Whois / RDAP lookup: who registered this domain or IP?
How does this check work, and what does the result tell you?
Look up registrar, registration and expiry dates, status codes and nameservers for a domain, or the allocation and registry for an IP address, via RDAP, fetched directly from your browser via the public rdap.org proxy without AdminKit's servers ever seeing the query.
Part of the DNS cluster — more tools, guides and terms on dns.
AI explanation Run a check below, then sign in to ask AI to explain the result in plain language.
What the result means
Status codes starting with "client" (e.g. clientTransferProhibited) are set by the registrar at the owner's request, usually to prevent unauthorized transfers — they are a safety feature, not a problem.
Next step
Look up the domain's DNS records, or check your own IP.
Keep this result
Copy a link to this check so you can share it or run it again later. Want a heads-up when this result changes? Talk to our team and we'll set it up for you.
How it works and limits
This tool fetches the RDAP record directly from your browser via rdap.org, a public RDAP bootstrap and proxy
service that routes the query to the correct registry for the domain’s TLD or the IP’s regional registry (ARIN,
RIPE NCC, APNIC, LACNIC, AFRINIC), per IANA’s RDAP bootstrap registry,
without AdminKit’s servers seeing the query.
Reading the result
For a domain: registrar, key dates (registration, last changed, expiry) and status codes (e.g. clientTransferProhibited
is a normal anti-hijacking lock, not a problem) and the authoritative nameservers. For an IP: the allocated address
range, the organisation or registry it is assigned to, and the country of registration.
If the registrar or nameservers shown here don’t match what you set up, see is my router’s DNS hijacked — that guide also covers hijacking at the registrar/provider level, not just the router.
Limits
- Much registrant personal data is redacted by registrars by default under privacy rules such as GDPR; organisational data usually remains visible.
- A domain with no RDAP record may be unregistered, or its registry may not publish RDAP (a small and shrinking set, years after ICANN mandated the transition from Whois).
- This lookup runs entirely in your browser to the public RDAP service; it is not proxied or logged by AdminKit.
See how to read a Whois/RDAP lookup result for what each field means, including status codes and expiry dates, or domain expiry and renewal check if you specifically want to track an upcoming renewal. Reference: Whois, RDAP, ASN. See also how AdminKit’s free IP/whois lookup compares to ipinfo.io and whatismyipaddress.com, or how AdminKit’s Whois/RDAP lookup compares to who.is, whois.com and MXToolbox for the wider free-WHOIS-tool category.
Frequently asked questions
What is RDAP and how is it different from Whois?
RDAP (RFC 7482) is the structured, machine-readable successor to the text-based Whois protocol; most registries now run both.
Why is some Whois data hidden?
Many registrars redact personal registrant data by default under privacy rules such as GDPR; organisational registrants often remain visible.
Can a Whois/RDAP lookup tell me if my domain was hijacked?
It can give you two useful signals: whether the registrar or nameservers listed are the ones you actually set, and whether a security lock status like clientTransferProhibited is in place. A registrar or nameserver you don't recognise is a strong sign something changed without your knowledge.
Why does my domain's expiry date matter?
An expired, unrenewed domain can be registered by someone else once it lapses, which is a common and entirely legitimate (if unwanted) way to lose control of a domain — unlike hijacking, it requires no attack, just a missed renewal.