Internet Domain/DNS | WhoIs Information Not Available

Overview 💥

The Internet Domain/DNS Inspector may display the message:

“WhoIs information not available”
or
“Domain does not exist”

This typically indicates that Liongard could not retrieve WHOIS registration details for the domain being inspected — often due to domain configuration issues, expired registration, privacy masking, or lookup failures.

This guide outlines all possible causes, step-by-step diagnostics, and clear remediation paths.

Why Does This Happen? 🤔

WHOIS information may not be retrievable when:

The domain is offline, unreachable, or incorrectly routed
WHOIS data is private, redacted, or masked
The WHOIS provider is rate-limited or temporarily unavailable
The domain has expired, is suspended, or in redemption
DNS resolution fails at the Inspector level
The Inspector environment cannot reach WHOIS servers
The WHOIS returned null/blank fields (Registrar updated/creation dates)

Steps to Resolve 👨‍💻

1️⃣ — Verify the Domain is Online

Open the domain in a browser:
- If the site fails to load
- Routes to an ISP landing page
- Displays hosting/suspension notice
  ➜ The issue must be resolved before the Inspector can run successfully.

2️⃣ — Confirm WHOIS Registration Details

Use at least two WHOIS lookup tools:

What to check:

✔ Registrar name
✔ Registrar Updated date
✔ Creation date
✔ Expiry date
✔ Name Servers
✔ Whether fields are redacted or hidden (GDPR/privacy protection)

⚠ If WHOIS privacy is enabled, certain fields may be masked.
Some registrars redact all WHOIS attributes — this can cause the Inspector to fail.

3️⃣ — Check for WHOIS Privacy or GDPR Redaction

Examples of problematic WHOIS redaction:

WHOIS Field	Returned Value	Issue
Registrant Name	Redacted for Privacy	Acceptable
Creation Date	Not Provided ❌	Inspector may fail
Registrar Updated Date	N/A ❌	Inspector may fail
Email	Redacted	Acceptable

If critical fields (Creation / Updated date) are hidden, the Inspector may not parse the domain metadata.

4️⃣ — Verify DNS Resolution

Run one of the following from the Inspector’s host machine:

nslookup

nslookup <domain>

dig

dig A +noall +answer <domain>

This confirms:

Domain resolves to an IP
DNS is correctly propagated
No misconfiguration in name servers

If DNS resolution fails → WHOIS lookup will also fail.

5️⃣ — Check Domain Registration Status

Use ICANN WHOIS to confirm the domain is:

Active
Not expired
Not suspended
Not in pending deletion / redemption

A domain in any of these states will fail inspection.

6️⃣ — Retry After Some Time

WHOIS servers often limit automated queries or become unavailable for short windows.

Wait 10–30 minutes and retry.

7️⃣ — Run the Inspector in Clear Cache + Debug Mode

This refreshes cached WHOIS data and generates detailed debugging logs.

Edit the Inspector
Enable Clear Cache + Debug Mode
Save & trigger the run

Review logs for WHOIS or DNS lookup errors.

8️⃣ — Confirm Network/Firewall Accessibility

Ensure the Inspector host can reach WHOIS services:

Outbound port 43 (WHOIS protocol) must be allowed
No outbound DNS filtering
No HTTPS inspection breaking certificate chains

Troubleshooting Table 🤩

Step	Check	Expected Output	Issue Indicated
1️⃣ Domain Online	Open in browser	Website loads normally	Offline/suspended site
2️⃣ WHOIS Lookup	Registrar, dates visible	Valid creation + updated date	Redacted/masked data
3️⃣ DNS Resolution	nslookup / dig	Returns valid IP	DNS misconfigured
4️⃣ Registration Status	ICANN WHOIS	Status: Active	Expired/suspended domain
5️⃣ Clear Cache + Debug Mode	Inspector logs	WHOIS response visible	WHOIS provider unreachable
6️⃣ Network Access	Firewall rules	Outbound 43 allowed	Blocking WHOIS traffic

Quick Decision Guide 🚀

START
   │
   ▼
Is the domain online in a browser?
   │       └── NO → Fix hosting/resolution → END
   ▼
Run WHOIS lookup from two tools
   │
Are creation/updated dates visible?
   │       └── NO → WHOIS privacy issue → Adjust settings
   ▼
Run nslookup/dig
   │
Does the domain resolve?
   │       └── NO → DNS misconfiguration → Fix DNS
   ▼
Check ICANN registration status
   │
Is domain ACTIVE?
   │       └── NO → Renew/restore domain
   ▼
Run Inspector in Clear Cache + Debug Mode
   │
Still failing?
   ▼
Contact Liongard Support

Note ‼️

We sometimes link to third-party tools as optional reference material. These resources are provided for convenience only—Liongard does not control or guarantee their functionality, accuracy, or availability. Please use them at your own discretion.

When to Contact Liongard Support 🦁

If all remediation steps have been completed and the Inspector still fails, please open a support case.

Include the following information:

Domain being inspected
Inspector name + environment
Clear Cache + Debug Mode logs
WHOIS results from at least two tools
nslookup/dig output from the Inspector host
Screenshot of the error message
Confirmation the domain is active and publicly accessible
Any recent DNS or registrar changes (if known)

Our Support team is happy to help 😇
💬 Start a chat with Leo (Our AI Assistant) or connect with a live support engineer.
📧 Email: support@liongard.com