WHOIS & Wayback checks

Purpose

Use WHOIS and the Wayback Machine to quickly understand who is behind a domain, when it was created, and how the public website has evolved. This helps detect disposable websites, domain flipping, or attempts to hide past activity.

When to use

• Before integrating a new partner, exchange, or service.
• When a project suddenly rebrands or “launches” on a fresh domain.
• If marketing claims don’t match the site’s age or history.

Step‑by‑step

1. WHOIS lookup. Check creation date, registrar, nameservers, and registrant visibility. Consistent infra over time is a good sign.
2. Wayback timeline. Open several snapshots (first, middle, latest). Compare the brand, product claims, and legal pages.
3. Cross‑signals. Compare domain age with Twitter/X account age, GitHub activity, mobile app release dates, and press mentions.

Red flags

• Domain registered very recently but project claims multi‑year history.
• Frequent switches of registrars and nameservers without clear reason.
• Wayback shows unrelated content (domain recycling) or aggressive post‑facto edits.
• Missing or constantly changing legal pages (ToS/Privacy/Company).

Healthy signals

• Older domain with consistent hosting and incremental site evolution.
• Stable legal pages and contact details that match filings and press.
• Past claims align with current product and team statements.

Checklist

• Creation & update dates make sense relative to the roadmap.
• Registrars/nameservers stable (or changes are explained by growth).
• Historic snapshots contain the same brand and value proposition.
• Legal pages present and consistent.