WHOIS

WHOIS is a service for looking up status and (where published) registration data of a domain. It shows, for example, whether a domain is active, deleted or in a protective period.

How it differs: WHOIS provides metadata about the domain, not its website content. The amount of data varies by registry and privacy rules.

Example: a WHOIS lookup shows the RGP status for a deleted .de domain.

Related terms

Registry Redemption Grace Period (RGP)

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Domain knowledge grounded in official sources

Registry rules and periods come from primary sources such as DENIC, nic.at or EURid — with source link and access date. Editorial review and sign-off are human, and economic affiliations are disclosed.

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