.ws is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Samoa. It is administered by SamoaNIC, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Samoa.
| Introduced | 1995 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | SamoaNIC (Computer Services Ltd. Samoa) |
| Sponsor | Government of Samoa |
| Intended use | Entities connected with Samoa |
| Actual use | Small use Compared to more popular domains;restrictions=None |
| Structure | Registrations are directly at second level |
| Documents | Policies |
| Dispute policies | UDRP |
| Registry website | SamoaNIC |
The .ws domain is an abbreviation for "Western Samoa", the nation's official name when two-letter country codes were standardized in the 1970s. There are no geographic restrictions on registration of .ws domains. The domain name is popular (and thus economically valuable) because it is an abbreviation of the word 'website' (other similar ccTLDs are .tv, .fm, .am, .cd, and .dj). Such unconventional usage of TLDs in domain names are known as domain hacks.
2nd level domains:
- .WS, .COM.WS, and .NET.WS offer domain registration to the general public.
- .ORG.WS, .GOV.WS, and .EDU.WS are restricted.
One limitation of .ws is that existing domains registered in this TLD are not portable; they cannot be moved from one registrar to another. The use of wildcard DNS records to serve advertising on all unregistered and newly-registered .ws domains is also an issue.
External links
- IANA .ws whois information
- SamoaNIC.ws (for registrants in Samoa and some nearby countries)