An Internet domain is an address that identifies a website. It usually consists of a company name written without Polish characters and an extension such as .pl or .com. In some situations, it is essential for users to check who owns a domain. Find out how to do it and what the WHOIS database is!
Who owns the domain - how do I find out?
Some domain information can be found quite quickly, but some remains hidden, e.g. due to RODO regulations. These include the names of private registrants of specific addresses. Special search engines are used to find those who currently have rights to particular domains. A collection of all national addresses can be found in the WHOIS database. This is by far the most popular tool for finding domain data.
The database is available thanks to the Scientific and Academic Computer Network. It is a research institute that maintains a register of national domains and more. Thanks to this database, anyone can search for information on a platform of interest. Among the information that appears to the user's eyes after entering a domain in the search engine is the status of the site.
Site status is information on whether a domain is active or whether the rights of its owner have already expired. In addition, you can find out when the contract for the rights to a particular domain of the current owner ends. This is very important for people who want to have a site with an address that already exists. So they know whether there are chances of buying back the domain or whether the owner will still have rights to it for years to come. In the latter case, it will be necessary to look for other solutions, e.g. setting up a site with a very similar-sounding name.
Domain rights are temporary, as it is a paid service as part of the subscription. Search engines for site owners can find out when someone first paid for the rights to an address or what the deadline is for the next payment. The search engine can also reveal information that someone has not paid the domain on time, but in such cases they still have a certain amount of time to do so before someone else can repurchase the address for their own use. 
Where can I get information about the domain owner?
The way in which the domain owner is verified depends on which extension the website address contains. Domestic and global domains, i.e. with .pl and .com suffixes, can be verified in the WHOIS search engine. European sites ending in .eu need to be checked in another service. This is called the European Registry for Internet Domains. It is a database of all websites ending with this designation.
If you find the domain owner information and find that the address you wanted to use is taken, you have a few options. You can then change the domain name slightly, but this often does not suit people who run a business with a particular name and do not want to correct it. Then you may find that you just need to use a different extension and, for example, use .eu instead of .pl. For this reason, it is important to always check the global and national base as well as the European base.
WHOIS - a tool for obtaining information about domains and their owners
How do I find out who owns a domain via the WHOIS search engine? The domains collected there can be found on the DNS site. Once you have launched the site, click on WHOIS in the menu at the top of the page, and then select WHOIS Database. A brief explanation of what NASK is will appear before your eyes, and below this you will find a field where you can enter the name of the domain you are interested in. A little further down, you will need to confirm that you are not a robot and then select the red search tag in the database.
The data that will be displayed is primarily the status of the domain. In the case of running websites, it will be marked as active. Below this is information on when the domain was created. Below this is the date of last modification and the end date of the billing period. Even lower, you can read the names of the servers, and underneath this is what is most important, i.e. the details of the website owner. In the case of companies, this can include not only the name, but also the VAT number, address or even telephone number.
Under the information on who owns the domain, there are still the details of the site's registrar. If the owner of the subscription is a private person, a message that the data are not available appears instead of all the data in the registrant section. Any company that has its own domain can use the option to hide its data. The paid WHOIS Privacy option is used for this.
How do I check a domain? As you can see, you can easily check registered sites on domain search engines. The process does not require any login or entering your details on the site. WHOIS works instantly and reveals information related to the domain as soon as you click. A well-matched domain name is important in terms of SEO, as it must be associated with the brand. If you care about a specific site name, it is essential to check whether it is possible to use it. Now you know how to find a website owner!
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