Whois Lookup API

The Whois Lookup API returns a comprehensive set of domain registration data in structured JSON format. This includes the registrant organization name and contact details, the sponsoring registrar name and IANA ID, domain creation date, last-updated date, and expiration date, as well as the authoritative nameservers assigned to the domain. You also receive EPP status codes such as clientTransferProhibited or serverDeleteProhibited, which indicate the current lock state of the domain. The API normalizes data across different registrar formats, so you receive a consistent schema regardless of the underlying WHOIS server protocol or TLD-specific variations.

Yes, the API supports lookups for over 500 top-level domain extensions, including generic TLDs like .com, .net, .org, and .info, country-code TLDs such as .co.uk, .de, .fr, .jp, and .au, as well as newer gTLDs like .io, .dev, .app, and .xyz. Behind the scenes, the API automatically routes your query to the correct authoritative WHOIS server for each TLD and parses the response into a consistent JSON schema. This means you do not need to maintain a mapping of WHOIS servers yourself or handle the varied text-based output formats that different registries produce.

The API performs live queries against the authoritative WHOIS servers for each domain at the time of your request, so data is always real-time. There is no stale cache layer between your request and the registry source. This means that recent changes to registrant information, nameserver updates, domain transfers, or EPP status modifications are reflected immediately. For domains that have transitioned to the newer RDAP protocol, the API seamlessly queries the RDAP endpoint instead, which offers structured JSON natively and is the ICANN-recommended successor to the traditional WHOIS text protocol.

When a domain owner enables privacy protection (also called WHOIS proxy or privacy guard) through their registrar, the registrant contact fields in the WHOIS record are replaced with the proxy service's information instead of the actual owner's personal details. The API will return whatever data the authoritative WHOIS server provides, so privacy-protected domains will show the proxy organization name, a generic forwarding email, and the proxy service address. However, key technical fields such as nameservers, domain status codes, creation and expiration dates, and the sponsoring registrar remain fully visible regardless of privacy settings, since these are maintained by the registry itself.

WHOIS is the original domain registration query protocol defined in RFC 3912, which returns unstructured plain-text responses with no standardized format across registries. RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol), defined in RFC 7480-7484, is the modern replacement endorsed by ICANN that returns structured JSON responses with built-in support for internationalization, authenticated access, and differentiated access control. Our API abstracts this complexity entirely: it detects whether a TLD supports RDAP and automatically uses the appropriate protocol, then normalizes the output into a single consistent JSON schema. You get the benefits of RDAP coverage and accuracy without needing to implement either protocol yourself.

Absolutely. The Whois API is widely used for brand protection workflows such as monitoring newly registered domains that contain your brand name or trademark, detecting typosquatting variations that could be used for phishing campaigns, and tracking expiration dates on domains in your portfolio to prevent accidental lapses. By polling the API on a scheduled basis, you can build automated alerting systems that notify your legal or security team when suspicious domains appear. The structured JSON output integrates easily with SIEM platforms, ticketing systems, and custom dashboards, enabling you to incorporate domain intelligence directly into your existing security operations pipeline.