Sunsetting WHOIS, launching RDAP

As of 28 January 2025, the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) is the definitive source for delivering generic top-level domain name (gTLD) registration information in place of sunsetted WHOIS services. RDAP offers several advantages over WHOIS including support for internationalization, secure access to data, authoritative service discovery, and the ability to provide differentiated access to registration data. RDAP was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force.

RDAP has been offered by ICANN-accredited registrars and gTLDs since 2019.

Users are encouraged to utilize ICANN’s RDAP-based Lookup service at https://lookup.icann.org/en or ICANN’s open-source command-line client hosted on GitHub. A list of other client implementations may be found on this page.

To request access to nonpublic gTLD registration data, use the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) for participating registrars or contact the sponsoring registrar directly to determine their disclosure process. The RDRS is intended for use by those with a legitimate interest in nonpublic data like law enforcement, intellectual property professionals, consumer protection advocates, cybersecurity professionals, and government officials.