Look up the public record for any domain
Type a domain and read what the registry publishes about it: who it is registered through, when it was registered, when it expires, which nameservers answer for it and whether it is locked.
A record tells you what the registry publishes. When there is none, we ask the registrar whether the name can be registered and show the price if it can. Many country registries, Pakistan's among them, publish far less than the global extensions do.
What each line actually means
A WHOIS record is short, and most of it is useful only once you know what you are looking at.
- Registrar
- The company the domain is registered through. It is who the owner pays and who can move or release the name — not necessarily who runs the website.
- Registered on
- The date the name was first registered. An old date is often a sign the owner intends to keep it.
- Last updated
- When the record last changed. A recent update usually means the nameservers, the contact details or the lock were altered.
- Expires
- When the current registration term ends. A name is not free the moment it expires — registries hold it for a grace period first, and it may be renewed at any point during that.
- Nameservers
- The servers that answer DNS questions for the domain. These tell you where the site and the email are pointed, which is often the thing people are really checking.
- Status
- Registry codes such as clientTransferProhibited, which means the domain is locked against transfers. A lock has to be lifted by the current registrar before a name can move.
- DNSSEC
- Whether the domain's DNS answers are cryptographically signed. Signed records are harder to tamper with in transit.
The record answers questions before they cost you money
Most people check a record at a decision point — before buying a name from somebody, before starting a transfer, or when a site has stopped resolving and nobody is sure why.
- Buying a name from its current owner: see how long it has been held and when it next expires before you make an offer.
- Planning a transfer: the status line tells you whether the domain is locked, which is the most common reason a transfer stalls.
- Chasing a broken site: the nameservers tell you which provider is actually answering for the domain.
- Keeping track of a renewal: the expiry date is the one in the registry, which is the date that matters.
Most personal details are redacted, and that is normal
Registries and registrars stopped publishing contact details for most extensions after data protection rules changed. A sparse record is usually correct rather than broken.
Contact details are usually hidden
For most global extensions the registrant name, address, email and phone are redacted by default. Where the registrar publishes them we show them in full, and where it redacts them we show the redaction as it is.
Privacy protection goes further
Where a registry permits it, privacy protection replaces the published contact details with a forwarding service. It is offered in the cart on the extensions that allow it.
Some registries publish more
Country registries set their own rules, and a few still publish details that the global extensions redact. Those cannot be hidden by us or by a privacy service.
Records can lag
A change made at a registrar takes time to appear in the public record. A lookup made minutes after an update may still show the old values.
Not every extension answers
Some country registries publish no machine-readable record at all. Where that happens we say we could not read one rather than guessing at it.
A blank record is not an available name
No record can mean unregistered, or simply unpublished. So for a name with no record we ask the registrar, and offer registration only when it confirms the name is free.
We do not keep the records we look up, and the lookup is offered as a convenience rather than as a register of ownership. For anything legal, ask the registry direct.
Once the record has told you something
The name is free
If the search says a name is available, register it. Prices are per year, in rupees, with no charge for the DNS management.
Check availability →You own it elsewhere
Move it to us and the remaining time comes with it. The status line in the record tells you whether it is locked first.
Transfer a domain →You want the full price list
Every extension we sell, with registration, renewal and transfer prices side by side.
See domain prices →WHOIS, answered
What is a WHOIS record?
The public record a registry keeps about a registered domain. It says which registrar the name is registered through, when it was registered and when it expires, which nameservers answer for it, and whether it is locked.
What is a WHOIS record?
The public record a registry keeps about a registered domain. It says which registrar the name is registered through, when it was registered and when it expires, which nameservers answer for it, and whether it is locked.
Found the name you want?
Register it, or move it to us and keep the time you have already paid for. Prices are in rupees, DNS management is included, and there are engineers on the other end of the phone.