How Nameak checks domain availability
Last updated November 1, 2026
Nameak checks whether a domain is registered by asking the registry that runs its extension, using the registry’s RDAP service. It never infers availability from DNS, guesses from search results or relies on a reseller’s API, and it charges only when the registry confirms a domain is taken.
What is RDAP?
RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is the standard, JSON-based successor to WHOIS that domain registries use to publish registration records. ICANN requires generic top-level domain registries to run RDAP services, and IANA publishes a bootstrap file listing the RDAP server for each extension.
How a check works
- Nameak looks up the registry’s RDAP server for the extension in the IANA RDAP bootstrap file.
- It asks that registry for the domain’s registration record.
- A returned record means Registered; a confirmed “not found” means No registration found.
- Anything else is reported as Unverified or Unable to verify. Network failures are retried once.
After every search the top names are checked automatically, ten domains at a time. Any other name can be checked with one click.
What each result means
| Result | What it means | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Registered | The registry returned a registration record for the domain. Someone owns it. | 2 credits |
| No registration found | The authoritative registry has no record. The domain may still be reserved, premium-priced or about to be released, so confirm with a registrar. | Free |
| Unverified | The registry answered, but not conclusively (for example an unexpected response). | Free |
| Verification unavailable | The extension has no free, authoritative lookup service, so Nameak does not guess. | Free |
| Unable to verify | The registry could not be reached, even after one automatic retry. | Free |
| Rate limited | The registry asked Nameak to slow down. Try that domain again shortly. | Free |
| Limit reached | Not looked up because the free preview allowance or your credit balance ran out. | Free |
Supported extensions and sources
| Extension | Source |
|---|---|
| .com, .net | Registry RDAP listed in the IANA bootstrap |
| .ai, .org, .dev, .app, .tech, .xyz | Registry RDAP listed in the IANA bootstrap |
| .io | Registry-operated RDAP (rdap.identitydigital.services) |
| .us | Registry-operated RDAP (rdap.nic.us) |
| .co | Registry WHOIS (whois.registry.co) |
| Any other extension you add | Registry RDAP when IANA lists one; otherwise “Verification unavailable” |
.com, .ai, .io and .net are selected by default; the others are one click away in the generator.
Questions about domain checks
Why doesn’t Nameak say a domain is “available”?
Because a registry only confirms whether a registration record exists. A domain with no record can still be reserved by the registry, sold at a premium price or held during a deletion period. “No registration found” is the honest result; a registrar confirms whether you can buy it and at what price.
Is checking a domain with Nameak private?
Nameak sends the domain name to the registry’s public lookup service and nothing about you. Signed-in lookups are kept for 30 days so a repeated request is never charged twice, then deleted automatically.
How current are the results?
Each check queries the registry at the moment you run it. Nameak refreshes the IANA list of registry servers every 12 hours. Each result shows when it was checked and which registry answered.
Next step: trademarks
A free domain is not a free name. Search the USPTO and the WIPO Global Brand Database for the same and similar-sounding names in your field; the naming guide explains how.