Rasaboun / dispo

What is dispo?

Dispo is a command-line tool written in TypeScript that checks whether domain names are registered or available, without requiring a paid API subscription. It queries official RDAP registries first (the modern standard that replaced WHOIS), then falls back to traditional WHOIS lookups when RDAP is unavailable for a given TLD. You can pass individual domains, read them from a file, pipe them via stdin, or generate combinations by specifying keywords with multiple TLDs. Output comes as a formatted table by default or as JSON for scripting.

Why is it gaining traction?

The main draw is that it costs nothing to run. Most domain checking tools require API keys or paid services, but dispo uses public infrastructure maintained by IANA and individual registry operators. It handles the plumbing automatically: caching the RDAP bootstrap file, following WHOIS referrals to the correct registrar servers, and respecting rate limits to avoid hammering registries. The tool also queues requests per server to prevent accidental overload, which is a thoughtful detail for bulk lookups.

Who should use this?

Domain investors and side-project builders who want to quickly check availability across multiple TLDs without creating accounts or burning credits. DevOps teams can integrate it into scripts that validate domain lists before provisioning. Security researchers doing reconnaissance might find it useful for rapid checks, though results depend on each registry's response quality.

Verdict

Dispo works as described and fills a legitimate niche, but with only 13 stars it remains a small, unproven project. The credibility score of 0.899% reflects that reality. For one-off checks it's fine; for anything mission-critical, you would want to see more community validation and test coverage. Try it with `npx @rasaboun/dispo` if you want a quick lookup with no installation overhead.