How to use it
- Type a domain in Domain name. A full link or a subdomain works too:
https://www.example.com/pageis looked up asexample.com. - Press Check.
- Read the verdict line, then Registrar, Created, Expires and the Status codes table.
- Press Copy as text to keep a record, or Copy link to share the result.
Where the data comes from
IANA publishes a list of the RDAP server for every domain ending that has one. The tool finds your domain's ending there and asks that registry. If you typed a subdomain, it drops labels from the left until the registry recognises the name, and the result notes You asked for www.example.com → example.com.
ICANN requires every generic top-level domain registry and registrar to provide RDAP, and since 28 January 2025 most of them no longer have to run the old WHOIS service. Country endings follow their own rules: some don't offer RDAP, and the page then says This domain ending has no RDAP service.
Why the owner's name is hidden
Registries and registrars redact the personal data of private registrants, so you'll usually see the registrar, the dates, the status codes and the name servers, but no name, address or e-mail. RDAP has a standard way to mark fields as redacted (RFC 9537). To reach an owner, use the registrar's contact form; to report abuse, use the Registrar abuse contact.
Status codes in plain English
| Code | What it means | Should you act? |
|---|---|---|
| client transfer prohibited | The registrar locked transfers | No. Normal protection against hijacking |
| client delete / update prohibited | The registrar blocks deletion or changes | No. Same kind of lock |
| server transfer prohibited | The registry locked transfers | Only if you want to move the domain: ask the registrar |
| client hold / server hold | The domain is taken out of DNS | Yes. The site and its e-mail stop working; contact the registrar |
| auto renew period | The registry just renewed it automatically | Only if you didn't mean to renew |
| redemption period | Deleted after expiry, held for 30 days | Yes. The owner can still restore it, for a fee |
| pending delete | Will be purged from the registry within days | The name will soon be free to register |
Expiry and what happens next
The verdict turns amber with Expires in when 30 days or fewer remain, and red with This domain has expired once the date has passed. An expired domain isn't free at once. Depending on the ending it can go through an auto-renew grace period, a 30-day redemption period and then pending delete, which ICANN describes as purging about five days later.
Created also shows the domain's age: a domain created on 14 March 2009 shows 17 years beneath the date. If a name you want shows No registration found, the registry has no record of it, and a registrar can tell you whether it's for sale.
Name servers and DNSSEC
The Name servers list is the delegation held at the registry: the servers the whole internet is told to ask. If it doesn't match the servers your DNS host gave you, records you add at that host have no effect. Signed under DNSSEC means the registry holds a DS record linking to your zone's keys; check the DS and DNSKEY records with the DNS lookup.
Questions
- Why does the expiry date differ from my registrar's dashboard?
- This page shows the date the registry holds. A registrar can show its own renewal or billing date, which may come earlier.
- Does the owner see the lookup?
- No. The registry sees a request from this site's server on Cloudflare, not from you, and nothing about the lookup is stored.
- Why doesn't a country domain work?
- Not every country-code registry runs RDAP. Those domains show This domain ending has no RDAP service; use the registry's own website instead.
- What does the IANA ID next to the registrar mean?
- It's the registrar's number in IANA's registrar list. It identifies the company even when the name shown is a brand or a reseller.
- How fresh is the data?
- It's read from the registry when you check, and the same answer may be served from Cloudflare's cache for up to an hour.