Imagine a massive library, but instead of books, it’s filled with every domain name that exists on the internet. This place is called the WhoIs domain database. It’s like a public directory where anyone can pop in and find out who owns a certain website address.
This guide is your all-access pass to understanding WhoIs—how it operates, the kinds of details it holds about domain names, and how you can navigate it to find the information you need.
What Is WhoIs And How Does It Work?
WhoIs is a publicly accessible database that lists the registration details of domain names. The Internet Corporation maintains it for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization that coordinates and manages domain names.
Whenever someone registers a new domain name, the registrar they use is required to submit specific information to the WhoIs database. This includes the registrant’s name, address, phone number, and email.
It also includes technical details like the domain creation and expiration date. All this data becomes searchable in the WhoIs directory.
Key Facts About The WhoIs Database:
- Contains info on all registered domains worldwide (over 350 million entries)
- Managed and updated by ICANN
- Requirement for registrars to submit registrant data
- Information is publicly visible to anyone
What Kind Of Information Does WhoIs Contain?
The WhoIs database houses a variety of useful data on domain names:
Registrant Contact Info: Name, physical address, phone number, and email address of the domain owner.
Technical Details: The domain’s creation and expiration dates, DNS information, registrar, and website.
Administrative Contact: For company domains, info on the admin contact person.
Domain Availability: Shows if a domain is already registered or still available.
In essence, WhoIs allows you to identify who owns a particular domain name and other technical details related to its registration.
How To Perform A WhoIs Domain Search
Looking up domain information on WhoIs is easy and only takes a few steps:
- Go to a WhoIs search engine.
- Type in the domain name you want data on (e.g., example.com).
- Click “Search” or hit enter to see the WhoIs record.
- Scan the different data fields for registrant info, dates, and other technical details.
- Repeat to look up additional domains.
Pro Tip: WhoIs search sites may vary in their presentation but provide the same underlying raw data from the central WhoIs database.
WhoIs Domain Search Limitations
While invaluable, the WhoIs directory also comes with some conditions to keep in mind:
- Accuracy Dependence: The quality of WhoIs data depends on how accurate domain owners were when registering domains. Errors can occur.
- Time Lag: There can be a delay before a newly registered domain appears in WhoIs. Give it a few days.
- Privacy Services: Domain owners can utilize privacy services to edit their info, which shows up as “REDACTED” in WhoIs.
Conclusion
The WhoIs domain database serves as a public lookup directory containing valuable registration details on all domains around the world. Both regular users and cybersecurity professionals rely on WhoIs on a regular basis to identify website owners as well as research domains.
With over 350 million entries, it represents one of the largest storehouses of domain intelligence online.
