WHOIS Is Dead: RDAP Now Powers Domain Lookups, but Has Key Blind Spots

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RDAP (RFC 9083) has replaced the aging WHOIS protocol for domain lookups, returning structured JSON data instead of plain text. Post-GDPR, RDAP no longer exposes registrant personal details for most TLDs, but still provides registrar info, registration dates, expiry dates, and DNSSEC status. A major pitfall exists with rdap.org, a popular RDAP router: it returns a 404 error for domains under TLDs not covered by IANA's bootstrap registry, including .io, .co, and .so, even when those domains are legitimately registered. This can cause domain availability checkers to incorrectly flag active domains as unregistered, a critical failure for any tool built on that assumption. Developers are advised to cross-check IANA's bootstrap list and use DNS delegation records as a fallback to distinguish truly unregistered domains from lookup gaps.

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