Who owns google.com? Well, the answer to that second one is easy: Google does! But when you go to your favorite domain registrar looking to purchase the perfect new domain for your England-based, Tapas-inspired spinach pie business, spanishkopita.uk (obviously), how does the registrar know if it’s available? Is there some kind of list somewhere? Yes, in fact, there is!
As I previously mentioned in a post, there is a global alliance of various organizations that maintain standards online, but the main one is the ICANN (Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers), which lists the domain names and IP address numbers they’re in charge of. The ICANN maintains a centralized database of every registered domain, which of the (as of August 2023) 2659 domain name registrars are responsible for it, and which of their servers are responsible for storing what is known as a WHOIS record.
WHOIS looks like an acronym, but it’s just a shortened version of “who is…” the owner of a domain. It’s filled with a bunch of expected things: registrar information, the date of the purchased domain, the last time the domain was updated (renewed), the expiration date, and a listing of the contact details for the individual owner, admin, and tech for the domain (though these days, that information is likely redacted and hidden because it was a target for abuse and harassment by unscrupulous individuals who wanted to steal domains and hold them hostage).
With that said, when you’re ready to purchase your domain, register it with privacy for a few bucks more. And use a well-known host (like GoDaddy or Network Solutions). Keep track of expiry and the credit card on file, or else someone might snag the domain out from underneath you!