Domain WHOIS Lookup API: Registrant, Registrar & Expiry Data from Live WHOIS Servers
Every registrar formats WHOIS output differently, and querying port 43 yourself means rate limits, retries, and a parser that breaks on the next TLD. The Domain WHOIS Lookup API runs the query for you. It reaches authoritative WHOIS and RDAP servers in real time and returns one consistent structure for every ICANN-recognized TLD and SLD, whichever protocol the registry speaks. Each lookup includes registrant, administrative, and technical contact details, registrar identity with abuse contacts, registration and expiry dates, nameservers, EPP status codes, and the untouched raw record alongside the parsed data. It's built for security engineers investigating suspicious domains, developers building expiry and ownership monitoring, and brand-protection teams vetting lookalike registrations. Start with 10,000 free credits; lookups are charged only when they succeed.
Features
Structured and Raw WHOIS in One Response
Every response pairs the parsed record with the original text: whois_raw_domain carries the registrar-level raw WHOIS, and registry_data carries the registry-level record with its own raw text. You never have to choose between clean fields for your application and the verbatim source for evidence.
Use it for compliance archives, dispute documentation, and audits where the unprocessed record is what counts.
Five Contact Types, Privacy-Aware
The response breaks contacts into registrant_contact, administrative, technical, billing, and reseller objects, each with company, country, and email details as published in the record. Nothing is lost in parsing: when a domain sits behind WHOIS privacy protection, the redaction notices and contact-request instructions the record publishes come back in the same contact fields, and the registrar's own contact details appear alongside when available.
Use it to build takedown and outreach workflows that still function in a post-GDPR WHOIS landscape.
Registrar and Abuse Intelligence
The domain_registrar object identifies who manages the domain: registrar_name, iana_id, accreditation status, the registrar's own whois_server and rdap_server, plus the abuse-desk email_address and phone_number. That's the complete escalation path for reporting a malicious domain in a single call, no separate IANA registry lookup needed.
Use it to route abuse reports and verify a registrar's accreditation before trusting a record.
Lifecycle Dates and EPP Status Codes
create_date, update_date, and expiry_date arrive as clean ISO dates, and the domain_status array lists every EPP status code on the domain: transfer locks, delete prohibitions, and hold states included.
Use it to schedule renewal alerts, detect a domain that just changed hands, or confirm a transfer lock before initiating a migration.
Live Queries over WHOIS or RDAP, for All gTLDs and ccTLDs
Coverage spans every ICANN-recognized extension, all generic TLDs (gTLDs) and country-code TLDs (ccTLDs), along with their second-level domains (SLDs), with each request answered live over the WHOIS protocol or RDAP, whichever the registry and registrar serve. The whois_server and query_time fields show exactly which server provided the record and when.
An unregistered domain returns domain_registered: "no" as a clean response instead of an error, and the rare extension without live WHOIS support returns a 403 that is never billed.
Built for These Use Cases
Phishing and scam domain triage
When a suspicious domain lands in your queue, one lookup returns its age, registrar, status locks, and the abuse contact you'll escalate to, enough to score it before anyone clicks. When investigations produce a list instead of a single domain, move the same workflow to the Bulk WHOIS Lookup API and process up to 100 domains per request.
Expiry and ownership monitoring
Poll your domain portfolio nightly and diff the registration dates, expiry dates, and status codes against yesterday's run. A changed registrar or an approaching expiry becomes an alert in your dashboard instead of a surprise renewal invoice. That's the exact workflow developers keep asking for in homelab and DevOps communities.
Brand protection and lookalike vetting
A newly registered lookalike of your brand shows its creation date, registrant country, and registrar in one call, usually enough to separate parked coincidence from active impersonation. When you need to know who owned it before privacy protection was switched on, escalate to the WHOIS History API for the full ownership timeline.
Merchant and counterparty vetting
Drop a WHOIS REST API call into your onboarding flow: a merchant claiming ten years of trading history whose domain was registered last month is a signal worth surfacing. Domain age, registrant country, and registrar accreditation feed straight into KYC and fraud-scoring pipelines as verifiable, third-party data points.
