IP Whois API

IPinfo's IP Whois API offers user-friendly, well-parsed data pulled daily from Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) around the world. We process this data to ensure that the format and structure of the entire dataset is consistent, then provide easy integration options, allowing our users to focus on what matters most for their businesses.

IP Whois API Product Overview

Our Whois API provides records with accurate and easy-to-use data fields that include:

Point of Contact (POC): Identify the contact information for the party responsible for administrative, technical, or abuse-related issues associated with the domain or network.

Organization Identifiers (ORG): Find out the names of network-related entities, their ASNs and IDs, registration dates, and more, in order to track ownership and management.

Networks (NET): Gain details about who owns and manages specific IP ranges, helping to identify the organization responsible for certain network activities or infrastructure.

IP Whois API Use Cases

If you're looking to gather information for market research, cybersecurity, or domain management, our API simplifies Whois data extraction and makes it accessible. That data includes essential information about domain ownership, registration history, and technical contacts. Our commitment to precision ensures that the data you receive is accurate, reliable, and up-to-date.

Identify domain ownership information

Gain detailed information about the individuals or organizations that have registered a domain name, including names and contact information, with the domain Whois API.

Conduct threat analysis

Enrich your IoCs (indicators of compromise) and detect malicious activity with the cybersecurity Whois API, including identifying new domain registrations or changes in data to detect early signs of threats like phishing.

Prevent fraudulent traffic

Collect evidence of suspicious activities, such as the reuse of registrant information across multiple fraudulent domains using the IP information API, before launching official investigations.

Improve modeling tools for fraud detection

Integrate Whois data into machine learning models to flag patterns and enhance accuracy in identifying, tracking, and predicting potential fraudulent behaviors in real time.

Protect your brand

Monitor domain registration data for infringement on trademarks, such as look-alike or typo-squatted domains, and detect potential phishing campaigns that target customers.

Enrich data and understand domain history

Use the Whois data API to pinpoint better leads, create market forecasts, target new opportunities, and adjust strategies based on domain history.

Stay ahead of competitors

Trace opportunities for growth by tracking new domain acquisitions, changes in ownership, and registration patterns of competitors, to identify new product launches or expansions into new markets.

Get Started With IPinfo’s IP Whois API

Getting started with IPinfo's Whois API is quick and easy. Our developer-friendly approach ensures a smooth integration process, allowing you to harness the power of IP Whois data for developers in no time.

Sign up for a free API key and explore our comprehensive documentation. This gives access to not just Whois data, but our IP geolocation API, as well. Once your free account is set up, test the API with our user-friendly console.

Want to leverage the power of raw datasets? Try our downloadable database.

Our database downloads contain the same accurate IP address information available with our APIs. These downloads are available in any format (eg. CSV, JSON, MMBD) with additional options to customize the fields.

Read about data downloads

Made for developers, Trusted by enterprises

Our database is built, maintained, and supported by our in-house team of developers and engineers. These data experts are ready to troubleshoot problems, build unique use cases, and create additional enterprise solutions.

We love to integrate with the IPinfo API because it provides us with a highly reliable and accurate stream of data.

Jeremy Turner

Head of Cyber and Risk

We needed to further contextualize Internet scanners, crawlers, and bots. Origin networks, data centers, ASNs, and countries are a huge component of that. We were looking for a faster, more developer-friendly alternative to existing geo-IP providers. A close friend of mine hit the IPinfo API with cURL, and I saw all the information we needed.

Andrew Morris

Founder & Chief Architect

We love to integrate with the IPinfo API because it provides us with a highly reliable and accurate stream of data.

Richard Wells

Director, CFC

We love to integrate with the IPinfo API because it provides us with a highly reliable and accurate stream of data.

Jeremy Turner

Head of Cyber and Risk

Andrew Morris

Founder & Chief Architect

Supports Integrations

Our API integrations merge the power of IPinfo’s proprietary IP address database with other industry-leading platforms. Use your IP Whois data at scale with our supported integrations, such as Snowflake, Splunk, Maltego, and beyond.

Official Libraries

We offer libraries for the most commonly used programming languages and frameworks. Check out our documentation to facilitate easier setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is IP Whois data?

Whois data identifies who owns domains as well as how to get in contact with the owner. The value of Whois records is that they include contact information for companies, individuals, or groups that registered the domain. Additionally, they provide details about the registrar—the organization that registered the domain name.

What is an IP Whois API, and how does it work?

An IP Whois API allows users to retrieve Whois data for specific IP addresses. By using an API, businesses can automate IP lookups, monitor changes, and use the data for network management, fraud detection, and security purposes.

How do you do an IP Whois lookup?

IP Whois lookups can be done with many online tools that query the Whois database servers. But most of these tools fail to provide structure, accurate, or comprehensive view of the data. There is no centralized database server nor a standard of reporting for all kinds of Whois information.

IPinfo’s Whois lookup API provides contextual and structured data from the various Whois databases. IPinfo also provides additional context and structure using various other reliable sources of data.

How often does Whois data update?

Whois database provides context to two different data types: Domain information and Internet Number Resources (IP address, ASN) information.

For the domain information, The Whois database on a registry server usually gets updated in a few hours when the domain registrars provide the Whois data to them. On the Internet Number Resources side, the data is provided by the 5 RIRs.

IPinfo, on a 24-hour cycle, downloads both types of IP Whois data from all relevant sources and then processes it to make it uniformly consistent and user-friendly.

How do you use Whois data from IP addresses?

Whois data can be used for many purposes. From the cybersecurity perspective, Whois database can help to combat malicious activities, hacking attempts, filtering spam/phishing links, and cyberattacks.

System administrators use Whois data to identify system and infrastructure level issues, maintain internet and network stability, and improve content and service delivery. Whois data is also used to identify trademark infringement, copyright violation, malicious domain owners, and for other legal, law enforcement, and accountability purposes.

Is IP Whois data always accurate?

IP Whois data is generally accurate, but it may not always be up-to-date, especially if ownership or management of the IP has changed recently. Some organizations may also use privacy services or delegated responsibilities, which can make it harder to identify specific individuals. Check out how IP verifies data.

Industry-leading companies around the world trust our APIs

We offer 50,000 free IP geolocation lookups per month. Sign up for free to test our data.