We can use this protocol through specialized websites that help us to have domain information that is visible, although from 2018 we will not have as much data as in previous years due to data protection.
Whois what is it
Whois is a protocol used to make queries in a database and whose main purpose is to give us information about a domain or over an Internet IP address. As its name suggests, “who is”, tells us who it is. They are used through a command line or through web pages that allow the consultation depending on this protocol for the request.
Whois is a free, publicly accessible directory service that allows us to know who is the owner of a domain that is in use, thanks to the collection of data information from all the records that exist. What it does is group the information from different registries to provide it through this protocol that was born in the eighties and is still essential today. Its origin is In the eighties although even today it remains a fundamental tool. What data can we get? Mainly we can find useful information such as when the domain expires, who is behind the domain registration, which servers are used or who we should contact, for example.
Because we have the data of all these people? Any user or person who registers a domain name must give their full name and data, but they are not always visible since the entry into force of the GPDR or General Data Protection Regulation.
What to use it for?
We can identify, as we have explained, Who owns a domain on the Internet. But Whois allows us to know the real identity or business address of the domain owner, but it also has other interesting uses. For example, it helps us to contact the administrators of a network in case we need to make any technical query or proposal. We can also contact the owner of a domain if we want to buy it or do business with it: imagine, for example, an unused pagebut with the name of your company or a new project you have in mind…in this case we can find out who it belongs to and make an offer, for example.
Not only for business or to investigate, but also allows you to contact for data protection, to notify something, to investigate messages or emails that come to you with that domain or simply if you want a domain in question and need to know if it is available or in use at that time. We can have all the information quickly, legally and with different objectives.
But there is a problem. Since the RGPD arrived, it is no longer as useful as it has been up to now. Whois offered us a lot of information about the domainbut currently it is likely that we will not see as much data and that we can simply see its registration, the expiration date, if it is active…
How to find domain information
We can carry out queries both through a command line and through a WHOIS client that allows us to obtain the information. There are also web clients: that is, pages that work as a simple interface and whose mission is exactly the same as if we were using a command line, so we only have to write the IP address or the domain that interests us. We can also use a program that We will execute from CMD to use the protocol.
From a web page
We can use the who.is website with a very simple operation. We will see a box on the web page and we must write the domain or the IP address of which we want to have information. Once we have it, click on the magnifying glass. After a few seconds, it will give us the result with all the information that is public. We must take into account that there private information that you will not give us but we will be able to know which organization or person is on a domain, for example. We can also know if the one we have entered is active or not, or technical information such as the country or city to which the registered user belongs.
But who.is is not the only website and there are many others that allow us to do a WHOIS search on domain purchase pages, for example. From GoDaddy We also have access to a box where we can know who a website belongs to. We copy the corresponding website in the box and tap on “search” to get all the information. We will see the creation date, where it was registered from, its expiration date, the creation date, the update date…
with a program
In addition to using a web page, there are programs that allow us to obtain WHOIS records from the command line. Tools like WhoisCLfor example, that we can free download on windows and that simply allows us to have the domain information registered once we have it downloaded and installed.
How does it work? We use the command as in the screenshot below and we receive the data: the registrant, domain name, technical and administrative contact…
The WHOIS surrogate: RDAP
Whois’s days are numbered and RDAP will be its substitute. RDAP is Registration Data Access Protocol. Or, in Spanish, Registration Data Access Protocol. Since 1982, when Whois was published, until today, we have evolved and the protocol is very improvable at a technical level but also at a data level. That is why RDAP is already underway as an improved version in which the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has been working for years to implement.
Your mission in the same but it is an improved version of the previous one which gives us greater security. It is similar to Whois but an improved and advanced version, a new protocol that allows more queries through the browser or commands. It is more flexible and the data is delivered in JSON format with the advantages that this brings: for example, it is accessible or machine-readable. Although its function in the same, there are some differences as RDAP complies with the new General Data Protection Regulation but it also has other advantages such as secure access to contact data or standardized queries, for example.