API Endpoint
$ pip install requestsimport requests
url = "https://api.apifreaks.com/v2.0/domain/whois/live?domainName=chatgpt.com"
payload = {}
headers = {
'X-apiKey': 'API-KEY'
}
response = requests.request("GET", url, headers=headers, data=payload)
print(response.text)
How-To-Guides
WHOIS Lookup by Domain Name
You've got a domain and need to know who's behind it, when it was registered, and when it expires: the first question in almost every abuse investigation and due-diligence check. One GET returns the full parsed record plus the raw text. This is also the fastest way to use the service as a WHOIS lookup API inside an enrichment pipeline: one input field, one structured result.
# Response { "status": true, "domain_name": "chatgpt.com", "query_time": "2026-08-05 14:08:10", "domain_registered": "yes", "create_date": "2022-11-30", "update_date": "2024-10-17", "expiry_date": "2026-11-30", "domain_registrar": { "iana_id": "292", "status": "accredited", "registrar_name": "MarkMonitor, Inc", "normalized_name": "markmonitor", "rdap_server": "https://rdap.markmonitor.com/rdap/", "website_url": "http://www.markmonitor.com", "email_address": "abusecomplaints@markmonitor.com", "phone_number": "+12086851750" }, "registrant_contact": { "company": "OpenAI", "country_name": "United States", "country_code": "US", "email_address": "Select Request Email Form at https://domains.markmonitor.com/whois/chatgpt.com" }, "technical_contact": { "email_address": "Select Request Email Form at https://domains.markmonitor.com/whois/chatgpt.com" }, "name_servers": [ "hassan.ns.cloudflare.com", "savanna.ns.cloudflare.com" ], "domain_status": [ "clientupdateprohibited", "clienttransferprohibited", "clientdeleteprohibited", "serverdeleteprohibited", "serverupdateprohibited", "servertransferprohibited" ], "whois_raw_domain": "\nDomain Name: chatgpt.com\nRegistry Domain ID: 2741883935_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN\nRegistrar WHOIS Server: whois.markmonitor.com\nRegistrar URL: http://www.markmonitor.com\nUpdated Date: 2024-10-17T21:31:32+0000\nCreation Date: 2022-11-30T23:59:19+0000\nRegistrar Registration Expiration Date: 2026-11-30T23:59:19+0000\nRegistrar: MarkMonitor, Inc.\nRegistrar IANA ID: 292\nRegistrar Abuse Contact: https://corp.markmonitor.com/domain/ui/abuse-report\nRegistrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.2086851750\nDomain Status: clientUpdateProhibited (https://www.icann.org/epp#clientUpdateProhibited)\nDomain Status: clientTransferProhibited (https://www.icann.org/epp#clientTransferProhibited)\nDomain Status: clientDeleteProhibited (https://www.icann.org/epp#clientDeleteProhibited)\nDomain Status: serverUpdateProhibited (https://www.icann.org/epp#serverUpdateProhibited)\nDomain Status: serverTransferProhibited (https://www.icann.org/epp#serverTransferProhibited)\nDomain Status: serverDeleteProhibited (https://www.icann.org/epp#serverDeleteProhibited)\nRegistrant Organization: OpenAI\nRegistrant Country: US\nRegistrant Email: Select Request Email Form at https://domains.markmonitor.com/whois/chatgpt.com\nTech Email: Select Request Email Form at https://domains.markmonitor.com/whois/chatgpt.com\nName Server: hassan.ns.cloudflare.com\nName Server: savanna.ns.cloudflare.com\nDNSSEC: unsigned\nURL of the ICANN WHOIS Data Problem Reporting System: http://wdprs.internic.net/\n>>> Last update of WHOIS database: 2026-08-05T14:06:03+0000 <<<\n\nFor more information on WHOIS status codes, please visit:\n https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/epp-status-codes\n\nIf you wish to contact this domain's Registrant or Technical\ncontact, and such email address is not visible above, you may do so via our web\nform, pursuant to ICANN's Temporary Specification. To verify that you are not a\nrobot, please enter your email address to receive a link to a page that\nfacilitates email communication with the relevant contact(s).