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WHOIS

Lookup an IP or domain. Uses IANA referral first, then registry WHOIS.

Query
197.231.202.228
IANA
whois.iana.org
Referred
whois.afrinic.net
WHOIS servers can rate limit. Results are cached for performance.
### IANA response (whois.iana.org)

% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

refer:        whois.afrinic.net

inetnum:      197.0.0.0 - 197.255.255.255
organisation: AFRINIC
status:       ALLOCATED

whois:        whois.afrinic.net

changed:      2008-10
source:       IANA

### Registry response (whois.afrinic.net)

% This is the AfriNIC Whois server.
% The AFRINIC whois database is subject to  the following terms of Use. See https://afrinic.net/whois/terms

% Note: this output has been filtered.
%       To receive output for a database update, use the "-B" flag.

% Information related to '197.231.200.0 - 197.231.203.255'

% No abuse contact registered for 197.231.200.0 - 197.231.203.255

inetnum:        197.231.200.0 - 197.231.203.255
netname:        SOMTEL
descr:          SOMTEL International
country:        SO
org:            ORG-SIL2-AFRINIC
admin-c:        YJ2-AFRINIC
admin-c:        AS206-AFRINIC
tech-c:         YJ2-AFRINIC
tech-c:         AS206-AFRINIC
status:         ALLOCATED PA
mnt-by:         AFRINIC-HM-MNT
mnt-lower:      SOMTEL-MNT
source:         AFRINIC # Filtered
parent:         197.0.0.0 - 197.255.255.255

organisation:   ORG-SIL2-AFRINIC
org-name:       SOMTEL INTERNATIONAL Ltd
org-type:       LIR
country:        SO
address:        SOMTEL INTERNATIONAL Ltd Somtel HQ,26 june avenue
address:        Hargiesa
phone:          tel:+252-7-9000001
phone:          tel:+252-7-9000005
phone:          tel:+252-65-9000373
admin-c:        YJ2-AFRINIC
admin-c:        AS206-AFRINIC
tech-c:         YJ2-AFRINIC
tech-c:         AS206-AFRINIC
mnt-ref:        AFRINIC-HM-MNT
mnt-ref:        somtel-mnt
mnt-by:         AFRINIC-HM-MNT
source:         AFRINIC # Filtered

person:         Ahmed Said
address:        Somtel HQ, Main Road, 26 June,
address:        Hargeisa
address:        Somalia
phone:          tel:+252-65-9000890
nic-hdl:        AS206-AFRINIC
source:         AFRINIC # Filtered
mnt-by:         GENERATED-WHORCEF9VRAO5L6B5WLIVGXCLTMCOTQO-MNT

person:         Yassin Jama
address:        26 June, Jirde Village
address:        Hargeisa 00252
address:        Somalia
phone:          tel:+252-65-9000373
nic-hdl:        YJ2-AFRINIC
mnt-by:         GENERATED-ABNWYNKKATW1PVSW1S0XF7SN6VEL1V5I-MNT
source:         AFRINIC # Filtered

% Information related to '197.231.200.0/22AS37563'

route:          197.231.200.0/22
origin:         AS37563
descr:          somtel
mnt-by:         SOMTEL-MNT
source:         AFRINIC # Filtered
mnt-routes:     SOMTEL-MNT

Frequently Asked Questions

What is WHOIS?

WHOIS is a protocol that queries databases to find the registered owner of a domain name or IP address. It reveals the registrar, registration dates, nameservers, and contact information associated with a domain or IP block.

Is WHOIS data always accurate?

Not always. Many domain registrars offer WHOIS privacy protection that replaces the registrant's personal details with proxy information. IP WHOIS data from Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) is generally more reliable than domain WHOIS data.

Can I use WHOIS to find who owns an IP address?

Yes. Enter any IP address into the WHOIS tool to find the organization that owns the IP block, the Regional Internet Registry (ARIN, RIPE, APNIC, etc.) that allocated it, and the network range it belongs to.

What is the difference between domain WHOIS and IP WHOIS?

Domain WHOIS shows registration details like the registrar, creation date, expiry date, and nameservers. IP WHOIS shows the network allocation, the organization that owns the IP block, and the abuse contact for reporting issues.

Why does WHOIS show privacy protection instead of real details?

Domain registrars offer WHOIS privacy services to protect registrants from spam, identity theft, and unwanted contact. GDPR regulations in Europe also require redaction of personal data from WHOIS records.

How often is WHOIS data updated?

WHOIS data is updated by the registrar or registry whenever changes are made to a domain or IP registration. Our tool queries the authoritative WHOIS server in real-time, with results cached for 7 days to reduce server load.

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