Western Samoa's leftover letters
Samoa's ISO 3166-1 code is WS, a holdover from when the country was called Western Samoa. (SM belongs to San Marino.) The registry spotted an opportunity and marketed .ws worldwide as short for "website" or "world site." It never became mainstream, but it's a fun bit of internet trivia — and a good Real-or-Fake quiz question.
Good for
- Short novelty names and personal pages
Watch out for
- Not widely recognized by mainstream users
.ws by the numbers
If a website ends in .ws, it lives under the country-code domain of Samoa, a country in Polynesia.
Outside Samoa, plenty of people know .ws for a different reason: it reads as "website" or "world site". That second meaning doesn't change who's in charge, though. The domain still belongs to Samoa, and its registry sets the rules.
A little context on Samoa: the capital is Apia, languages include English and Samoan, the currency is the Samoan tālā (WST) and the international dialing code is +685.
IANA lists Government of Samoa Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade as the manager of .ws, with an address in Samoa. The registry's website is http://www.website.ws. ccTLD managers set their own policies — who can register, which second-level names exist, pricing to registrars — so those rules differ from country to country.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 6 name servers for .ws, 2 of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .ws haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.website.ws).
.ws FAQ
Why is Samoa's domain .ws?
The country was called Western Samoa when ISO assigned its code. It kept "WS" after renaming itself Samoa in 1997.
What country is .ws?
.ws is the country-code top-level domain for Samoa, in Polynesia. Online it's also used for "website" or "world site".
What does .ws mean?
Officially, .ws is simply the ISO 3166-1 code for Samoa. Online, it's also used for "website" or "world site" — a "domain hack" that uses the letters for what they spell.
What does .ws mean in an email address?
Only that the sender's domain is registered under .ws. Because .ws is also used for "website" or "world site", it doesn't necessarily mean the person is in Samoa.
Who owns the .ws domain?
IANA lists Government of Samoa Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade as the manager of .ws: it runs the registry and sets the rules for Samoa's ccTLD. Individual .ws names belong to whoever registers them.
Can I register a .ws domain from the US?
It depends on Government of Samoa Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade's policy. Some ccTLDs are open to anyone in the world, while others require a local address, company or trademark. Check the registry (http://www.website.ws) or an accredited registrar before you buy.
Is .ws DNSSEC-signed?
Yes. The root zone has a DS record for .ws, so DNSSEC validation works all the way down from the root.
How do I look up who owns a .ws domain?
Query the registry's registration data service: the WHOIS server is whois.website.ws. Many registrants use privacy services, so personal details may be hidden.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed October 21, 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
