What is WHOIS?

WHOIS is the traditional protocol for querying domain and IP registration data. Many implementations use TCP port 43 and return text whose format differs between providers.

RDAP comparison

RDAP uses HTTPS and standardized JSON, with better support for internationalization and access control. NetKarte prefers RDAP and falls back to an official registry WHOIS service on a fixed allowlist only when the TLD has no entry in the IANA RDAP bootstrap. It never follows arbitrary WHOIS servers or referrals.

Contact data

Published fields depend on each registry and registrar. For JP domains, JPRS WHOIS may return a registrant name and a public contact's name, email address, postal address, phone number, and similar fields. NetKarte shows only non-empty fields present in the official response to the browser that performed the lookup; it does not display the complete raw WHOIS response.

NetKarte neither reconstructs nor infers information hidden at the registrant's request. The concealment information link is fixed to the official JPRS page, and arbitrary URLs in a WHOIS response are not used for that link.

Why results differ by domain

WHOIS providers differ in field names, dates, and publication policy. A JPRS public contact may be a privacy service rather than the registrant. Concealment does not mean no registrant exists.

NetKarte supports official WHOIS for selected TLDs only. A failed RDAP request does not automatically trigger WHOIS, and success for every country or domain is not guaranteed. IP registration uses RDAP.

What to check next

Enter the domain name in the Domain field of Domain Information Lookup, complete any required verification, and select Search. Check Registered domain in Basic information, then Information source and Source server under Registry to see whether the result came from WHOIS. There is no manual WHOIS selector. Registration, update, and expiration dates in RDAP / WHOIS registration, and Public contacts, appear only when available.

Compare the input with the actual registered domain, then inspect source, status, and dates. Ask your contracted registrar to change registration details. Follow provider usage rules; do not collect published contact addresses for unsolicited marketing.