WHOIS lookup
Look up a domain's registration record: registrar, creation date, expiry date, status codes and nameservers, straight from the registry.
What WHOIS still tells you
Since GDPR, most registrant contact details are redacted for individuals — but the operational facts remain public and they are the useful ones.
Domain age
Creation date is one of the more reliable trust signals available. A domain registered eleven days ago that is asking for card details deserves suspicion; a domain registered in 2003 has an operating history. Age is not proof of legitimacy — criminals buy aged domains — but a brand-new registration behind a privacy service is a real flag.
Expiry date
The commonest cause of a business quietly disappearing from the internet is a lapsed domain on an old credit card. Note the date; set a calendar reminder a month before it, independently of your registrar's emails.
Status codes
clientTransferProhibited is good — it is a transfer lock protecting you from domain hijacking. clientHold means the registry has stopped resolving the domain, usually over an unpaid renewal or a dispute. pendingDelete means the name is about to be released.
Nameservers
These tell you who really operates the domain's DNS — often a CDN or a hosting company rather than the registrar. If they do not match what you expect, someone has changed them.
FAQ
Why is the registrant name hidden?
Privacy law and registrar privacy services. Registry-level facts — dates, status, nameservers — stay public; personal contact data generally does not.
Why does a .uk domain show less detail?
Nominet publishes a different, shorter record than the gTLD registries, and hides individual registrants by default. We parse what it does publish.
Can I see who owned a domain previously?
Not from live WHOIS. It shows the current registration only; historical ownership needs a paid archive service.
Related reading
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