Registration Data Access Protocol Timeline

The below summarizes key milestones in the development and implementation of Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP).

• 2024
  • 21 February 2024: ICANN org released the February-2024 version of the gTLD RDAP Profile. gTLD registries and registrars are required to implement the February-2024 profile after 20 August 2025.
  • 3 February 2024: End of the RDAP ramp-up period, at which time all impacted contracted parties must have implemented contractual RDAP requirements, including the gTLD RDAP profile.
• 2023
  • 07 August 2023: Beginning of the RDAP ramp-up period for implementation of contractual obligations under the RDAP amendments to the applicable Registry Agreements and Registrar Accreditation Agreement.
• 2019
  • 26 August 2019: Deadline for the technical implementation of an RDAP service.
  • 27 February 2019: ICANN org issued a legal notification to generic top-level domain (gTLD) registries and registrars of the requirement to implement an RDAP service by 26 August 2019.
• 2018
  • 31 August 2018: ICANN org posted a proposed RDAP profile and opened a public comment period to collect feedback from the community.
  • 7 May 2018: The ICANN Board passed a resolution adopting a Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data. As part of that Temporary Specification, gTLD registries and registrars are required to implement a Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) service within 135 days of ICANN org requesting implementation. The Temporary Specification also called for a gTLD RDAP Profile, Service Level Agreement (SLA), and registry Reporting requirements to be developed prior to RDAP deployment.
• 2017
  • 1 September 2017: ICANN org accepted the proposal to implement RDAP and started the first phase: an RDAP pilot.
  • 1 August 2017: The gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group, with support from the Registrar Stakeholder Group, submitted a proposal to the ICANN org to implement RDAP with a first phase in the form of an RDAP pilot.
• 2016
  • 26 July 2016: ICANN org published a gTLD RDAP profile. Subsequently, the gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group requested that ICANN org not use that profile and instead work together on a modified plan to implement RDAP.
• 2015
  • September 2015: ICANN org published a proposed draft of the RDAP operational profile for gTLD registries and registrars for discussion with the community. These discussions took place over the next 10 months, including a public comment period.
  • March 2015: The Web Extensible Internet Registration Data Service (WEIRDS) working group finalized the RFCs defining the Registration Data Access Protocol, a standardized replacement for WHOIS.
• 2012
  • 4 June 2012: ICANN org published a Roadmap for the coordination of the technical and policy discussions necessary to implement the recommendations outlined in SAC 051:
    • improve Whois terminology to enhance and disambiguate the discussion; and
    • replace the Whois protocol to address various technical issues (e.g., internationalization).
  • The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) chartered the WEIRDS working group to develop a protocol to replace WHOIS
• 2011
  • 19 September 2011: the Security and Stability Advisory Committee issued SAC 051 [PDF, 236 KB], which advised the ICANN community to evaluate and adopt a replacement for the existing domain name registration data access protocol (WHOIS).
  • 28 October: The ICANN Board adopted SAC 051 directing staff to produce, in consultation with the community, a roadmap for the coordination of the technical and policy discussions necessary to implement it. They also requested staff to forward SAC 051 to the Whois Review Team and ICANN's Advisory Committees and Supporting Organizations for their advice.
• 2010
  • The ICANN community held discussions about the need for the technical evolution of the WHOIS service.
• 1982
  • The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) issued a protocol for a directory service for ARPANET users. This protocol has been in use ever since; it is referred to as WHOIS.