What is WHOIS?
WHOIS is the public lookup that shows who registered a domain, which registrar holds it and when it expires. RDAP is its newer replacement.
WHOIS is a public lookup service for domain names. Searching a domain shows its registrar, its creation and expiry dates, its nameservers and, unless hidden, the owner's contact details. For most extensions, WHOIS has been replaced by a newer system called RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol), which shows the same kind of information in a more consistent way. Many lookup tools still call it WHOIS. Today much personal contact data is hidden by privacy rules or privacy services.
Why it matters for your business: A lookup is a quick way to confirm which registrar holds your domain and when it expires, which you need before any renewal or transfer.
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