Every domain name that has been registered belongs to somebody, and that registration information is public by default. WHOIS is a way to store that information and make it available for search by the public.

What is WHOIS?

WHOIS is a service that provides basic information about a registered domain, such as contact information about the domain owner, domain availability status, and the company that registers the domain with. Whois also provides domain registration and expiry dates as well as the name servers that the domain uses.

The WHOIS database is regulated by the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). They describe the WHOIS service as a free, publicly available directory that contains the registered domain name registrants contact and technical information.

The recording data stored in the WHOIS database is actually held at various locations, all managed by different registries and registrars. A registry owns manages domain extensions, such as .com and .net, but are not selling them. Instead, they sell and register their domains through various registrars. The amount of information in a record will depend on the type of TLD, and the domain registrar.

Why was the WHOIS database created?

WHOIS helps democratize the web. Anyone can access and use the WHOIS database, from businesses and corporations to law enforcement and individual users, to find out who’s behind a domain name and any associated website.

Moreover, many people are finding the WHOIS database a great tool for business opportunities. If you are looking to take online your business or start a website you will need a domain name. You might find, though, that someone else’s already registered the domain name you want. You can use the WHOIS database to access their contact information and try brokering and dealing with the domain name you want.

What kind of information is stored in the WHOIS database?

When a domain name is registered the registrant must provide their information and accuracy is required. If you provide false information when you register your domain name you risk losing your domain.

The information collected during the domain registration process includes:

• Name
• Address
• Phone Number
• Email Address