Study of whois Command

 

 Experiment

Study of whois Command

🎯 Aim

To retrieve domain registration and ownership information using the whois command.

📘 Objective

By the end of this experiment, students will be able to:

  • Query domain registration details
  • Identify domain owner and registrar
  • Find domain creation and expiry dates
  • Understand public domain database records

📖 Theory

The whois command is used to:

  • Fetch information about domain names and IP addresses
  • Query public databases maintained by domain registrars

👉 It provides details such as:

  • Domain owner (if not private)
  • Registrar name
  • Registration and expiry dates
  • Name servers

👉 It works using the WHOIS protocol (TCP port 43).

🧾 Syntax

whois <domain_or_ip>

🔧 Common Usage

  • Query a domain: 
whois google.com
  • Query an IP address: 
whois 8.8.8.8

🧰 Prerequisites

  • Linux system
  • Internet connectivity
  • whois package installed

Installation:

sudo apt install whois

🔬 Procedure & Commands

1️⃣ Query a Domain Name

whois example.com

2️⃣ Query a Popular Website

whois google.com

3️⃣ Query an IP Address

whois 8.8.8.8

4️⃣ Save Output to File

whois google.com > domain_info.txt

🖥️ Sample Output (Simplified)

Domain Name: GOOGLE.COM
Registrar: MarkMonitor Inc.
Creation Date: 1997-09-15
Expiry Date: 2028-09-14
Name Server: NS1.GOOGLE.COM

🔍 Output Interpretation

FieldMeaning
Domain Name    Registered domain
Registrar    Company managing the domain
Creation Date    When domain was registered
Expiry Date    When domain registration ends
Name Server    DNS servers for the domain

📝 Exercises for Students

  1. Find registrar details of a given domain.
  2. Identify creation and expiry dates of a domain.
  3. Query an IP address and note organization details.
  4. Compare WHOIS results of two different domains.
  5. Save and analyze WHOIS output in a file.

❓ Viva Questions

  • What is the purpose of whois?
  • What protocol does WHOIS use?
  • What is a domain registrar?
  • Why are some WHOIS details hidden?
  • Difference between domain and IP WHOIS lookup?

⚠️ Precautions

  • Some information may be hidden due to privacy protection (WHOIS privacy)
  • Excessive queries may be rate-limited
  • Data accuracy depends on registrar updates

✅ Result

The whois command is a useful tool for retrieving domain and IP registration details, widely used in network administration and cybersecurity.

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