.dev WHOIS Lookup
.dev is a generic extension opened for software developers and operated by Charleston Road Registry. Look up a .dev address and see the record.
- 1.494 extensions
- IANA 1601 ICANN accredited
- 2 protocols — RDAP and WHOIS
Your IP address 216.73.216.31
.dev WHOIS Lookup: Records in a Developer Extension
.dev is a generic extension that entered the root zone on 20 November 2014, operated by Charleston Road Registry. Its IANA record defines no WHOIS server, and in our measurement on 12 August 2026 no registration data came back on port 43. Record data is answered by the RDAP endpoint on the registry's public API; the zone holds a DS record in the root.
The most visible difference between RDAP and plain-text WHOIS is how it handles dates. A WHOIS reply writes them under separate field names; RDAP lists them as events and states the type of each one. The record we measured carried registration, expiry and last-change events. That structure makes a record's history easier to read: you do not have to infer which date means what, because the event names it.
One more event sits in that list and is easily missed: when the registry database itself was last updated. That stamp concerns the freshness of the data rather than the record — it tells you which moment the information you are seeing belongs to. For the same registry's other extension see the .app WHOIS lookup, and for a generic extension whose port 43 stayed open, the .cloud WHOIS lookup page.
About the .dev extension
- Extension
- .dev
- WHOIS server
- This extension has no WHOIS service on port 43; registration data is published over RDAP.
- RDAP endpoint
- https://pubapi.registry.google/rdap
- Registry
- Charleston Road Registry Inc.
- Delegated
- 20 November 2014
- Port 43 status
- No WHOIS server in the IANA record; no registration data arrives on port 43
- Events
- Registration, expiry, last change and a database freshness stamp
- Source of record data
- The RDAP endpoint on the registry's public API
WHOIS FAQ
Why are dates listed as events in a .dev record?
Because RDAP gives dates as event records carrying their type rather than under separate field names. The record we measured held registration, expiry and last-change events separately. The practical benefit is this: you do not have to work out which date means what from a field name, since the event states its own type. Our result screen places those events into the date fields.
What does the database stamp in a .dev reply mean?
It reports when the registry's registration database was last updated — not that anything changed in the domain you queried. Confusing the two is a common mistake: the stamp looks fresh on every query, while the record itself may have been untouched for years. Change to the domain is read only from the last-change event, and that event can be far older.
Can a .dev lookup be made on port 43?
No. The extension's IANA record defines no WHOIS server, and in our measurement no registration data came back on port 43. Since 28 January 2025 RDAP has been the definitive source for generic extensions and the obligation to provide WHOIS has ended. Querying .dev with an older WHOIS client returns nothing; the right channel is the registry's RDAP endpoint.
Does a .dev record show the domain holder?
Identity data is not opened at registry level. The RDAP reply may carry a registrant role, but the name and contact lines are closed on privacy grounds, and the only identity line that can stay open is the organisation. Where contact is needed, the channel of the registrar named in the reply is the right address, and the email and phone for abuse reports come from there too.
How is DNSSEC status seen for a .dev address?
At the level of the extension, the .dev zone holds a DS record in the root, which we verified during the measurement. For an individual address the secure DNS section of the RDAP reply is what to read, reporting whether signing has been published for that name. We show the two separately on the result screen; a signed zone does not make your own address signed.
How does an available .dev name appear in a lookup?
Query a name nobody holds and the RDAP endpoint reports that no record exists, with no fields at all, event list included. That means the name looks free to register. We keep such a result for five minutes only and registered ones for six hours, the short window being there because a name that looks free can be taken quickly.