In a groundbreaking move, Spaceship, in collaboration with Namecheap, has unveiled a free Whois history tool available on Spaceship.com. This tool marks a significant advancement in the accessibility and transparency of domain ownership information, offering users a comprehensive view of historical Whois data without the need for any login or prior association with Spaceship. However, there is one “but,” which I will speak about in a moment.

Historical WHOIS data

The Spaceship Whois history tool offers a archive of Whois records dating back to 2011. This extensive database allows users to delve into the ownership history of a domain name, providing valuable insights that are often hidden behind privacy protections. Whether you are investigating a potential purchase or addressing domain infringement issues, this tool provides the data you need.

Beyond simply identifying the current owner of a domain, the tool also reveals the email addresses of former registrants. This feature is particularly useful for those looking to make a purchase inquiry or contact a registrant regarding domain disputes, especially when the current Whois record is private due to default privacy settings by some registrars.

Comparing with paid tools

Historically, accessing such comprehensive Whois data required paid subscriptions to services. These kinds of platforms, while effective, can be costly. Spaceship’s free tool democratizes access to this information, offering a cost-effective alternative without compromising on the depth of data. Each of these platforms has its own methods of collecting Whois information, so using Spaceship’s tool alongside others could provide a more complete picture.

However, it is not a tool for researchers, and certainly more advanced ones. The tool, during a single session, allows you to examine only one domain, unlike dedicated services, which can fully show the historical flow and present it in a more readable way for further analysis or work with large datasets. So, It’s a nice toy for people who want to check a domain before buying, but it’s not for people who want to do more advanced research on large collections of domains.

How to access the tool?

Access to the Whois history tool is not yet available directly when searching for domains to register / transfer. It requires adding additional parameters to the URL, we have prepared such a URL for our readers – here.

Who benefits from this tool?

This tool is primarily aimed at:

  • Domain registrants: individuals and businesses involved in the registration and management of domain names can use this tool to track historical ownership and manage their domain portfolios effectively.
  • Companies addressing abuse issues: firms looking to contact domain owners regarding abuse or infringement issues will find the historical registrant email information particularly useful.
  • Domain history enthusiasts: anyone interested in uncovering the history of their own domains can gain insights into previous ownership and registration changes.

However, it’s important to note that while the tool is highly useful for these purposes, it may not be suitable for more professional, research-oriented tasks due to potential limitations in data retrieval and ease of use. For extensive research purposes, specialized tools and services might be more appropriate.