\n\nWeb-based WHOIS:\n https://domains.markmonitor.com/whois/contact/chatgpt.com\n\nIf you have a legitimate interest in viewing the non-public WHOIS details, send\nyour request and the reasons for your request to whoisrequest@markmonitor.com\nand specify the domain name in the subject line. We will review that request and\nmay ask for supporting documentation and explanation.\n\nThe data in MarkMonitor's WHOIS database is provided for information purposes,\nand to assist persons in obtaining information about or related to a domain\nname's registration record. While MarkMonitor believes the data to be accurate,\nthe data is provided \"as is\" with no guarantee or warranties regarding its\naccuracy.\n\nBy submitting a WHOIS query, you agree that you will use this data only for\nlawful purposes and that, under no circumstances will you use this data to:\n (1) allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission by email, telephone,\nor facsimile of mass, unsolicited, commercial advertising, or spam; or\n (2) enable high volume, automated, or electronic processes that send queries,\ndata, or email to MarkMonitor (or its systems) or the domain name contacts (or\nits systems).\n\nMarkMonitor reserves the right to modify these terms at any time.\n\nBy submitting this query, you agree to abide by this policy.\n\nMarkMonitor Domain Management(TM)\nProtecting companies and consumers in a digital world.\n\nVisit MarkMonitor at https://www.markmonitor.com\nContact us at +1.8007459229\nIn Europe, at +44.02032062220\n--", "registry_data": { "domain_name": "CHATGPT.COM", "query_time": "2026-08-05 14:08:09", "whois_server": "", "domain_registered": "yes", "create_date": "2022-11-30", "update_date": "2024-10-17", "expiry_date": "2026-11-30", "domain_registrar": { "iana_id": "292", "registrar_name": "MarkMonitor Inc", "website_url": "http://www.markmonitor.com" }, "name_servers": [ "hassan.ns.cloudflare.com", "savanna.ns.cloudflare.com" ], "domain_status": [ "clientupdateprohibited", "clientdeleteprohibited", "clienttransferprohibited", "serverdeleteprohibited", "serverupdateprohibited", "servertransferprohibited" ], "whois_raw_registery": "\nDomain Name: CHATGPT.COM\n Registry Domain ID: 2741883935_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN\n Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.markmonitor.com\n Registrar URL: http://www.markmonitor.com\n Updated Date: 2024-10-17T22:20:15Z\n Creation Date: 2022-11-30T23:59:19Z\n Registry Expiry Date: 2026-11-30T23:59:19Z\n Registrar: MarkMonitor Inc.\n Registrar IANA ID: 292\n Registrar Abuse Contact Email: abusecomplaints@markmonitor.com\n Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.2086851750\n Domain Status: clientDeleteProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientDeleteProhibited\n Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientTransferProhibited\n Domain Status: clientUpdateProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientUpdateProhibited\n Domain Status: serverDeleteProhibited https://icann.org/epp#serverDeleteProhibited\n Domain Status: serverTransferProhibited https://icann.org/epp#serverTransferProhibited\n Domain Status: serverUpdateProhibited https://icann.org/epp#serverUpdateProhibited\n Name Server: HASSAN.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM\n Name Server: SAVANNA.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM\n DNSSEC: unsigned\n URL of the ICANN Whois Inaccuracy Complaint Form: https://www.icann.org/wicf/\n>>> Last update of whois database: 2026-08-05T14:07:58Z <<<\n\nFor more information on Whois status codes, please visit https://icann.org/epp\n\nNOTICE: The expiration date displayed in this record is the date the\nregistrar's sponsorship of the domain name registration in the registry is\ncurrently set to expire. This date does not necessarily reflect the expiration\ndate of the domain name registrant's agreement with the sponsoring\nregistrar. Users may consult the sponsoring registrar's Whois database to\nview the registrar's reported date of expiration for this registration.