDRP process.

Troubleshooting DNS issues

When a domain isn't resolving, checking WHOIS can quickly tell you if it's expired or if the nameservers are misconfigured. It's often the first step in DNS troubleshooting.

GDPR, Privacy, and the Switch to RDAP

WHOIS has changed dramatically in recent years. Here's what happened and why:

Before 2018: Everything was public

WHOIS records showed the registrant's full name, email, phone number, and physical address. Anyone could look up who owned any domain. Spammers and scammers regularly harvested this data.

May 2018: GDPR takes effect

The EU's General Data Protection Regulation forced registrars to stop exposing personal data without consent. Most registrars began redacting contact information from WHOIS records by default — not just for EU citizens, but for all domain owners.

January 2025: WHOIS replaced by RDAP

ICANN officially retired the WHOIS protocol and replaced it with RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol). RDAP uses HTTPS, returns data in standardized JSON format, and has built-in access controls. Most users won't notice the difference — lookup tools now use RDAP behind the scenes.

	WHOIS (legacy)	RDAP (current)
Protocol	Plain text over port 43	HTTPS (RESTful API)
Data format	Unstructured text	Standardized JSON
Access control	None — fully public	Tiered — different access levels
Encryption	None	HTTPS required
Status	Retired (Jan 2025)	Active — current standard

Note: Even though the WHOIS protocol is retired, the term "WHOIS lookup" is still universally used. When someone says "do a WHOIS lookup," they mean "look up domain registration data" — regardless of whether the tool uses WHOIS or RDAP under the hood.

How to Do a WHOIS Lookup

You can look up any domain's registration data using DNSFly's WHOIS Lookup:

Step 1: Go to DNSFly WHOIS Lookup

Step 2: Enter the domain name (e.g. google.com)

Step 3: Click Lookup — you'll see the registrar, registration date, expiry date, nameservers, and any available contact information

You can also do WHOIS lookups from the command line:

# Mac / Linux
whois google.com

# Windows (PowerShell)
Invoke-WebRequest https://whois.iana.org/api/v1/google.com

For a more user-friendly experience with parsed, readable results, use a web-based tool like DNSFly's WHOIS Lookup.

Common WHOIS Mistakes

Not enabling WHOIS privacy

If you register a domain without privacy protection, your personal name, email, phone number, and address could be publicly visible. Most registrars now offer free privacy — make sure it's enabled.

Letting a domain expire by accident

WHOIS records show your domain's expiration date. If you don't renew in time, your domain enters a grace period and eventually becomes available for anyone to register. Set up auto-renewal to avoid this.

Outdated contact information

ICANN requires accurate WHOIS data. If your registrar sends a verification email to an outdated address and you don't respond, they can suspend your domain. Keep your contact information current, even if it's behind a privacy proxy.

Trusting WHOIS data blindly

WHOIS data is self-reported by registrants. While ICANN requires accuracy, there's no real-time verification. Scammers can register domains with fake information. Don't assume WHOIS contact details are always legitimate.

Look Up Any Domain

Check registration details, expiry dates, nameservers, and ownership information for any domain name.

WHOIS Lookup Domain Age Checker