# RDAP vs WHOIS

|               | WHOIS                           | RDAP                             |
| ------------- | ------------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| Format        | Unstructured text               | JSON (RFC 9083)                  |
| Access        | Often port 43 / varied web APIs | HTTPS with standard paths        |
| Discovery     | Manual per registry             | IANA bootstrap (`dns.json`)      |
| Extensibility | Limited                         | Entities, events, links, notices |

OpenRDAP uses RDAP only. If you are searching for a WHOIS domain lookup, domain WHOIS lookup, WHOIS search, or domain owner lookup, OpenRDAP serves that intent with RDAP, the modern protocol for public domain registration data. Queries run from your browser to public RDAP servers discovered via IANA.

## Why RDAP matters

RDAP was designed for automation, clearer status codes, and consistent field names. It is the direction ICANN and registries have been moving for public registration data access.

## OpenRDAP approach

No account, no backend RDAP proxy in v1 — your browser talks to IANA and the authoritative RDAP server directly.

Use the [WHOIS domain lookup](/whois/) page for a WHOIS-style explanation, start a lookup from the [OpenRDAP homepage](/), or open a direct client-side result URL such as `/domain/example.com`.