How to Use the RDAP/WHOIS Lookup Tool
A walkthrough of checking a domain's status, drilling into the full record and raw RDAP output, making sense of the status codes you'll see, and backing up your tracked domain list so a cleared cache never costs you your watchlist. Prefer to just dive in? Open the lookup tool.
A note on screenshots: we'd normally include annotated screenshots at each step below. This guide was written in an environment where a real browser render couldn't be captured for images — the steps are accurate and complete, but illustrations haven't been added yet. If you're reading this in draft form, treat the image gap as a known follow-up rather than a finished page.
Step by step
1. Open the Single Lookup tab and enter a domain
On the RDAP/WHOIS lookup tool, the "Single Lookup" tab is open by default. Type a domain name — e.g. example.co.uk — into the box and click "Lookup" (or press Enter).
2. Read the domain's status
Within a second or two, a row of cards appears. The "Status" card shows the domain's current EPP status code(s) — e.g. active, or locked/prohibited variants — and the "Renewal" card shows the expiry date with a colour-coded countdown (green = plenty of time, amber = expiring within 30 days, red = within 7 days, expired, or suspended).
3. Check the rest of the summary cards
Below Status and Renewal, further cards show the domain's key dates, its nameservers, its DNSSEC signing status, and any contact entities the registry has published (personal registrant details are commonly redacted for privacy — that's normal, not a fault of this tool).
4. Click into a domain from a list to see full details
From the "Bulk Check" or "Tracked Domains" tabs, every row has a "View" action. Clicking it jumps straight to the Single Lookup tab and re-runs the full lookup for that one domain, showing every card described above.
5. Expand "Raw RDAP response" for the full raw output
At the bottom of the single-lookup results is a collapsed "Raw RDAP response" panel. Click it to expand the complete, unmodified JSON the registry returned — useful if you need a field this tool doesn't summarise, or want to verify exactly what the registry sent back.
6. Track domains you want to keep an eye on
On a single-lookup result, click "☆ Track this domain" (or add it directly on the "Tracked Domains" tab) to save it to a watchlist stored in your browser. Use "Check all tracked" any time to refresh every tracked domain's status in one go.
7. Export your tracked list before clearing your browser cache
Tracked domains live only in this browser's local storage — clearing your browsing data, switching browsers, or moving to a new device will wipe the list. On the "Tracked Domains" tab, click "Export CSV" or "Export TXT" to save a backup file. Afterwards (or any time you want to restore it), use "Import CSV/TXT…" to load that file straight back in — the same import also works to add a list to the "Bulk Check" tab.
8. Watch domains you expect to drop, and get alerted when they change
The "Dropping Domains" tab is a separate watchlist built for exactly this: add a domain you're hoping to catch when it expires, and each "Recheck all" compares its current status against what it was last time. A genuine change — moving into pendingDelete/redemptionPeriod, or disappearing from the registry entirely, meaning it has dropped and is available to register — flags the row, adds a count to the tab's alert badge, and (if you click "Enable desktop alerts" and grant permission) triggers a browser notification. Tick "Auto-recheck every 5 minutes" to have it keep checking on its own while that tab stays open — alerts only fire while your browser is actually running, not in the background after you close it. Where there's a real basis for one, a "Calculated Drop" column also shows the estimated date and time the domain is expected to be released — for .uk-family domains this comes from Nominet's published 95-day expiry timeline; it's left blank rather than guessed when there isn't enough data to justify an estimate.
Understanding domain status codes (EPP codes)
The "Status" card on a lookup result shows one or more EPP status codes — the standardised set of codes every domain registry uses (defined by ICANN; see icann.org/epp for the full official reference). A domain can carry more than one at once. The most common ones you'll see:
- ok
- No restrictions in place — the domain is active and behaving normally.
- inactive
- The domain has no nameservers configured, so it won't resolve on the internet.
- clientTransferProhibited / serverTransferProhibited
- Locked against transfer to another registrar — "client" means the registrar set the lock (often a standard anti-hijacking default you can usually ask them to remove); "server" means the registry set it (e.g. commonly applied for 60 days after a registration or transfer).
- clientDeleteProhibited / serverDeleteProhibited
- Locked against deletion, to prevent accidental or unauthorised removal of the domain.
- clientUpdateProhibited / serverUpdateProhibited
- Locked against changes to the domain's registration details (contacts, nameservers, etc.).
- clientRenewProhibited / serverRenewProhibited
- Renewal is blocked — server-set versions of this often appear during a dispute or investigation.
- clientHold / serverHold
- DNS resolution has been suspended for this domain — it won't work in a browser even though the registration itself may still be active. serverHold is typically applied by the registry for legal or abuse reasons.
- pendingTransfer / pendingUpdate / pendingRenew / pendingCreate / pendingRestore
- A change of that type has been requested and is currently being processed.
- pendingDelete / redemptionPeriod
- The domain has been deleted and is in a recovery window before it's released back to the public pool — this tool's "Renewal" card shows these as Suspended.
- addPeriod / renewPeriod / autoRenewPeriod / transferPeriod
- Registry Grace Period (RGP) codes — short windows after a registration, renewal, or transfer during which the action can still be reversed (e.g. for a refund).
This list covers the codes you'll most often encounter; ICANN's own reference at icann.org/epp is the authoritative, complete source, including combinations and the full technical definitions from the underlying EPP specification.
Backing up your tracked domain list
Everything in the "Tracked Domains" tab lives only in this browser's local storage — nothing is sent to or stored on our servers (see our Privacy Policy). That's good for privacy, but it also means clearing your browser's site data, switching browsers, or moving to a new computer will wipe the list with no way for us to recover it for you.
The fix is simple: before clearing your cache (or just periodically, as a habit), open the Tracked Domains tab and click Export CSV or Export TXT to save a backup file. Whenever you need it back — after a cache clear, on a different browser, or on a new device — use Import CSV/TXT… on the same tab and pick that file. Your whole watchlist reappears in seconds, and you can re-check every domain's current status straight away with "Check all tracked."