\n\nTERMS OF USE: You are not authorized to access or query our Whois\ndatabase through the use of electronic processes that are high-volume and\nautomated except as reasonably necessary to register domain names or\nmodify existing registrations; the Data in VeriSign Global Registry\nServices' (\"VeriSign\") Whois database is provided by VeriSign for\ninformation purposes only, and to assist persons in obtaining information\nabout or related to a domain name registration record. VeriSign does not\nguarantee its accuracy. By submitting a Whois query, you agree to abide\nby the following terms of use: You agree that you may use this Data only\nfor lawful purposes and that under no circumstances will you use this Data\nto: (1) allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission of mass\nunsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations via e-mail, telephone,\nor facsimile; or (2) enable high volume, automated, electronic processes\nthat apply to VeriSign (or its computer systems). The compilation,\nrepackaging, dissemination or other use of this Data is expressly\nprohibited without the prior written consent of VeriSign. You agree not to\nuse electronic processes that are automated and high-volume to access or\nquery the Whois database except as reasonably necessary to register\ndomain names or modify existing registrations. VeriSign reserves the right\nto restrict your access to the Whois database in its sole discretion to ensure\noperational stability. VeriSign may restrict or terminate your access to the\nWhois database for failure to abide by these terms of use. VeriSign\nreserves the right to modify these terms at any time.\n\nThe Registry database contains ONLY .COM, .NET, .EDU domains and\nRegistrars." } }curl -X 'GET' 'https://api.apifreaks.com/v2.0/domain/whois/live?domainName=chatgpt.com&apiKey=API-KEY'
WHOIS Lookup by URL
Threat feeds, message logs, and user reports hand you full URLs, not clean domains. Skip the pre-parsing step: pass the URL (URL-encoded) straight into the same parameter and the API extracts the domain before running the live lookup, one less place for a normalization bug to hide.
# Response { "status": true, "domain_name": "chatgpt.com", "query_time": "2026-08-05 14:08:17", "domain_registered": "yes", "create_date": "2022-11-30", "update_date": "2024-10-17", "expiry_date": "2026-11-30", "domain_registrar": { "iana_id": "292", "status": "accredited", "registrar_name": "MarkMonitor, Inc", "normalized_name": "markmonitor", "rdap_server": "https://rdap.markmonitor.com/rdap/", "website_url": "http://www.markmonitor.com", "email_address": "abusecomplaints@markmonitor.com", "phone_number": "+12086851750" }, "registrant_contact": { "company": "OpenAI", "country_name": "United States", "country_code": "US", "email_address": "Select Request Email Form at https://domains.markmonitor.com/whois/chatgpt.com" }, "technical_contact": { "email_address": "Select Request Email Form at https://domains.markmonitor.com/whois/chatgpt.com" }, "name_servers": [ "hassan.ns.cloudflare.com", "savanna.ns.cloudflare.com" ], "domain_status": [ "clientupdateprohibited", "clienttransferprohibited", "clientdeleteprohibited", "serverdeleteprohibited", "serverupdateprohibited", "servertransferprohibited" ], "whois_raw_domain": "\nDomain Name: chatgpt.com\nRegistry Domain ID: 2741883935_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN\nRegistrar WHOIS Server: whois.markmonitor.com\nRegistrar URL: http://www.markmonitor.com\nUpdated Date: 2024-10-17T21:31:32+0000\nCreation Date: 2022-11-30T23:59:19+0000\nRegistrar Registration Expiration Date: 2026-11-30T23:59:19+0000\nRegistrar: MarkMonitor, Inc.