RDAP Lookup

Query a domain through RDAP, the structured JSON protocol that replaces WHOIS. Enter a name and this tool calls the authoritative registry RDAP service and shows the parsed registrar, dates, status codes and name servers, plus the complete raw RDAP JSON response. RDAP is what you want when you need consistent, machine-readable registration data rather than free-form WHOIS text.

How to use the RDAP Lookup

Enter a domain and press Run RDAP lookup. The tool resolves the correct registry RDAP server via the bootstrap service and returns:

• The parsed essentials — registrar and registrar ID, creation, updated and expiry dates, DNSSEC state and status codes.
• The name servers exactly as the registry lists them.
• The full raw RDAP JSON, pretty-printed, with a copy button — useful for scripting, debugging or pasting into a ticket.

RDAP works for all gTLDs (.com, .net, .org and the new TLDs). Many country-code TLDs do not yet run an RDAP service; for those, use the WHOIS Lookup instead, which falls back to the classic port-43 record.

What RDAP is

RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol, RFC 7483) is the modern successor to WHOIS. It answers the same question — who registered this domain and when — but does so over HTTPS and returns structured JSON instead of free-form text. ICANN has mandated it for all gTLD registries, and it is steadily replacing WHOIS.

RDAP fixes the long-standing problems with WHOIS:

• Consistent structure — every registry returns the same JSON shape with standard field names, so you can parse it reliably instead of writing a custom regex for each registry's text layout.
• Standard status codes — events and statuses use defined vocabularies (registration, expiration, clientTransferProhibited) rather than ad-hoc strings.
• Internationalisation — proper Unicode support for names and addresses, where WHOIS was effectively ASCII.
• Secure and bootstrapped — it runs over HTTPS, and an IANA bootstrap maps each TLD to its authoritative RDAP server, so a single query finds the right registry automatically.
• Tiered access — it is designed for differentiated access, so authorised parties can be served more data while the public sees the GDPR-compliant subset.

For developers and anyone automating registration lookups, RDAP is the right interface: the response is predictable JSON you can consume directly. This tool shows both the parsed highlights and the raw response so you can see exactly what the registry returns.

Common use cases

• Scripting domain lookups — grab the raw JSON to feed an automation, monitor, or internal dashboard.
• Reliable field parsing — when WHOIS text is too inconsistent to parse, read the structured RDAP equivalent instead.
• Checking standard status codes — see the exact EPP status array (transfer locks, holds, pending states) in a defined format.
• Verifying DNSSEC at the registry — RDAP exposes the delegation-signed flag cleanly.
• Learning the protocol — inspect a real RDAP response to understand the format before integrating it.

RDAP vs WHOIS at a glance

• Format — RDAP returns structured JSON; WHOIS returns unstructured text that differs per registry.
• Transport — RDAP is HTTPS with a RESTful URL pattern; WHOIS is plain TCP on port 43.
• Discovery — RDAP uses an IANA bootstrap to find the right server automatically; with WHOIS you must know or chase the correct server.
• Coverage — RDAP is mandatory for gTLDs and growing among ccTLDs; WHOIS is still the only option for some country-code TLDs.
• Best practice — prefer RDAP when it is available, and fall back to WHOIS otherwise. The WHOIS Lookup tool does exactly that automatically.