# Domain Availability Checker: Bulk WHOIS / RDAP Lookup (`tomstudio/domain-rdap-bulk-checker`) Actor

Bulk domain availability checker and WHOIS / RDAP lookup: available or registered, registrar, creation & expiry dates, nameservers, DNSSEC. 1,200+ TLDs via official registry RDAP + DNS fallback. Keyword x TLD generator.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/tomstudio/domain-rdap-bulk-checker.md
- **Developed by:** [Tom Studio](https://apify.com/tomstudio) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, SEO tools, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per usage

This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## 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 - Bulk WHOIS / RDAP Lookup

Check **thousands of domains in one run**: is it **available or registered**, which **registrar**, **creation and expiry dates**, **nameservers**, EPP status codes and **DNSSEC**. Data comes straight from the **official registry RDAP servers** (RDAP is the modern, structured successor of WHOIS) found through the **IANA bootstrap registry** - 1,200+ TLDs. For ccTLDs without public RDAP (e.g. .io, .ch, .de, .it, .eu) it falls back to a DNS check. No login, no proxy, no browser.

### Use cases

- **Brand & startup naming**: combine name ideas with TLDs (`keywords` x `tlds`) and keep only free domains (`onlyAvailable`).
- **Expiry monitoring**: track when your or your competitors' domains expire; schedule a weekly run and alert on changes.
- **Domain portfolio audits**: registrar, nameservers and DNSSEC for every domain you own.
- **Lead enrichment / cleanup**: check which company domains in a list are live.

### Input example

```json
{
  "domains": ["apify.com", "example.org"],
  "keywords": ["jolly games", "swiss tenders"],
  "tlds": ["com", "net", "io", "ai", "dev", "app", "ch"],
  "onlyAvailable": false
}
```

### Output sample

```json
{
  "domain": "apify.com",
  "tld": "com",
  "available": false,
  "status": "REGISTERED",
  "method": "rdap",
  "registrar": "Amazon Registrar, Inc.",
  "registrarIanaId": "468",
  "createdAt": "2009-06-02T17:14:10Z",
  "expiresAt": "2035-06-02T17:14:10Z",
  "domainStatus": ["client transfer prohibited"],
  "nameservers": ["ns-1225.awsdns-25.org", "ns-449.awsdns-56.com"],
  "dnssec": true
}
```

### Status values

- `AVAILABLE` - the registry's RDAP server says the domain does not exist. Premium or reserved names can still be blocked or cost more at your registrar.
- `PROBABLY_AVAILABLE` - TLD has no public RDAP; the domain does not exist in DNS. Registered domains without DNS are possible, so double-check at a registrar.
- `REGISTERED` - found in RDAP (with registrar and dates) or in DNS (nameservers only).
- `UNKNOWN` - registry rate-limited or errored; the `note` field explains why. Simply re-run those domains.

### Notes

- Registrant personal data is not collected (RDAP redacts it under GDPR anyway).
- The Actor is polite to registries: max 3 parallel requests per RDAP server with automatic retry on rate limits.
- IDN domains (e.g. `zürich.ch`) are converted to punycode automatically.

Questions or feature requests? Open an issue on the Actor page - we answer quickly.

### Who is this for?

Founders looking for a name, domain investors, SEO and brand-protection teams, agencies auditing client portfolios, and developers who need a **WHOIS API alternative**.

### FAQ

**Is this WHOIS?** It uses RDAP, the official successor of WHOIS, run by the registries. Same core data, structured as JSON.
**Why `PROBABLY_AVAILABLE`?** Some TLDs (e.g. .io, .ch, .de) have no public RDAP, so the Actor checks DNS. Confirm at a registrar before buying.
**Does it show the owner's name?** No. Registrant personal data is redacted by registries (GDPR) and not collected.
**How many domains per run?** Thousands; the Actor limits parallel requests per registry to avoid blocks.
**Can it find expiring domains?** It reports the expiry date of registered domains; schedule it to monitor a list.

### More free tools by tomstudio

- [ATS Jobs Scraper (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby...)](https://apify.com/tomstudio/ats-jobs-scraper)
- [TED Tenders Monitor (EU & Swiss public procurement)](https://apify.com/tomstudio/ted-tenders-monitor)
- [SEC EDGAR Filings Monitor](https://apify.com/tomstudio/sec-edgar-filings-monitor)
- [Domain Availability & RDAP Bulk Checker](https://apify.com/tomstudio/domain-rdap-bulk-checker)
- [App Store Reviews Scraper](https://apify.com/tomstudio/app-store-reviews-scraper)
- [Hacker News Search & Comments](https://apify.com/tomstudio/hacker-news-search)
- [Wayback Machine Snapshots](https://apify.com/tomstudio/wayback-machine-snapshots)
- [RSS & Atom Feed Reader](https://apify.com/tomstudio/rss-feed-reader)
- [YouTube Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/tomstudio/youtube-transcript-scraper)

# Actor input Schema

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

Domains or URLs to check (https://, www. and paths are removed automatically).

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Optional. Each keyword is combined with every TLD below (spaces removed), e.g. 'jolly games' -> jollygames.com, jollygames.io.

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

Extensions used with keywords, e.g. com, net, io, ai, dev, app, ch, it, de.

## `onlyAvailable` (type: `boolean`):

Skip registered/unknown domains in the output.

## `dnsFallback` (type: `boolean`):

Some ccTLDs (e.g. .io, .ch, .de, .it, .eu) have no public RDAP server; use a DNS NS lookup instead (status PROBABLY_AVAILABLE / REGISTERED).

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of domains to check per run.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "domains": [
    "apify.com",
    "example.org",
    "jolly-test-name-48213.com"
  ],
  "keywords": [
    "jolly games"
  ],
  "tlds": [
    "com",
    "net",
    "io",
    "ai",
    "dev",
    "app"
  ],
  "onlyAvailable": false,
  "dnsFallback": true,
  "maxItems": 1000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `domains` (type: `string`):

All checked domains (overview table view).

# 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": [
        "apify.com",
        "example.org",
        "jolly-test-name-48213.com"
    ],
    "keywords": [
        "jolly games"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("tomstudio/domain-rdap-bulk-checker").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": [
        "apify.com",
        "example.org",
        "jolly-test-name-48213.com",
    ],
    "keywords": ["jolly games"],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("tomstudio/domain-rdap-bulk-checker").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": [
    "apify.com",
    "example.org",
    "jolly-test-name-48213.com"
  ],
  "keywords": [
    "jolly games"
  ]
}' |
apify call tomstudio/domain-rdap-bulk-checker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,tomstudio/domain-rdap-bulk-checker"
        }
    }
}
```

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/SmXgEgEtbfkXVFLXu/builds/rsqjcIc2MP23W54ci/openapi.json