\nRegistrar IANA ID: 292\nRegistrar Abuse Contact: https://corp.markmonitor.com/domain/ui/abuse-report\nRegistrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.2086851750\nDomain Status: clientUpdateProhibited (https://www.icann.org/epp#clientUpdateProhibited)\nDomain Status: clientTransferProhibited (https://www.icann.org/epp#clientTransferProhibited)\nDomain Status: clientDeleteProhibited (https://www.icann.org/epp#clientDeleteProhibited)\nDomain Status: serverUpdateProhibited (https://www.icann.org/epp#serverUpdateProhibited)\nDomain Status: serverTransferProhibited (https://www.icann.org/epp#serverTransferProhibited)\nDomain Status: serverDeleteProhibited (https://www.icann.org/epp#serverDeleteProhibited)\nRegistrant Organization: OpenAI\nRegistrant Country: US\nRegistrant Email: Select Request Email Form at https://domains.markmonitor.com/whois/chatgpt.com\nTech Email: Select Request Email Form at https://domains.markmonitor.com/whois/chatgpt.com\nName Server: hassan.ns.cloudflare.com\nName Server: savanna.ns.cloudflare.com\nDNSSEC: unsigned\nURL of the ICANN WHOIS Data Problem Reporting System: http://wdprs.internic.net/\n>>> Last update of WHOIS database: 2026-08-05T14:06:03+0000 <<<\n\nFor more information on WHOIS status codes, please visit:\n https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/epp-status-codes\n\nIf you wish to contact this domain's Registrant or Technical\ncontact, and such email address is not visible above, you may do so via our web\nform, pursuant to ICANN's Temporary Specification. To verify that you are not a\nrobot, please enter your email address to receive a link to a page that\nfacilitates email communication with the relevant contact(s).\n\nWeb-based WHOIS:\n https://domains.markmonitor.com/whois/contact/chatgpt.com\n\nIf you have a legitimate interest in viewing the non-public WHOIS details, send\nyour request and the reasons for your request to whoisrequest@markmonitor.com\nand specify the domain name in the subject line. We will review that request and\nmay ask for supporting documentation and explanation.\n\nThe data in MarkMonitor's WHOIS database is provided for information purposes,\nand to assist persons in obtaining information about or related to a domain\nname's registration record. While MarkMonitor believes the data to be accurate,\nthe data is provided \"as is\" with no guarantee or warranties regarding its\naccuracy.\n\nBy submitting a WHOIS query, you agree that you will use this data only for\nlawful purposes and that, under no circumstances will you use this data to:\n (1) allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission by email, telephone,\nor facsimile of mass, unsolicited, commercial advertising, or spam; or\n (2) enable high volume, automated, or electronic processes that send queries,\ndata, or email to MarkMonitor (or its systems) or the domain name contacts (or\nits systems).\n\nMarkMonitor reserves the right to modify these terms at any time.\n\nBy submitting this query, you agree to abide by this policy.\n\nMarkMonitor Domain Management(TM)\nProtecting companies and consumers in a digital world.\n\nVisit MarkMonitor at https://www.markmonitor.com\nContact us at +1.8007459229\nIn Europe, at +44.02032062220\n--", "registry_data": { "domain_name": "CHATGPT.COM", "query_time": "2026-08-05 14:08:11", "whois_server": "", "domain_registered": "yes", "create_date": "2022-11-30", "update_date": "2024-10-17", "expiry_date": "2026-11-30", "domain_registrar": { "iana_id": "292", "registrar_name": "MarkMonitor Inc", "website_url": "http://www.markmonitor.com" }, "name_servers": [ "hassan.ns.cloudflare.com", "savanna.ns.cloudflare.com" ], "domain_status": [ "clientupdateprohibited", "clientdeleteprohibited", "clienttransferprohibited", "serverdeleteprohibited", "serverupdateprohibited", "servertransferprohibited" ], "whois_raw_registery": "\nDomain Name: CHATGPT.COM\n Registry Domain ID: 2741883935_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN\n Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.markmonitor.com\n Registrar URL: http://www.markmonitor.com\n Updated Date: 2024-10-17T22:20:15Z\n Creation Date: 2022-11-30T23:59:19Z\n Registry Expiry Date: 2026-11-30T23:59:19Z\n Registrar: MarkMonitor Inc.