Frequently Asked Questions – WHOIS Trackr
Find quick answers to common questions about WHOIS lookups, DNS record checks, HTTP header analysis, and domain ownership privacy.
1. What is WHOIS?
WHOIS is a query and response protocol used to query databases that store the registered users or assignees of an internet resource, such as a domain name, an IP address block, or an autonomous system. It reveals registration dates, registrars, and authoritative name servers.
2. How do you find WHOIS servers for obscure domain extensions?
Our platform implements a two-step dynamic look-up. First, we query the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) at whois.iana.org to find the authoritative WHOIS registry server designated for that TLD. Then, we connect directly to that server. This allows us to support all 1,500+ active domain extensions (gTLDs and ccTLDs) automatically.
3. What is the difference between Registry and Registrar WHOIS servers?
The Registry WHOIS server holds the global domain status, creation/expiration dates, and name servers. The Registrar WHOIS server belongs to the company where you registered the domain (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap) and holds more detailed ownership and contact information. WHOIS Trackr automatically queries the Registry, parses the referral registrar server, and queries it recursively to show you the most complete data possible.
4. What is DNS Propagation?
DNS propagation is the timeframe it takes for updates to DNS records (like changing your MX records or hosting IP address) to take effect across the entire internet. While some caches update in minutes, global propagation can take up to 24–48 hours.
5. Are my WHOIS lookups logged or made public?
No, we do not publish search histories. Lookups are processed in real-time, and raw response strings are cached locally for a short duration solely to improve page-load performance and prevent rate-limiting from registry servers.