| 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 | Not much used inside Samoa, popular for domain hacks |
| Registration restrictions | None |
| Structure | Registrations are directly at second level |
| Documents | Policies |
| Dispute policies | UDRP |
| Website | SamoaNIC |
.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.
The .ws domain is an abbreviation for "Western Samoa", which was the nation's official name in the 1970s when two-letter country codes were standardized. While there are no geographic restrictions on registration of most second-level .ws domains, .ORG.WS, .GOV.WS, and .EDU.WS registration is restricted.
Prior to March 14, 2008, .WS domains were not allowed to be transferred from one domain registrar to another.
.ws has been marketed as a domain hack, with the .ws purportedly standing for "World Site" or "Web site", providing a "global" internet presence to registrants. .ws coincidentally supports all internationalized domain names.