# Domain Availability Checker & WHOIS (RDAP) (`ninja.dev/domain-availability-whois`) Actor

Check if domain names are available and get WHOIS data in bulk. Give it domains or brand names plus extensions (.com .io .ai .app): returns available or registered, registrar, creation and expiry dates, nameservers, DNSSEC and DNS, from official RDAP and WHOIS registries.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/ninja.dev/domain-availability-whois.md
- **Developed by:** [Matheus Coelho](https://apify.com/ninja.dev) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 domain checkeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Domain Availability Checker & WHOIS (RDAP)

Check hundreds of domain names in one run and get the registration details of the taken ones.

- **Bulk availability**: pass full domains, or pass brand names and a list of extensions (`mybrand` x `.com .io .ai .app .co`) and every combination is checked.
- **WHOIS data for registered domains**: registrar, creation date, expiration date, days until expiry, nameservers, DNSSEC and registry status codes.
- **DNS check**: whether the domain resolves and its IP addresses.

Data comes from the official registries: **RDAP** (the modern replacement for WHOIS) for 1,200+ extensions, falling back to classic **WHOIS** (port 43) for extensions without RDAP, such as `.co` and `.de`. No API key, no third-party reseller.

### Use cases

- **Naming a product or company**: check a shortlist of names across all the extensions you care about.
- **Domain investing**: find soon-to-expire domains with `daysUntilExpiration`.
- **Security and brand protection**: audit lookalike domains, their registrars and nameservers.
- **Lead enrichment**: registrar, age and DNS of a company's domain.
- **AI agents**: `available` is a plain `true` / `false`, and every row has a `recordType`.

### Input

| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| `domains` | Full domains, e.g. `example.com`. URLs are accepted. |
| `names` | Names without extension, e.g. `mybrand`. Each is combined with every entry in `tlds`. |
| `tlds` | Extensions for `names` (default: com, io, ai, app, co, net, org, dev). |
| `checkDns` | Add DNS records and IPs (default on). |
| `maxDomains` | Safety limit per run (default 500). |
| `maxConcurrency` | Parallel lookups (default 5). |

### Output

```json
{
  "recordType": "domain",
  "domain": "stripe.io",
  "available": false,
  "status": "registered",
  "method": "rdap",
  "registrar": "SafeNames Ltd.",
  "createdDate": "2013-06-04T21:19:25Z",
  "expirationDate": "2027-06-06T21:19:25Z",
  "daysUntilExpiration": 236,
  "nameservers": ["ns-1087.awsdns-07.org", "ns-1882.awsdns-43.co.uk"],
  "dnssec": false,
  "registryStatus": ["client transfer prohibited"],
  "hasDnsRecords": true
}
```

An available domain looks like `{ "domain": "mybrand.ai", "available": true, "status": "available", "method": "rdap" }`.

`status` can be `available`, `registered` or `likely-available`. The last one only appears when a registry offers neither RDAP nor reachable WHOIS and the answer comes from DNS alone, so double-check it with a registrar before buying.

### Good to know

- Availability means "not registered at the registry". Premium or reserved names may still be unavailable or priced higher at registrars.
- Some registries (e.g. `.de`) publish no registrar or dates over WHOIS; those fields are `null`.
- WHOIS servers throttle bursts. The Actor queues requests per registry, so big lists take a little longer but stay accurate.

### Related Actors

- [Google Ads Transparency Scraper](https://apify.com/ninja.dev/google-ads-transparency-scraper): what ads a company runs on Google.
- [App Store & Google Play Scraper](https://apify.com/ninja.dev/app-store-google-play): apps and reviews from both stores.
- [US Government Contracts & Grants](https://apify.com/ninja.dev/us-gov-contracts-grants): federal contract winners and open grants.

# Actor input Schema

## `domains` (type: `array`):

Full domain names to check, e.g. example.com, mybrand.io. URLs are accepted too.

## `names` (type: `array`):

Brand or product names without extension, e.g. mybrand. Each one is checked with every extension in the list below.

## `tlds` (type: `array`):

Extensions combined with each name.

## `checkDns` (type: `boolean`):

Also report whether the domain has DNS records and its IP addresses.

## `maxDomains` (type: `integer`):

Safety limit on the number of domains checked in one run.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Registries rate-limit bursts; keep this low for big lists.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "domains": [
    "google.com",
    "this-brand-name-is-free-7731.com"
  ],
  "tlds": [
    "com",
    "io",
    "ai",
    "app",
    "co",
    "net",
    "org",
    "dev"
  ],
  "checkDns": true,
  "maxDomains": 500,
  "maxConcurrency": 5
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Availability, registrar, dates, nameservers, DNSSEC and DNS for each domain.

## `summary` (type: `string`):

Count of domains checked and the list of available ones.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "domains": [
        "google.com",
        "this-brand-name-is-free-7731.com"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("ninja.dev/domain-availability-whois").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "domains": [
        "google.com",
        "this-brand-name-is-free-7731.com",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("ninja.dev/domain-availability-whois").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "domains": [
    "google.com",
    "this-brand-name-is-free-7731.com"
  ]
}' |
apify call ninja.dev/domain-availability-whois --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,ninja.dev/domain-availability-whois"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/TesejPijNr2fRMbxz/builds/gSjiE3N3sXCIRHTgi/openapi.json