Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP)

RDAP Overview
Information for Users
Resources for RDAP Implementers
gTLD RDAP Profile
FAQs
Registration Data at ICANN
RDAP Timeline

RDAP Overview

The Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) enables users to access current registration data and was created as the replacement for the WHOIS protocol. RDAP was developed by the technical community in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

RDAP is a protocol that delivers WHOIS-like registration data, but in standardized data access and query response formats. Additional benefits of RDAP include support for internationalization, secure access to data, and the ability to find authoritative servers.

All gTLD registries and registrars are required to provide RDAP services using the gTLD RDAP Profile, but as of 28 January 2025 they are no longer required to provide WHOIS services (except for .com, .name, and .post).

As of December 2024, it is estimated that the total number of RDAP queries across all types of RDAP servers is over 10 billion queries per month. There are now over 40 known RDAP client implementations and over 15 known RDAP server implementations.

Resources

Related information and additional resources can be found here:

• Information for RDAP Users – guidance for Internet users seeking a greater understanding of the capabilities supported by RDAP.
• Resources for RDAP implementers – tools and resources for ICANN contracted parties who will be implementing an RDAP service.
• FAQs – answers to frequently asked questions concerning RDAP development and implementation.
• Registration Data at ICANN - the work at ICANN as it relates to domain name registration data.
• RDAP Timeline - the timeline and history of RDAP.