What is WHOIS / RDAP?
WHOIS is the directory of who owns which slice of internet number resources — IP ranges, ASNs, and domain names. RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is the modern, structured replacement for the original 1980s-era WHOIS text protocol. It returns JSON, supports internationalised text, and standardises the redirect path between the five regional internet registries (ARIN, RIPE, APNIC, LACNIC, AFRINIC).
IPFerret hits ARIN first and follows the cross-RIR redirect transparently — so you can query any IP and get the right registry's answer without thinking about which one owns it.
What's in here?
- Allocation block — the CIDR range the IP falls in, the org that holds it, when it was registered, when the record was last touched.
- Registrant — the organisation listed as owning the allocation.
- Abuse contact — where to file a complaint. If an IP is sending spam, scraping, or attacking your systems, this is the email to use.
- Technical contact — the operational point of contact, when listed separately.
- Origin AS — which Autonomous System(s) announce this prefix in BGP. Cross-references our /asn/[asn] pages.
For a JSON-friendly version of this data, query /api/whois/8.8.8.8.