IP Whois Lookup

An IP whois lookup service allows you to enter any IP address and retrieve registration and ownership details about that address. This data lives in global whois databases maintained by regional internet registries and domain registrars.

When you perform an IP address lookup, here are some key pieces of information you may uncover:

Identity of the ISP or Organization:

The lookup will show what organization or ISP has been assigned control of that IP address block. This tells you the owner, whether it's a major consumer ISP like Comcast, a business handling its own internet infrastructure, a university IP space, or other entity.

Physical Address and Contacts:

Many IP whois services also include physical addresses, postal codes, administrative contacts, technical contacts, and phone numbers associated with control of the IP block. This further helps pinpoint the entity and personnel behind an IP address or range.

IP Address Block Details and Assignment History:

In addition to the current network owner, a whois IP lookup reveals details on that block of addresses itself. This includes:

• Who originally obtained the IP address block and when
• Which regional internet registry assigned it
• Any sub-assignments of smaller address subgroups
• A history of previous organizations that have been responsible for that block

All of this provides context on the origins of an IP address going back to its first regional assignment.

Geographic Location and Usage Type:

While IP geolocation is never 100% precise, a whois lookup gives information on what country, state, and often metro region an IP address belongs to. Behind the scenes, registration records include location details, allowing for approximate geotargeting of an IP address to a geographic area.

The whois details might also indicate if an IP address belongs to an internet service provider, data center/web host, university, business, government body or other usage type based on the assigning organization.

DNS Server Data and Other Technical Details:

A whois lookup for an IP address also shows associated technical data like Domain Name System (DNS) server assignments, routing contacts, and which autonomous system network path an IP block belongs to.

This deeper technical data supplements the business and administrative look at who controls a particular IP address or set of addresses. Security experts, researchers, and other power users can piece together further context from these technical breadcrumbs within the whois record.

In summary, an IP address whois lookup taps into a vast system of global databases to uncover details on who controls a particular internet IP address, key personnel, where its located, and technical details on routing and connections.