Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about domain research, WHOIS lookups, and DNS records.

What is WHOIS and what information does it provide?

WHOIS is an internet directory protocol used to look up registration and contact details of domain names, IP address blocks, and autonomous systems. It includes created/expiration dates, registrar names, nameservers, and administrative contacts.

Why are some domain contact details masked or hidden?

In response to global privacy regulations such as GDPR and ICANN expedited policy rules, personal contact data (names, email addresses, physical addresses) is redacted by default via privacy proxy services or registrar masking.

How often is DNS record data updated on Who.is?

DNS records are queried live in real time via Anycast DNS resolvers whenever a page is requested or the "Refresh Data" button is clicked.

What is the difference between WHOIS and RDAP?

RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is the standardized successor to WHOIS. It returns structured JSON data instead of freeform plain text, supports internationalized domain names (IDN), and provides built-in HTTPS transport and access control.