WHOIS isn’t an acronym; it refers to a protocol that’s used to query databases to obtain information about the registration of a domain name or an IP address.
When you perform a WHOIS lookup for a domain name, you can access important information such as who owns the domain, their contact information, when the domain was registered, when it expires, where it’s registered (the registrar), and sometimes even more specific details like the domain’s name servers.
This information can be extremely useful in the domain investing world. For example, if you’re interested in a domain that’s already taken, a WHOIS search can provide you with the contact information of the current owner, allowing you to reach out to them directly for a potential purchase.
However, it’s important to note that due to privacy concerns, some domain owners choose to use WHOIS privacy services provided by their registrars, which replace the owner’s contact information with proxy details in the WHOIS database.