Using the whois command

Understanding who owns a domain, where it’s registered, and which name servers it uses can be vital when troubleshooting DNS issues or managing your hosting setup. The whois command-line tool is your go-to resource for all of this and more. This guide will walk you through the basics of using whois, with examples tailored for Liquid Web customers.

What is whois?

The whois command lets you look up public domain registration details. It’s a powerful tool that provides key information such as:

• Domain registrant (owner) information
• Registration and expiration dates
• Domain registrar (e.g., Network Solutions)
• Associated name servers

Running a Basic Whois Query

To check details about a domain, just enter:

whois example.com

Example:

whois liquidweb.com

This reveals:

• Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
• Creation Date: August 5, 1997
• Expiration Date: August 4, 2015 (note: this is just example data)
• Registrant Organization: Liquid Web LLC.
• Registrant Email: webmaster@liquidweb.com
• Name Servers:
  • ns.liquidweb.com
  • ns1.liquidweb.com

Checking Name Servers

Are Name Servers Set Correctly?

Ensure the listed name servers are configured properly at the registrar. You can verify this using:

whois ns.liquidweb.com

This will display the name server’s IP address and registration information. If the IP doesn’t match your expectations, double-check your zone file setup.

Common Issues

Some TLDs (like .biz and .info) may not return valid whois data for name servers:

whois ns1.hostup.info
# Returns: NOT FOUND

In such cases, try using a dig command to check DNS resolution instead:

dig ns1.hostup.info

If you’re encountering issues with your domain setup or have questions about using whois, please contact our support team for help.