WhoisRequest.org
WHOIS, RDAP and DNS services connected across a global domain registration network

WHOIS, RDAP and DNS Domain Research Tools

Direct answer: Enter a domain for a referral-aware WHOIS lookup, or choose RDAP, DNS, IP and website checks when the question requires a different evidence source.

Free · no account · referral-aware · source and observation time preserved

This is a server-side lookup: the normalized query goes to the public service needed to answer it. Result responses are private, uncached and excluded from search indexing. Prefer a structured RDAP lookup or start with the DNS report when legacy WHOIS is not the right evidence.

How the lookup works

Normalizes the domain

Finds the registry referral

Queries the responding service

Labels source and time

Choose the evidence that answers your question

The complete domain and network tool directory is the canonical catalogue. Use these four investigation paths to avoid mixing registration, DNS, routing and website observations into one unsupported conclusion.

Start with a WHOIS lookup for the legacy referral chain, use RDAP when you need structured events and notices, and inspect DNS records separately when the question concerns live services rather than registration.

Why is a domain not resolving?

A DNS report compares the record families visible to this resolver. Follow with a nameserver lookup when the question is whether delegation targets and their addresses can be reached.

Trace DNS evidence

Match the question to the authoritative evidence layer

These systems describe different objects. Start with the narrowest source that can answer the question, then add another layer only when it supplies different evidence.

Your questionStart withEvidence sourceDo not conclude
Who sponsors this domain registration?Domain RDAPThe registry or registrar RDAP service selected through authoritative routing.That the registrant, website publisher and hosting customer are the same party.
What did the legacy registration service publish?WHOIS lookupIANA referral data followed by the usable registry or registrar port-43 service.That a missing field never existed or that an empty response proves availability.
Where are web and mail services delegated now?DNS reportCurrent DNS answers for address, mail, authority and policy record families.That a CDN, shared address or nameserver operator owns the domain.
Which organization received an IP range?IP registration lookupThe relevant Regional Internet Registry registration service.That the allocation holder is the person operating a site on the address.
Did the website answer this probe?Website observationA bounded DNS, connection, TLS and HTTP request from this server at one time.Continuous uptime, global reachability or the legal identity of the publisher.
Technical illustration comparing a plain WHOIS document with a structured RDAP record

Why RDAP now leads most gTLD registration research

Since 28 January 2025, most generic top-level-domain registries and registrars have no longer been contractually required to provide WHOIS, while RDAP remains required. ICANN lists exceptions for .com, .name and .post. WHOIS still matters for services that continue to publish it and for coverage outside that contractual change.

RDAP uses HTTPS, structured events, entity roles and notices. ICANN documents the transition, while RFC 9224 explains how IANA bootstrap data locates the authoritative RDAP service.

Compare WHOIS and RDAP field by field

Turn a lookup into reproducible research

Proprietary archives and continuous probes require collected data. WhoisRequest.org does not manufacture that coverage. Instead, these working utilities help you preserve current evidence, define future checks and move verified observations into your own workflow.

Build a sourced domain timeline

Record registration, DNS, certificate and archived-web observations in a local worksheet, then export the evidence as CSV without claiming that a missing snapshot proves nothing existed.

Write a monitoring specification

Define the URL, interval, timeout, redirect policy, accepted status and content assertion before choosing a scheduler or monitoring provider.

Use source-aware lookup JSON

Call every working lookup through one documented GET interface, or export a live result with its tool, source context, methodology link and observation time.

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