Domain Query - Availability and Detailed Information About a Domain

With a professional domain query, you can not only check the availability of a domain name but also gather a wealth of additional information about the domain.

A domain always has several individuals or contacts associated with it. In addition to the actual owner, this includes a technical administrator and other contacts. In some cases, these responsible parties can be identified through a domain query. However, this is no longer as straightforward as it used to be due to stricter data protection regulations.

Who Owns a Domain?

There can be various reasons for performing a domain query. The first and most common reason is to check the availability of a desired domain for a specific purpose. If the desired name is still available, you can directly order the domain. However, if the desired name is already registered, an individual query can determine whether the internet address is possibly held by a professional domain trader and offered on the market. If this is not the case, a special Whois domain query may be used to identify the current owner of the internet address. The owner is listed by name in the corresponding database and is the primary contact in legal disputes. Together with the administrator (C-Admin), the owner has the exclusive right to sell a domain, transfer it to another web host, or modify its database information. The owner is typically the individual who submits the registration request for an internet address with a domain provider.

What Information Can Be Obtained Through a Whois Query?

For a long time, Whois queries provided comprehensive information about an internet address, including personal details such as:

• Owner with name, address, and phone number
• Technical administrator with name, address, and phone number
• Email addresses of all responsible individuals or organizations
• Contact options for abuse reports
• Company headquarters

However, due to data protection regulations, many TLD agencies have restricted the information provided. For example, a .de domain managed by DENIC now only provides:

• Name of the .de domain
• Nameservers (DNS) in use
• Online status of the internet address

Further details, such as information about the owner of a .de domain, are only provided by the registrar if a legitimate interest can be demonstrated, such as proven violations of personal rights or when the request comes from state investigative authorities like the police or public prosecutor's office. The scope of information available via a Whois query depends on the registrar or TLD administrator. They must comply with national laws and international regulations, such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Organizations like ICANN, which oversee TLDs like .com, .net, or .org, operate under different rules and still provide complete datasets.

Domain Query: Domain Check or Whois Query?

Both a domain check and a Whois query can be used to verify the availability of a domain and to gather additional information. However, they serve different purposes and are typically used for different needs.

Obtain Detailed Information About a Specific Domain Using a Whois Query

A Whois query is used to retrieve detailed information about a single domain directly from the responsible registrar. This allows you to identify the domain owner or the technical contact for the domain. This might be necessary, for instance, if a domain check determines that your desired name is already taken.

Check the Availability of a Desired Name Across Different Domain Extensions Using a Domain Check

A domain check is used to verify the availability of a desired name under a specific domain extension or across multiple extensions. This helps find domain names that are still available for registration. With a professional domain check, such as the one provided here on hosttest.de, you can also instantly determine the costs associated with specific domain extensions.