Know everything about any domain name by using WHOIS

WHOIS is an internet protocol which can be used to look up who owns which online resources such as domain names and IP addresses, at any given time. It is thanks to WHOIS lookup, that you may find out when a domain name was created, when it’s set to expire, who owns it and how to contact them. Learn how to use this simple yet very useful online tool.

How to find information about a domain name using Gandi’s WHOIS search engine?

Though there is an abundance of WHOIS lookup tools online, we have decided to create our own free WHOIS search engine which we have designed to be as simple to use as possible. All you have to do after opening our WHOIS lookup page is to search for whichever domain name you wish to learn more about. The tool will output every piece of information you need, presented in a clear and readable way.

WHOIS lookup is the easiest way to check for the availability of a domain name. If it happens to be taken, you always have the option to contact its owner using their contact information you will find using WHOIS, and maybe directly negotiate a purchase. If the domain name you’re looking up points to an abandoned website, it might simply be available for purchase again when it reaches its expiration date. In this case, you will be able to acquire it just like you would any other new domain name.

Which information shows up in the WHOIS?

Looking up any domain name using WHOIS lets you see where it is registered, which DNS servers the domain name redirects to, its creation, renewal, and expiration dates, as well as every public contact information that exist which allows you to contact its owner, or even transfer the domain name to another registrar if it’s one that’s already in your possession.

However, not ever piece of information about a domain name is made public. Depending on the domain name’s extension, or TLD, you may benefit from confidentiality features allowing you to hide some of your domain name information. Gandi allows you to hide sensitive data from WHOIS lookup tools for all eligible domain names, for free.

If you already own a domain name, WHOIS lookup is a great way to check what information is publicly visible. Making sure everything is accurate is also very important in a legal context, but also in order to facilitate future domain name transfers. WHOIS lookup is also an easy way to make sure your domain name’s renewal process has properly gone through.