\n Registrar IANA ID: 292\n Registrar Abuse Contact Email: abusecomplaints@markmonitor.com\n Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.2086851750\n Domain Status: clientDeleteProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientDeleteProhibited\n Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientTransferProhibited\n Domain Status: clientUpdateProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientUpdateProhibited\n Domain Status: serverDeleteProhibited https://icann.org/epp#serverDeleteProhibited\n Domain Status: serverTransferProhibited https://icann.org/epp#serverTransferProhibited\n Domain Status: serverUpdateProhibited https://icann.org/epp#serverUpdateProhibited\n Name Server: HASSAN.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM\n Name Server: SAVANNA.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM\n DNSSEC: unsigned\n URL of the ICANN Whois Inaccuracy Complaint Form: https://www.icann.org/wicf/\n>>> Last update of whois database: 2026-08-05T14:07:58Z <<<\n\nFor more information on Whois status codes, please visit https://icann.org/epp\n\nNOTICE: The expiration date displayed in this record is the date the\nregistrar's sponsorship of the domain name registration in the registry is\ncurrently set to expire. This date does not necessarily reflect the expiration\ndate of the domain name registrant's agreement with the sponsoring\nregistrar. Users may consult the sponsoring registrar's Whois database to\nview the registrar's reported date of expiration for this registration.\n\nTERMS OF USE: You are not authorized to access or query our Whois\ndatabase through the use of electronic processes that are high-volume and\nautomated except as reasonably necessary to register domain names or\nmodify existing registrations; the Data in VeriSign Global Registry\nServices' (\"VeriSign\") Whois database is provided by VeriSign for\ninformation purposes only, and to assist persons in obtaining information\nabout or related to a domain name registration record. VeriSign does not\nguarantee its accuracy. By submitting a Whois query, you agree to abide\nby the following terms of use: You agree that you may use this Data only\nfor lawful purposes and that under no circumstances will you use this Data\nto: (1) allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission of mass\nunsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations via e-mail, telephone,\nor facsimile; or (2) enable high volume, automated, electronic processes\nthat apply to VeriSign (or its computer systems). The compilation,\nrepackaging, dissemination or other use of this Data is expressly\nprohibited without the prior written consent of VeriSign. You agree not to\nuse electronic processes that are automated and high-volume to access or\nquery the Whois database except as reasonably necessary to register\ndomain names or modify existing registrations. VeriSign reserves the right\nto restrict your access to the Whois database in its sole discretion to ensure\noperational stability. VeriSign may restrict or terminate your access to the\nWhois database for failure to abide by these terms of use. VeriSign\nreserves the right to modify these terms at any time.\n\nThe Registry database contains ONLY .COM, .NET, .EDU domains and\nRegistrars." } }curl -X 'GET' 'https://api.apifreaks.com/v2.0/domain/whois/live?domainName=https%3A%2F%2Fchatgpt.com&apiKey=API-KEY'
Check Whether a Domain Is Registered
Before shortlisting a name for a project or flagging a typo-squat that doesn't exist yet, check whether the domain is registered at all. An unregistered domain returns a normal response with the registration flag set to no and most fields omitted, no error-handling branch required, and the successful lookup is the only thing you're charged for. When availability is the whole job, checking many candidate names with TLD suggestions, the Domain Availability API is the purpose-built path.
