Domain age checker
Find out how old a domain is, straight from its registry: registration and expiry dates, registrar, status locks and nameservers, plus the first copy saved by the Internet Archive to reveal any earlier history.
- Official registry data over RDAP
- Web archive history included
- No signup needed
Domain age
Enter a domain to start
- DomainWaiting for inputThe registered name
- Registry—Found in the IANA list
- Registered—Current registration
- First archived—Internet Archive
Domain report
Enter a domain above to see its exact age, registration timeline, registrar, status locks, nameservers and first appearance in the Internet Archive.
Fair-use limit: 30 lookups per hour and 200 per day for each visitor IP address.
What domain age really measures
The date is exact, but what it means is often misunderstood, especially for SEO and domain buying.
The current registration, not the site
Age counts from the day the current owner's registration began. If a domain lapsed and was registered again, the clock restarted, even though a website existed there before.
Archive history fills the gap
The Internet Archive's first saved copy shows when the domain first had a website. An archive date years before the registration date is a strong sign of an earlier owner.
Age alone does not rank
Google does not use domain age as a ranking signal. What helps older sites is what they built over time: links, content and reputation, which a re-registered domain does not inherit.
Expiry matters more than age
A domain that is not renewed goes offline, then through redemption and deletion, and can be taken by anyone. Watch the expiry date and keep auto-renew on for domains you rely on.
Domain status codes explained
The flags registries publish, what they mean and when to act.
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
active / ok |
No restrictions. The domain works normally. | Nothing. |
client transfer prohibited |
Registrar lock against unauthorised transfers. | Normal and recommended. Unlock only when you move registrars. |
client delete / update prohibited |
Extra registrar locks against deletion or changes. | Normal protection. |
server ... prohibited |
The same locks, set by the registry, often for valuable domains. | Ask the registrar if you need a change. |
client hold / server hold |
The domain is taken out of DNS, so the site and email stop working. | Usually unpaid renewal or a dispute. Contact the registrar. |
auto renew period |
The domain just renewed automatically and can still be refunded. | Nothing, unless you wanted it to lapse. |
redemption period |
Expired and deleted. The owner can still restore it, usually for a fee. | Owner: restore now. Others: watch it. |
pending delete |
About 5 days before the domain is released to the public. | It can soon be registered by anyone. |
How this tool works
What happens between entering a domain and seeing its age.
The domain is cleaned up
Web addresses and subdomains are reduced to the registered domain, so https://blog.example.co.uk/page becomes example.co.uk.
The right registry is found
The IANA bootstrap list says which registry runs each extension, such as Verisign for .com or Nominet for .uk. That registry is asked over RDAP.
Dates and status are read
Registration, expiry and last-change dates, the registrar, status codes, nameservers and DNSSEC come from the registry's answer.
The web archive is checked
The Internet Archive is asked for its first saved copy of the domain, which can reveal history from before the current registration.
What this tool does, and what it doesn't
A plain list, so you know exactly what to expect.
This tool does
- Read dates straight from the domain's registry
- Show age in years, months and days
- Show expiry, renewal time and status locks
- List the registrar, nameservers and DNSSEC
- Find the first Internet Archive copy
- Handle subdomains and country domains
This tool does not
- Show owner names hidden by privacy rules
- Know the age before a re-registration
- Measure SEO strength or authority
- Register, renew or transfer domains
- Cover registries without RDAP
- Keep a history of your searches
Where your data goes
The domain name you enter is sent from our server to its registry's RDAP service, chosen from the IANA list, and to the Internet Archive, identifying itself as AllInOneToolsDomainAge. They see our server, not you. The result is cached for up to 6 hours by domain name so repeat checks are quick. Like any website, our server may keep normal access logs, as described in our privacy policy.
ICANN explains RDAP, the system that replaced WHOIS for domain data.
Why your results might look unexpected
The six surprises people run into most, and what each one means.
No registration date
The registry does not publish it, as with .de. The update date and status are still shown.
Younger than the website
The domain expired and was registered again. Compare with the first archive copy to see its earlier life.
Extension not supported
A few country-code registries do not offer RDAP yet. Use the registry's own WHOIS service for those.
Owner details missing
Personal data is redacted under GDPR and ICANN policy. That is normal and does not mean anything is wrong.
Expires in a few days
Most domains auto-renew. If yours does not, renew it now, because expired domains can be lost quickly.
You entered a subdomain
Subdomains have no registration of their own. The tool checks the registered domain they belong to.
Questions about domain age
Where does the domain age come from?
From the domain's own registry, through RDAP, the official replacement for WHOIS. The tool looks up which registry runs the domain's extension in the IANA list and asks that registry directly for the registration date. Age is counted from that date to today.
Why is the domain younger than I expected?
The registration date resets when a domain expires, is deleted and is registered again by someone new. In that case the site's history is older than its current registration. The first copy in the Internet Archive, shown in the report, helps you spot this: an archive date long before the registration date means the domain had an earlier life.
Does domain age affect SEO?
Not directly. Google has said for years that a domain's age is not a ranking factor. Older sites often rank well because they have had time to earn links, content and trust, not because of the date itself. A recently re-registered expired domain does not inherit the old site's reputation automatically.
Why is no registration date shown for some domains?
Some registries do not publish it. DENIC (.de) and several other country-code registries leave the creation date out of public data, and a few extensions do not offer RDAP yet. The tool then shows what the registry does publish, such as the last update and status.
What do the status codes mean?
They are flags set by the registry or registrar. "Client transfer prohibited" is a normal lock against unauthorised transfers. "Client hold" or "server hold" means the domain is taken offline. "Redemption period" and "pending delete" mean the domain expired and may soon be released for anyone to register.
Can I see who owns a domain?
Usually not. Since GDPR most registries and registrars redact the owner's name and contact details from public data. The tool shows the registrar, which is the company where the domain is registered, and links to ICANN Lookup for the full public record.
Are the domains I check stored?
The result for each domain is cached on our server for up to 6 hours, by domain name only, so repeated checks are fast and do not burden the registries. The domain is sent to its registry and to the Internet Archive. A hashed, temporary copy of your IP address is used for rate limiting and expires within 24 hours. Like any website, our server may keep normal access logs, as described in our privacy policy.