AttributeError: module 'whois' has no attribute 'whois'
How to Fix AttributeError: Module 'whois' Has No Attribute 'whois'
In this post, I am going to tell you how you can easily fix the problem of AttributeError: module 'whois' has no attribute 'whois' error.
The Problem
Python code given below:
import whois
host = 'google.com'
res = whois.whois(host)
print(res)This code results in: AttributeError: module 'whois' has no attribute 'whois'
The Solution
Switch module from pip install whois to pip install python-whois.
About python-whois:
- • Create a simple importable Python module which will produce parsed WHOIS data for a given domain
- • Able to extract data for all the popular TLDs (com, net, org, etc.)
- • Query a WHOIS server directly instead of going through an intermediate web service
- • Works with Python 2 & 3
Step-by-Step Fix
Step 1: Uninstall whois Module
Uninstall the whois module from your distribution:
pip uninstall whoisStep 2: Install python-whois
Now, install python-whois:
pip install python-whoisStep 3: Execute Your Code
Finally, execute your Python script:
python whois.pyWindows
python3 whois.pyLinux/Mac
Corrected Code
After installing python-whois, your code will work correctly:
import whois
host = 'google.com'
res = whois.whois(host)
print(res)Example Output:
{
"domain_name": "google.com",
"whois_server": "whois.markmonitor.com",
"registrar": "MarkMonitor, Inc.",
"name_servers": [...],
"creation_date": "1997-09-15T00:00:00",
"expiration_date": "2028-09-14T00:00:00",
...
}
Why Does This Happen?
❌ Package Name Conflict
The whois package is different from python-whois. They have incompatible APIs.
✅ Correct Package
The python-whois package provides the WHOIS functionality you need.
Package Comparison
| Package | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
whois |
Different package with incompatible API | ❌ Not for this use case |
python-whois |
Parsed WHOIS data for domains | ✅ Recommended |
Advanced Usage
Fetching Multiple Domains
import whois
domains = ['google.com', 'github.com', 'stackoverflow.com']
for domain in domains:
try:
info = whois.whois(domain)
print(f"{domain}: {info.registrar}")
except whois.parser.PywhoisError as e:
print(f"{domain}: Error - {e}")Extracting Specific Information
import whois
domain = 'google.com'
info = whois.whois(domain)
print(f"Domain: {info.domain_name}")
print(f"Registrar: {info.registrar}")
print(f"Creation Date: {info.creation_date}")
print(f"Expiration Date: {info.expiration_date}")
print(f"Name Servers: {info.name_servers}")Troubleshooting
Still Not Working?
If there is still a problem, try the following:
- Restart your device and run it again
- Clear Python cache:
find . -type d -name __pycache__ -exec rm -r {} + - Check Python version compatibility
- Verify installation:
pip list | grep -i whois
Common Errors
- • Connection timeout: Check your internet connection
- • TLD not supported: Some TLDs may not be supported by python-whois
- • Rate limiting: Some WHOIS servers limit query frequency
Summary
To fix the AttributeError: module 'whois' has no attribute 'whois' error:
- Uninstall the incorrect package:
pip uninstall whois - Install the correct package:
pip install python-whois - Run your code again:
python whois.py
The python-whois package provides a clean API to fetch and parse WHOIS data for any domain.
Reference: https://pypi.org/project/python-whois