# Response { "status": true, "domain_name": "this-name-is-probably-free-12345.com", "query_time": "2026-08-05 14:08:22", "domain_registered": "no", "whois_raw_domain": "\nNo match for \"THIS-NAME-IS-PROBABLY-FREE-12345.COM\".\n>>> Last update of whois database: 2026-08-05T14:08:13Z <<<\n\nNOTICE: The expiration date displayed in this record is the date the\nregistrar's sponsorship of the domain name registration in the registry is\ncurrently set to expire. This date does not necessarily reflect the expiration\ndate of the domain name registrant's agreement with the sponsoring\nregistrar. Users may consult the sponsoring registrar's Whois database to\nview the registrar's reported date of expiration for this registration.\n\nTERMS OF USE: You are not authorized to access or query our Whois\ndatabase through the use of electronic processes that are high-volume and\nautomated except as reasonably necessary to register domain names or\nmodify existing registrations; the Data in VeriSign Global Registry\nServices' (\"VeriSign\") Whois database is provided by VeriSign for\ninformation purposes only, and to assist persons in obtaining information\nabout or related to a domain name registration record. VeriSign does not\nguarantee its accuracy. By submitting a Whois query, you agree to abide\nby the following terms of use: You agree that you may use this Data only\nfor lawful purposes and that under no circumstances will you use this Data\nto: (1) allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission of mass\nunsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations via e-mail, telephone,\nor facsimile; or (2) enable high volume, automated, electronic processes\nthat apply to VeriSign (or its computer systems). The compilation,\nrepackaging, dissemination or other use of this Data is expressly\nprohibited without the prior written consent of VeriSign. You agree not to\nuse electronic processes that are automated and high-volume to access or\nquery the Whois database except as reasonably necessary to register\ndomain names or modify existing registrations. VeriSign reserves the right\nto restrict your access to the Whois database in its sole discretion to ensure\noperational stability. VeriSign may restrict or terminate your access to the\nWhois database for failure to abide by these terms of use. VeriSign\nreserves the right to modify these terms at any time.\n\nThe Registry database contains ONLY .COM, .NET, .EDU domains and\nRegistrars." }curl -X 'GET' 'https://api.apifreaks.com/v2.0/domain/whois/live?domainName=this-name-is-probably-free-12345.com&apiKey=API-KEY'
Response walkthrough: domain_registered returns "no" and the contact, registrar, and date fields are omitted.
Handle Privacy-Protected and Unsupported Domains
Production WHOIS pipelines fail in two predictable places: redacted contacts and exotic extensions. Privacy-protected domains still return a 200, the record is parsed as published, so redacted contact fields come back exactly as the registry and registrar return them, with the registrar's own contact details included when available; route those to a manual queue rather than treating the instruction text as a usable email address. Unsupported extensions return a 403 and malformed input a 400; neither consumes credits, so retry logic stays simple.
# Response { "timestamp": "2026-08-05T14:08:22.644115810Z", "status": 403, "error": "Not Supported Domain extension", "message": "We are not providing the whois of this domain extension (unsupported-tld)", "path": "/v2.0/whois/live" }curl -X 'GET' 'https://api.apifreaks.com/v2.0/domain/whois/live?domainName=example.unsupported-tld&apiKey=API-KEY'
Frequently Asked Questions
/domain/whois/live returns the parsed record: domain_registrar details, registrant_contact and the administrative, technical, billing, and reseller contacts, create_date, update_date, expiry_date, name_servers, and the domain_status EPP codes, plus whois_raw_domain and the registry-level registry_data block with its own raw text.domain_registered: "no" with most fields omitted, a normal 200 response, not an error. Extensions without live WHOIS support return a 403, and a missing or malformed domainName returns a 400. Only 2xx responses consume credits.whois_raw_domain holds the registrar-level raw record, and registry_data holds the registry-level record including its raw text. Both sit alongside the parsed fields in the same response.whois_server field identifies the server that answered (the documented example shows a record served from a Verisign RDAP endpoint), and domain_registrar.rdap_server returns the registrar's own RDAP URL. You can use it as an RDAP API today without rewriting anything when the last WHOIS servers go dark.format=xml (or an Accept: application/xml header) to receive the same structure as XML.Pricing
To use the Domain WHOIS Lookup API, API credits are required. Charges apply only for successful queries, indicated by a 2xx status code. If a request results in a 4xx or 5xx status code, no credits will be deducted, and any credits previously charged will be refunded.
For each successful request, 18 credits will be charged for WHOIS domain lookup. Utilize the Credits Usage API to efficiently monitor your recent consumption of both one-off and subscription credits. This API provides a streamlined way to track and manage your credit usage, ensuring you stay informed about your remaining balance and can optimize your resource allocation effectively.