RDAP, short for Registration Data Access Protocol, is the modern way to look up who registered a domain, when, through which registrar and when it expires. It replaced the older WHOIS system as the official standard for domain registration data.
RDAP vs WHOIS
WHOIS dates back to the early internet and returns plain text in a different layout for every registry, which makes it hard to read reliably. RDAP returns structured data in the same format everywhere, works over secure web connections and supports access controls, so registries can show more detail to verified users and less to the public. ICANN made RDAP the required standard for generic extensions, and in early 2025 registries and registrars were allowed to stop running WHOIS for those extensions.
What RDAP Shows
A typical RDAP record includes the registration date, the expiry date, the last update, the registrar, the nameservers and status codes such as client transfer prohibited. Personal contact details are usually hidden for privacy, especially since data protection laws like the GDPR, so most records show only the registrar’s contact information.
When RDAP Has No Answer
Some country-code extensions do not run an RDAP service, or publish only limited data. In those cases, a lookup may return nothing even for a registered name, which is why tools sometimes report that a registration date could not be found.
The Domibot Domain Age Checker reads RDAP data to show when a domain was registered, when it expires and who its registrar is.