WHOIS

Who holds a name, and until when.

The public registry record for any domain: the registrar, the dates, the nameservers and the status codes, exactly as the registry returns them.

What the record tells you

Whether it is really taken

A name can resolve to nothing and still be registered. The record settles it.

When it expires

An expiry date within weeks means the name may become free. It also means the holder may simply renew it.

Where it is registered

The registrar of record, which is who a transfer has to come from and who can issue the authorisation code.

Whether it is locked

Status codes say whether the name is locked against transfer, in a redemption period, or subject to a dispute.

Why are the contact details hidden?

Privacy is on by default for most extensions, and data protection law removes personal details from the public record. The registrar and the dates are still shown.

The name is expiring. Can I have it?

Not automatically. An expired name goes through a grace period and then a redemption period — up to about eighty days — during which only the current holder may take it back.

Is there a record for every extension?

Almost. A few registries answer through their own site rather than the standard protocol, and for those the lookup will say it has nothing rather than invent an answer.

Name is free after all?

Search it here and register it before somebody else runs the same lookup.

Search a name