How to Find Your Domain Registrar | NOC.org Support

Before you can change your nameservers to NOC, you need to know which registrar controls your domain. Your registrar is the company where your domain name is registered — it may or may not be the same as your hosting provider. This guide shows you how to find your registrar using WHOIS and ICANN lookup tools.

Understanding Registrar vs. Hosting Provider

• Domain registrar: The company where you purchased and registered your domain name. This is where you change nameservers. Examples: Namecheap, GoDaddy, Hover, Google Domains, Network Solutions.
• Hosting provider: The company that hosts your website files. Examples: Liquid Web, SiteGround, WP Engine, AWS. Your hosting provider may also be your registrar, but they are often different companies.
• DNS provider: The service that resolves your domain's DNS queries. This could be your registrar, a third-party service, or NOC.

Nameserver changes must be made at your domain registrar, not your hosting provider or DNS provider.

Method 1 — WHOIS Lookup (Command Line)

If you have terminal access, run a WHOIS query:

whois example.com

Look for the Registrar field in the output:

Domain Name: EXAMPLE.COM
Registrar: NAMECHEAP INC
Registrar URL: http://www.namecheap.com
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.namecheap.com
Updated Date: 2024-01-15T12:00:00Z
Creation Date: 2010-03-20T10:30:00Z
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2026-03-20T10:30:00Z

In this example, the registrar is Namecheap Inc.

Method 2 — ICANN WHOIS Lookup (Web)

ICANN provides an official lookup tool that works for all domains:

1. Go to lookup.icann.org.
2. Enter your domain name (e.g., example.com) and click Lookup.
3. Scroll down to the Registrar Information section.
4. The Registrar Name field shows which company controls your domain.

Method 3 — Third-Party WHOIS Tools

Several free web-based tools provide WHOIS data:

• who.is — clean interface with registrar info prominently displayed.
• DomainTools WHOIS — includes historical WHOIS data.
• whois.com — straightforward lookup with contact details.

Method 4 — Check with dig

You can also identify who manages your DNS (which may help identify the registrar) by checking the current nameservers:

dig example.com NS +short

Sample output:

dns1.registrar-servers.com.
dns2.registrar-servers.com.

The nameserver hostnames often hint at the registrar. For example, registrar-servers.com is Namecheap's default DNS, domaincontrol.com is GoDaddy's, and hover.com is Hover's.

Common Nameserver to Registrar Mapping

Privacy-Protected WHOIS

Many registrars offer WHOIS privacy protection, which replaces your personal contact information with the registrar's proxy details. The Registrar Name field is still visible even when privacy protection is enabled, so you can always identify your registrar through WHOIS lookup.

Next Steps

Once you know your registrar, follow the appropriate guide to change your nameservers:

• Change Nameservers on Namecheap
• Change Nameservers on GoDaddy
• Change Nameservers on Hover
• Change Nameservers on Network Solutions

If your registrar is not listed above, the general process is the same: log in, find the nameserver or DNS settings, switch to custom nameservers, and enter ns1.noc.org and ns2.noc.org.