!!! Overview
[{$pagename}] (pronounced as the phrase "who is") ([RFC 3912]) is a query and response protocol that is widely used for querying [databases] that store the registered users or assignees of an [Internet] [resource], such as a [DNS Domain], an [IP Address] block or an autonomous system, but is also used for a wider range of other information. 

[{$pagename}] stores and delivers [database] content in a human-readable format.

When the [Internet] was emerging out of the [ARPANET], there was only one organization that handled all domain registrations, which was [DARPA] itself. The process of registration was established in [RFC 920]. [{$pagename}] was standardized in the early [1980s] to look up domains, people and other resources related to domain and number registrations. As all registration was done by one organization at that time, one centralized server was used for [{$pagename}] queries. This made looking up such information very easy.!! More Information
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[{ReferringPagesPlugin before='*' after='\n' }]