.link WHOIS Lookup
.link is a generic extension operated by Nova Registry. Look up a .link address and see what the record contains.
- 1.494 extensions
- IANA 1601 ICANN accredited
- 2 protocols — RDAP and WHOIS
Your IP address 216.73.216.31
.link WHOIS Lookup: The Authoritative Server and Fields
.link is a generic extension that entered the root zone on 9 January 2014; the IANA record names Nova Registry Ltd. as its operator. The server answering on port 43, however, carries the name of another brand and does not match the extension. In our measurement on 12 August 2026 that server returned a record of fourteen fields, and an RDAP endpoint under the same brand name is available too. The zone holds a DS record in the root.
This raises a question people meet early when learning WHOIS: how do you know which server is authoritative for an extension? The answer comes from IANA's root zone record, not from a pattern in the server's name. Under many extensions the server follows the whois.nic.extension shape, but that is a habit rather than a rule; when an operator changes or a registration system moves to different infrastructure, the name can lag behind.
The content of the record is the shared template of the newer generic extensions: creation, update and expiry dates, the registrar's name and IANA number, an abuse contact, name servers and status codes. No registrant field exists at registry level. For a case where the server name and the extension do match, see the .cloud WHOIS lookup; for another sharing the same narrow schema, the .site WHOIS lookup page.
About the .link extension
- Extension
- .link
- WHOIS server
- whois.uniregistry.net
- RDAP endpoint
- https://rdap.uniregistry.net/rdap
- Registry
- Nova Registry Ltd.
- Delegated
- 9 January 2014
- Fields measured
- 14 fields (12 August 2026)
- Server name
- The answering server's name does not match the extension; the authority is the IANA record
- Withheld
- Registrant fields are not opened at registry level
WHOIS FAQ
Why does the server answering .link carry a different name?
Because an extension's WHOIS server does not have to be named after the extension. The IANA record names an organisation as operator, while the server answering queries may carry the brand of the infrastructure running the registration system. In our measurement that server returned a complete record of fourteen fields; the difference in name does not affect the validity of the reply.
How is an extension's authoritative WHOIS server verified?
From IANA's root zone record. Each extension's entry states the operator, the delegation date and, where they exist, the WHOIS server and RDAP endpoint; that is the authoritative address. A server following the whois.nic.extension shape is a widespread habit but not a rule. A tool trusting the pattern and asking the wrong server can collect data that looks valid while coming from another source.
Does a .link WHOIS lookup show the domain holder?
It does not. No field for a registrant, an admin or a technical contact exists at registry level. What the reply does carry plainly is the name of the registrar that sold the domain, its IANA number and an email address and phone number for abuse reports. Where identity is needed, that registrar's own channel is the step that works.
Does a .link record carry creation and expiry dates?
It does. The reply gives the creation date, the last modification and the expiry date in UTC, and the same three values arrive as events on the RDAP side. Our result screen derives the domain's age and its remaining term from them. As the term runs short we turn the indicator to a warning colour, so the renewal window is hard to miss.
What does the RDAP endpoint give for .link?
The endpoint returns the same record as JSON; in our measurement the only role was the registrar and the events amounted to registration, expiry and last change. The scope matches the port 43 reply and the difference is form. The advantage of a structured reply is that field positions are fixed, so parsing does not break when the registry changes its text template.
How does an available .link name appear in a lookup?
Query a name nobody holds and the registry reports that no match was found, with none of the fourteen fields present. 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.