How to find out who hosts your website
If nobody at your business can say where the website is hosted, this is how to find out — using only your domain name and a few free lookups.
Quick answer
Run a WHOIS lookup on your domain to find the registrar and the nameservers. The nameservers usually name the host directly — something like ns1.yourhost.com. If they point at a DNS provider instead, check where the domain's A record resolves. Between those two lookups you'll identify both who registered the domain and who serves the site.
Step-by-step
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Start with a WHOIS lookup
Search for a WHOIS lookup tool and enter your domain. You'll get the registrar name, the expiry date, and the nameservers. Registrant contact details are usually redacted for privacy, but those three facts are what you need.
- 2
Read the nameservers
Nameservers usually give the game away. Entries like ns1.bluehost.com or ns-cloud.googledomains.com name the provider directly. If they point at a DNS or CDN service such as Cloudflare, the actual hosting sits behind it and you'll need the next step.
- 3
Check where the site actually resolves
Use a DNS lookup tool to find the A record for your domain — the IP address the site resolves to. Then run that IP through an IP lookup, which will name the hosting company or data centre. This gets you past a CDN to the real host.
- 4
Cross-check with your bank statements
Search your card and bank statements for recurring charges — hosting is usually a small monthly or annual payment. This is often the fastest route of all, and it also tells you which card and account it's tied to, which matters if that card has since expired.
- 5
Write it down somewhere permanent
Record the registrar, the host, the email address each account uses, and the renewal dates. Store it where more than one person at the business can find it. The reason you're reading this page is that someone didn't.
Tips & best practices
- ▸Nameservers tell you who controls DNS, which isn't always the same company as the one serving your pages.
- ▸An expired card on a hosting account is a common cause of a site vanishing without warning — check the card is current.
- ▸If your website builder handles hosting, the builder is your host; there's no separate provider to find.
- ▸Do this while everything is working, not during an outage.
Common questions
How do I find out who hosts my website?
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Run a WHOIS lookup on your domain to see the registrar and nameservers. The nameservers usually name the host. If they point at a CDN or DNS service, look up the domain's A record and run that IP address through an IP lookup to identify the underlying host.
What's the difference between my registrar and my host?
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The registrar is who your domain name is registered through. The host is whose servers your website files sit on. They're often different companies, and each has a separate account and renewal — which is exactly why businesses lose track of one of them.
Why can't I see who owns the domain?
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Registrant details are redacted by default on most domains for privacy reasons. The registrar and expiry date are still public, and those are usually enough to work with — contact the registrar directly if you need to go further.
I found the host but don't have the login. Now what?
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Attempt a password reset with every email address your business has used. If none work, contact the host's support with proof of payment — hosting companies deal with this regularly and generally have a recovery process for account holders who can evidence they're the customer.