About the IP WHOIS Lookup tool
All computers or servers on the Internet have an IP address. IP addresses are allocated to organisations in blocks of contiguous addresses, who then allocate ranges within their allocation to their customers.
You can perform a query known as "WHOIS" to identify which organisation an IP address is allocated to.
Use Cases
Use the IP WHOIS tool on Solid Tools for Developers to:
- Identify which organisation is responsible for an IP address
- Find out contacts to report abuse or technical problems with an IP address
Usage
Enter an IPv4 or IPv6 address in the "IP address" field.
Results
The raw output from the WHOIS database will be displayed.
The following example shows a WHOIS lookup for 2a07:7800::155, an IPv6 address allocated to 20i - the company that hosts the server running Solid Tools for Developers.
% This is the RIPE Database query service. % The objects are in RPSL format. % % The RIPE Database is subject to Terms and Conditions. % See http://www.ripe.net/db/support/db-terms-conditions.pdf % Note: this output has been filtered. % To receive output for a database update, use the "-B" flag. % Information related to '2a07:7800::/29' % Abuse contact for '2a07:7800::/29' is 'abuse@20i.com' inet6num: 2a07:7800::/29 netname: UK-20I-20160509 country: GB org: ORG-LA982-RIPE admin-c: LC11803-RIPE tech-c: LC11803-RIPE status: ALLOCATED-BY-RIR mnt-by: RIPE-NCC-HM-MNT mnt-by: MNT-20i mnt-lower: uk-20i-1-mnt mnt-lower: MNT-20i mnt-routes: uk-20i-1-mnt mnt-routes: N4-NOC created: 2016-05-09T12:49:12Z last-modified: 2016-09-15T16:31:43Z source: RIPE organisation: ORG-LA982-RIPE org-name: 20i Limited org-type: LIR address: Laurel House address: NG21 0HJ address: Mansfield address: UNITED KINGDOM phone: +443333442720 admin-c: LC11803-RIPE tech-c: LC11803-RIPE abuse-c: AR36293-RIPE mnt-ref: MNT-20i mnt-ref: RIPE-NCC-HM-MNT mnt-by: RIPE-NCC-HM-MNT mnt-by: MNT-20i created: 2016-05-03T11:35:51Z last-modified: 2018-09-19T13:36:39Z source: RIPE # Filtered person: Lloyd Cobb address: 20i Limited address: Laurel House address: Mansfield address: NG21 0HJ address: UNITED KINGDOM phone: +443333442720 nic-hdl: LC11803-RIPE mnt-by: MNT-20i created: 2016-05-03T11:35:50Z last-modified: 2018-09-21T09:16:22Z source: RIPE % Information related to '2a07:7800::/29AS31727' route6: 2a07:7800::/29 origin: AS31727 mnt-by: N4-NOC created: 2016-11-10T15:36:39Z last-modified: 2016-11-10T15:36:39Z source: RIPE descr: 20i v6 Network % This query was served by the RIPE Database Query Service version 1.92.6 (WAGYU)
What is an IP address?
An IP address is a unique "address" for any device that is connected to a network.
IP addresses currently come in two formats - known as IPv4 (the most common) and IPv6 (a newer standard for an ever-expanding Internet.)
IPv4
IPv4 addresses are four groups of between 1 and 3 digits, separated by dots.
For example, the server that runs Solid Tools for Developers has the IPv4 address: 185.151.31.138
IPv6
IPv6 addresses are longer than IPv4 and contain letters as well as numbers. IPv6 networks can accommodate a much larger number of devices than IPv4 networks and are growing in popularity.