WHOIS Database

Whois databases enable you to search for information about the domain names, people, computers, organizations, and name servers involved with administering the Domain Name Service (DNS). A core set of this data constitutes a unified database view shared by all of the domain name registrars.

There is no known whois command that can be executed from Windows or Macintosh computers, rather; the whois database must be accessed from an online site. The main whois database for the top-level domains ".com", ".net", and ".org" can be searched through any of the following sites:

• The InterNIC Whois Search *
• AllWhois.com
• BetterWhois.com
• Domain registrars -- each with their own whois database
• SWITCH Whois Gateway
  
• Open Directory - Domain Name Search
• Yahoo Whois Directory

The following Whois databases can be searched for information on other areas of the Internet, including Asian, Caribbean, European, and Latin American countries, and the ".mil" and ".gov" domains:

• American Registry for Internet Numbers Whois
• Asia Pacific IP Address Allocations Whois
• European IP Address Allocations Whois
• Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry
• US Military Whois - requires authorization to access
• US Government Whois

Resources. The following references provide additional information about the Whois database specification:

• RFC 3912; L. Daigle; WHOIS Protocol Specification; September 2004.

Historical. Matt Power's Whois Servers List provides a long list of searchable world wide whois database servers.