WHOIS and domain age data delivered consistently - why does it matter in email verification?

WHOIS data is a source of valuable information that feeds commercial databases.

Depending on the WHOIS settings, technical, administrative and registrar details are often available. Those contact details are valuable.

Each source of WHOIS data is held by Domain Name Registrars - and there are thousands of those. WHOIS record formats have been created by people, so line lengths, row order, abbreviations, terms, formats and content are all variables.

Systems that consume significant volumes of data cannot rely on variables. That's why we have created a WHOIS API that brings order to chaos.

Email Hippo WHOIS concept creates binary order from chaos

Machine readable WHOIS domain age dates

Humans are excellent at creating systems that are not consistent. There is no simple, single date format. 10/07/17 in the UK is the middle of summer, in the USA it's autumn.

For machines to understand dates they need a benchmark, and it's the ISO 8601 standard format. This standard format enables dates and times to relate to each other, and provides a consistent platform for the interpretation of time. Anchoring disparate domain age data to ISO 8601 gives a machine readable asset to data.

Learn about why email verification is essential for your business

What is the value of domain age data?

Domain age data is an indicative measure of the age of a company that helps us understand the viability and credibility of an organisation.  it's valuable because age is a pointer to lifecycles and behaviours. For example, start-up companies usually require different services and skill-sets than long-established companies.

Cyber-security systems value domain age data as an indicator of risk. Companies presenting themselves as established when they are just days or even hours old aren't likely to be showing their real presence online.

Consistently readable WHOIS data provides reliable inputs for databases that helps people grow and protect businesses and economies.

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Rowland

Written by: Rowland

Thursday, 13 September 2018
READ TIME: 2 MIN