How to Read the WHOIS Tab
The WHOIS tab shows registration data fetched directly from the authoritative WHOIS server. Here is what every field means.
How to Read the WHOIS Tab
The WHOIS tab displays registration data fetched directly from the authoritative WHOIS server for your domain's TLD using the native TCP WHOIS protocol (RFC 3912, port 43). No third-party API is involved.
Key Fields
Registrar
The company where the domain is registered. Common registrars: GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, Cloudflare Registrar, Name.com.
If the registrar changes between scans, the Registrar Changed alert fires. An unexpected registrar change is a serious security signal.
Registration Date
When the domain was first registered. Domain age is a minor SEO trust signal — older domains tend to have more established authority.
Expiry Date
The most important field. This is when the domain registration lapses if not renewed. The dashboard prominently shows days until expiry and the health score penalizes domains with expiry under 60 days.
Updated Date
When the WHOIS record was last modified. Frequent updates to the WHOIS record (especially without you making changes) can indicate unauthorized modifications.
Domain Status Codes
ICANN defines status codes that govern what can be done with the domain:
| Status Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| clientTransferProhibited | Cannot be transferred to another registrar (normal, expected) |
| clientDeleteProhibited | Cannot be deleted at registrar level |
| clientUpdateProhibited | Registrant details cannot be changed |
| serverTransferProhibited | Registry-level transfer lock |
| ok | No restrictions — only status on some simple records |
| pendingDelete | Domain deletion in process — will drop soon |
| redemptionPeriod | Expired, in grace period before deletion |
| serverHold | Domain suspended — not resolving in DNS |
clientTransferProhibited is normal and expected on production domains. serverHold and pendingDelete are critical — they mean the domain is not or will not be active.
Nameservers
The authoritative nameservers for the domain. These must match what's configured at your DNS provider. If they change without your action, the Nameserver Changed alert fires.
Registrant / Contact Information
Under GDPR and many registrar privacy policies, contact details are often redacted. You will typically see "REDACTED FOR PRIVACY" for EU-registered domains and many others. The expiry date and nameservers are always available regardless of privacy protection.
Privacy Protection
Whether the registrant's contact details are hidden behind a privacy proxy. Most registrars offer this as a free feature. It prevents contact scraping but does not affect domain resolution.
DNS Provider
ElasticDomain attempts to identify the DNS provider from the nameserver hostnames — e.g., ns1.cloudflare.com indicates Cloudflare DNS, ns1.digitalocean.com indicates DigitalOcean, etc.
Raw WHOIS Text
At the bottom of the WHOIS tab, you can view the raw WHOIS response text exactly as returned by the WHOIS server. This is useful when you need to verify a specific field that may be parsed differently across registrars.
Common Issues
Expiry date not found: Some obscure ccTLDs use non-standard date formats. Check the raw WHOIS text and manually note the expiry date.
WHOIS shows old data after renewal: WHOIS propagation after renewal can take 24-48 hours. Trigger a manual scan the day after renewal to confirm the new expiry date is reflected.