# Terminal: Getting domain name information

## Question

How do I get a domain name information using shell?

## Answer

Use WHOIS command.

While you can retrieve whois information through the [control panel](https://cp.openprovider.eu/domain/whois.php), sometimes it is useful to have it plain text, for example, if you want to automate something.

In most cases, a simple *whois* command works fine:

```
whois openprovider.com
```

Some registries (e.g. .com and .net) are known as *thin registries* - they do not store contact data. They refer to the registrar's whois service instead (search for *Registrar WHOIS Server* in the output). If your whois application does not query this whois server automatically as well, you can do it yourself using the *-h* option:

```
whois -h whois.registrar.eu openprovider.com
```

Sometimes your whois application cannot find a whois server. This often happens with new gTLDs. In such a case, it's again the *-h* option that you need. Our [extension pages](https://support.openprovider.eu/hc/en-us/sections/360005841014) contain the whois servers for most of the registries.

```
whois -h whois.nic.domains openprovider.domains
```

**Tip**: all new gTLDs run their whois server on *whois.nic.tld* - where "tld" is, of course, the extension that you want to query.