The Transition from WHOIS to RDAP

Understanding the evolution of domain registration data protocols

What is WHOIS?

WHOIS (pronounced "who is") is the original protocol for querying domain registration data, developed in the 1980s. It provides information about domain name registration, including:

• Registrant details
• Registration dates
• Nameserver information

WHOIS Limitations

• No standardized data format
• Limited support for internationalization
• Basic security features
• No built-in privacy protection
• Query rate limiting varies by server

What is RDAP?

Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) is the modern successor to WHOIS. Developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), RDAP addresses many of WHOIS's limitations and provides a more robust, standardized way to access registration data.

RDAP Advantages

• Standardized JSON responses
• Full support for internationalized domain names
• Built-in authentication and access control
• Structured query parameters
• Consistent rate limiting
• Better privacy protection mechanisms

RDAP Adoption Timeline

Date	Milestone	Status
March 2019	ICANN requires all gTLD registries and registrars to offer RDAP	Completed
2019-2023	ccTLD registries begin adopting RDAP	Ongoing
2024-2025	Expected phase-out of port 43 WHOIS for many TLDs	Planned

How DomainDetails.io Works

Our approach to providing comprehensive domain information

Our Lookup Process

We use a sophisticated multi-protocol approach to ensure you get the most accurate and complete domain information available:

1. RDAP First: We attempt to fetch data using RDAP first, as it provides the most structured and reliable information.
2. WHOIS Fallback: For TLDs that haven't implemented RDAP yet, we automatically fall back to traditional WHOIS queries.
3. Data Standardization: We process both RDAP and WHOIS responses into a consistent format, making it easier to understand and compare information.

Pro Features

• Domain Monitoring: Automatic checks using both protocols to ensure no changes are missed.
• Historical Data: Track changes over time with our comprehensive history feature.
• Cross-Protocol Verification: Compare data from both RDAP and WHOIS when available.