What Is WHOIS?
WHOIS is a system used to look up information about domain name and IP address registrations.
WHOIS records may include information such as:
Domain registrar
Registration date
Expiration date
Nameservers
Domain status
Organization information
Contact information, when available
Why WHOIS Is Used
WHOIS can be useful for:
Checking who registered a domain
Finding domain expiration information
Investigating spam or abuse
Verifying domain ownership
Researching network information
Is All WHOIS Information Public?
No.
Many domain owners use privacy protection services.
Also, privacy laws and registrar policies may limit the amount of personal information shown in public WHOIS records.
Today, many WHOIS records show only limited public information.
WHOIS and IP Addresses
WHOIS can also be used to research IP address ranges.
For IP addresses, WHOIS may show the organization or registry responsible for the network block.