Simple Whois Tools logo

Simple Whois Tools Akaere NetWorks

whois
Use this command to install Simple Whois Tools:
winget install --id=Akaere.whois -e

A simple, cross-platform WHOIS query tool with colorized output and advanced features.

Simple Whois Tools is a cross-platform WHOIS query tool designed to provide detailed domain and network information with enhanced features, ensuring accuracy and ease of use across various operating systems.

Key Features:

  • Modular Architecture: Clean and maintainable code structure for efficient updates and extensions.
  • Colorized Output: Enhanced readability with field-specific coloring for better data interpretation.
  • Smart Server Selection: Automatically resolves WHOIS servers through IANA, improving query efficiency.
  • DN42 and BGP Tools Support: Specialized queries for DN42 ASNs and integration with BGP tools for comprehensive network analysis.
  • Terminal Hyperlinks: Clickable links for RIR database results, streamlining access to detailed information.
  • Multi-Platform Compatibility: Works seamlessly on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Audience & Benefit: Ideal for network administrators, developers, and cybersecurity professionals seeking precise and efficient WHOIS data retrieval. Simple Whois Tools offers faster, more reliable query results with enhanced visibility through color-coded outputs, facilitating seamless integration into diverse workflows.

The tool can be installed via winget, ensuring a straightforward setup process across supported platforms.

README

WHOIS Query Tool

A simple, cross-platform WHOIS query tool with colorized output and advanced features.

Features

  • Modular Architecture: Clean, maintainable code structure with separate modules for CLI, query handling, server selection, and colorization
  • Improved Colorization: Enhanced color schemes with better detection and more accurate field-specific coloring
  • Automatic WHOIS server resolution through IANA
  • Smart Server Selection: Intelligent server selection based on query type and configuration
  • Color Output: Beautiful, readable output with syntax highlighting
  • Environment Variable Support: Configure default server via WHOIS_SERVER
  • Multi-platform: Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows
  • DN42 Support: Special handling for DN42 ASN queries with --dn42 flag
  • BGP Tools Integration: Enhanced ASN queries with --bgptools flag
  • Terminal Hyperlinks: Clickable links for all RIR database results (enabled by default)
  • Query WHOIS information for domains or IP addresses
  • Support for custom WHOIS servers (bypassing IANA lookup)
  • Support for DN42 network queries via lantian.pub
  • Auto-detection of DN42 ASNs (AS42424xxxxx)
  • Support for BGP.tools queries
  • Intelligent format detection and colorization for RIPE and BGP.tools formats
  • Custom port number support
  • Verbose output mode

Code Structure

The codebase is organized into the following modules:

  • src/cli.rs: Command-line interface and argument parsing
  • src/query.rs: WHOIS query logic and network communication
  • src/servers.rs: Server selection and configuration
  • src/colorize.rs: Output colorization with multiple schemes
  • src/lib.rs: Library interface and module exports
  • src/main.rs: Main application entry point

How It Works

  1. The tool first queries the IANA WHOIS server to find the appropriate WHOIS server for the domain
  2. Then it queries the referred WHOIS server to get the actual information
  3. If a referral server cannot be found, it falls back to RIPE's WHOIS server (whois.ripe.net)
  4. Special flags can be used to query specific servers for specialized information
  5. ASNs starting with "AS42424" are automatically detected and queried using the DN42 server
  6. Results are colorized intelligently based on the detected format (RIPE or BGP.tools)

Installation

cargo install --path .

Usage

Basic Usage

# Query a domain
whois example.com

# Query an IP address  
whois 8.8.8.8

# Query an ASN
whois AS15169

# Use specific server
whois -s whois.ripe.net AS3333

# DN42 queries
whois --dn42 AS4242420000

# BGP Tools enhanced queries
whois --bgptools AS15169

# Hyperlinks are enabled by default for RIR results  
whois AS3333

# Disable hyperlinks if needed
whois --no-hyperlinks AS3333

Advanced Features

Terminal Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks are enabled by default for all Regional Internet Registry (RIR) database results. The tool automatically detects RIR responses using the source: field and creates appropriate hyperlinks using RIPE's Global Resources Service:

# Hyperlinks are enabled by default
whois AS3333

# Combine with verbose mode for detailed output
whois --verbose AS3333

# Disable hyperlinks if needed
whois --no-hyperlinks AS3333

Key Features:

  • Multi-RIR Support: Handles responses containing data from multiple RIRs
  • Source-based Detection: Uses source: fields for accurate RIR identification
  • Global Resources: All hyperlinks use RIPE's Global Resources Service for unified access
  • Block Processing: Splits multi-RIR responses into appropriate blocks for targeted linking

Supported RIRs:

  • RIPE NCC (Europe, Middle East, Central Asia) - source: RIPE
  • ARIN (North America) - source: ARIN
  • APNIC (Asia Pacific) - source: APNIC
  • LACNIC (Latin America and Caribbean) - source: LACNIC
  • AFRINIC (Africa) - source: AFRINIC

Supported Terminals:

  • Most modern terminals support OSC 8 hyperlinks
  • Automatically detected: GNOME Terminal, iTerm2, Windows Terminal, Alacritty, Kitty, WezTerm, foot
  • VTE-based terminals (most Linux terminals)
  • Works on both Linux/macOS and Windows (including PowerShell)

Clickable Elements:

  • ASN numbers (aut-num, origin fields)
  • IP networks (inetnum, inet6num, route, route6)
  • Organizations (organisation, org)
  • Contacts (nic-hdl, admin-c, tech-c)
  • Maintainers (mntner, mnt-by)
  • Domain objects
  • RIR-specific identifiers (NetRange, CIDR, OrgId)

Format-Specific Colorization

The tool automatically detects the output format and applies appropriate colorization:

RIPE Format Colorization

For RIPE and standard WHOIS responses (field: value format):

  • AS Numbers: Bright Red
  • Network Information Fields: Bright Cyan
  • Organization and Contact Fields: Bright Green
  • Import/Export and Peering Fields: Bright Blue
  • Status Fields: Bright Yellow
  • Date and Timestamp Fields: Bright Magenta
  • Location and IP Address Values: Bright Cyan
  • Comments and Remarks: Dark Gray
  • Error Messages: Bright Red

BGP.tools Format Colorization

For BGP.tools table format (columns separated by |):

  • Table Headers: Bright Cyan Bold
  • AS Numbers: Bright Red
  • IP Addresses and BGP Prefixes: Bright Cyan
  • Country Codes: Bright Yellow
  • Registry Information: Bright Blue
  • Allocation Dates: Bright Magenta
  • AS Names: Bright White Bold

Building

cargo build --release

The compiled executable can be found at target/release/whois.

Versions
0.2.0
0.1.2
Website
github.com
License