What WHOIS is
The name is the question "who is", asked of a domain, an IP block or an autonomous system. Registrars and registries keep the database. You send a query and the record comes back. RDAP is the newer way to read the same kind of registration data, with a more structured response. The job of the record has not changed: say who holds the name and which registrar can change it.
This page stays a definition. When you want the record for one name, use the whois domain lookup.
What a WHOIS record contains
A domain record groups three kinds of facts. The registrar is the company that can renew or transfer the name. The dates cover creation, the last update and expiry. The name servers are the hosts that publish DNS. Status codes sit beside those facts. clientTransferProhibited means a transfer lock is on. clientHold means the name will not resolve. redemptionPeriod means the name has expired and is in the delete cycle.
Contact blocks for the registrant, the admin and the tech contact used to show a person. On most lookups today they show a proxy or the word redacted. The domain is still registered. The proxy does not mean the name is free.
Why WHOIS hides personal contacts
After privacy rules tightened, public queries stopped printing home addresses and personal phones. Non-personal lines stayed: registrar, dates, name servers and status. Privacy protection, where the registry allows it, swaps your contact for the registrar's proxy and can still forward a message. It does not hide the domain from the registry or from a lawful request.
Some country-code registries still publish the owner under their own policy. Read that limit on the registration terms before you pay. A .in name has a registry copy of the record as well as the registrar copy. Both can show dates and name servers when the person is hidden.
How WHOIS differs from DNS
DNS answers where traffic should go: the address of the website, the host for mail, a verification string. WHOIS answers who registered the label and when the registration ends. You can have a correct WHOIS record and a broken website, or a working website whose owner line is a proxy. Use DNS when the site or mail fails. Use WHOIS when you need the registrar, the expiry or the status before you write to someone about the name.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is WHOIS?
WHOIS is a query and response protocol for registration records. For a domain, it returns the registrar, the dates, the name servers and the status codes. It is the question of who registered the name, not a brand.
What does a WHOIS record contain?
Expect the registrar, the creation date, the last update, the expiry date, the name servers and one or more status codes. Contact lines for the registrant, admin and tech roles are often a privacy proxy rather than a home address.
Why are WHOIS contacts hidden?
Privacy rules led registrars to redact personal names, phones and street addresses on public queries. The registrar, the dates and the name servers stay visible. A lawful request still goes to the registrar.
Is WHOIS the same as DNS?
No. DNS says where a name points for a website or for mail. WHOIS says who registered the name and when it expires. A slow site is a DNS or hosting question. An owner question is WHOIS.
Where do I run a whois domain lookup?
Use the whois domain lookup on this site when you want the record for a specific name. This article only defines the protocol.