# Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP)
The Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) is an alternative protocol to WHOIS that specifies how to access internet resource registration data. It is specifically designed to address various shortcomings in WHOIS. It makes use of HTTPS and follows a RESTful (representational state transfer) web services model.
# Using RDAP to query RIPE Database
The contents of RIPE database can be accessed using RDAP via https://rdap.db.ripe.net/{objectType}/{key} where {objectType} must be one of the Object Types listed below.
List of supported object types
| Object Type | Description |
|---|---|
| autnum | AUT-NUM objects |
| domain | DOMAIN objects |
| ip | INETNUM and INET6NUM objects |
| entity | PERSON, ROLE and MNTNER objects |
The value of {key} depends on the object type.
For example:
curl -v https://rdap.db.ripe.net/ip/2001:67c:2e8:9::c100:14e6
queries IP information, while
curl -v https://rdap.db.ripe.net/domain/193.0.6.139.in-addr.arpa
queries domain information.
If the RIPE Database is not authoritative for the requested resource, the response will redirect to the authoritative RIR.
# RDAP Specification
The RDAP protocol is specified in the RFCs:
- RFC 7480 (opens new window) – HTTP Usage in the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP)
- RFC 7481 (opens new window) – Security Services for the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP)
- RFC 9082 (opens new window) – Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) Query Format
- RFC 9083 (opens new window) – JSON Responses for the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP)
- RFC 7484 (opens new window) – Finding the Authoritative Registration Data (RDAP) Service
- RFC 7485 (opens new window) – Inventory and Analysis of WHOIS Registration Objects
# Known Issues
Known issues with the RDAP implementation for RIPE Database can be found on GitHub (opens new window).