WHOIS is a web-based application that lets anyone examine WHOIS to discover information about domain names. A domain name is a string of letters and numbers that identify the registered ownership of a domain. WHOIS is a method for finding and examining the WHOIS database and discovering details about domain name holders. WHOIS is not an alternative to the WHOIS protocol, but a complement to it.
WHOIS works as an informational service to let people know who registered a domain name and to find other information about them. Registration of a domain name lets you control the details of that name and its registry. Registered names are managed by WHOIS until they are retired, destroyed, transferred, or changed. Once a domain name is registered, WHOIS keeps updating the information in its database. WHOIS can reveal the registrant's name, address, company, phone number, email address, and more. WHOIS is a free service provided by the ICANN organisation.
The WHOIS database was first established to allow for the safekeeping of domain name registration records and renewals, as well as to enable the transfer of domain names. WHOIS was created by ICANN, a non-profit consortium, to help people search for information relating to domain names and to offer services related to WHOIS database.