WHOIS Extended for WHMCS Print

The Problem

WHMCS shows "unavailable" for taken domains. That's it. No WHOIS data. No additional information. Red X. Dead end.

What Happens Without WHOIS Info

Standard WHMCS domain search:

Customer enters domain → Already taken → Red "Unavailable" message → Nothing else.

No information shown:

• Who owns it?
• When does it expire?
• Is it actually in use?
• Are nameservers configured?
• Contact information?
• Registration date?

Customer questions:

• "Maybe I can buy it from owner?"
• "When does it expire?"
• "Is this a typo squat?"
• "Should I try contacting them?"
• "Is it even active?"

Your support gets tickets:

• "Can you find out who owns this?"
• "When can I register it?"
• "Is there WHOIS info?"
• "Help me contact the owner"

What actually happens:

• Customer opens new tab
• Goes to who.is or whois.com
• Looks up domain there
• Sees competitor ads
• Maybe doesn't come back

Result: Lost context. Friction. Support load. Potential lost sale.

Failed Workarounds

Tell customers to use external WHOIS:

• Unprofessional
• They leave your site
• Competitors advertise on WHOIS sites
• Lost momentum
• Support burden explaining how

Custom development:

• WHOIS protocol integration
• Server connections
• Parsing different TLD formats
• Error handling
• Maintenance burden
• Expensive

Ignore the problem:

• Support tickets increase
• Lost sales when they don't return
• Unprofessional appearance

None solve it properly. External tools break the flow. Custom work costs too much.

The Solution

WHOIS Extended adds a "WHOIS" button next to unavailable domains. Click it → full WHOIS data in modal. Instant information. No leaving your site.

How It Works

On domain search page:

Customer searches domain → WHMCS checks availability

If available:

• Green checkmark
• Add to cart
• Standard behavior

If unavailable:

• Red X (standard)
• NEW: "WHOIS" button appears
• Click button → modal opens
• Full WHOIS data displayed

Modal shows:

• Domain name
• Registration date
• Expiration date
• Registrar
• Registrant information
• Administrative contact
• Technical contact
• Nameservers
• Domain status

Modal features:

• Clean, professional design
• Customizable styling
• Mobile responsive
• Close button
• Overlay background
• Fast loading

Customer flow:

1. Searches domain
2. Sees unavailable
3. Clicks WHOIS button
4. Reads WHOIS data
5. Decides next action
6. Closes modal
7. Tries alternative domain
8. Stays on your site

No external sites. No lost momentum.

Real Use Cases

Scenario 1: Expired Domain

Customer wants `businessname.com`:

Without WHOIS Extended:

• Shows unavailable
• Customer gives up
• Tries competitor
• Lost sale

With WHOIS Extended:

• Shows unavailable
• Clicks WHOIS
• Sees: Expired 3 months ago
• Sets reminder
• Monitors for availability
• Comes back to register
• Sale happens

Scenario 2: Typosquatter

Customer searches `yourbussiness.com` (typo):

Standard WHMCS:

• Unavailable
• "Why is my domain taken?"

With module:

• Clicks WHOIS
• Sees registrant: Domain parking service
• Realizes typo
• Searches correct spelling
• Finds available
• Registers correct domain

Scenario 3: Contact Owner

Customer wants specific domain:

Without info:

• Opens who.is
• Looks up manually
• Finds owner email
• Never returns to your site
• Lost customer

With module:

• Clicks WHOIS
• Sees registrant email
• Makes note
• Continues browsing alternatives
• Registers backup domain
• Still your customer

Scenario 4: Domain Research

Customer comparing multiple domains:

Standard experience:

• Checks domain 1: Unavailable
• Opens external WHOIS
• Checks domain 2: Unavailable
• Opens another tab
• Juggling multiple sites
• Abandons

WHOIS Extended:

• Check domain 1 → WHOIS modal → note info → close
• Check domain 2 → WHOIS modal → note info → close
• Check domain 3 → available → register
• All on your site

Scenario 5: Support Prevention

Customer sees unavailable domain:

Without module:

• Opens support ticket: "Can you check WHOIS for domain X?"
• Agent manually looks it up
• Responds with info
• Time wasted
• Support cost

With module:

• Customer clicks WHOIS
• Gets info instantly
• No ticket opened
• Support time saved

Installation

1. Purchase from ArkHost Store
2. Upload files to WHMCS root directory
3. Go to Setup → Addon Modules
4. Find "WHOIS Extended"
5. Activate
6. Enter license key
7. Configure appearance
8. Done

WHOIS button appears automatically on unavailable domains.

Configuration

Basic Settings

Setup → Addon Modules → WHOIS Extended → Configure

Access Control:

• Admin roles with module access
• Standard WHMCS permissions

License Key:

• Enter purchased key
• Auto-validates
• Required for operation

Modal Styling

Customize modal appearance:

Modal width:

• Default: 600px
• Adjustable for your design
• Mobile auto-adjusts

Background overlay:

• Color: Configurable
• Opacity: 0-100%
• Click to close: Enable/disable

Modal colors:

• Header background
• Header text
• Body background
• Body text
• Border color
• Button colors

Typography:

• Font family
• Font sizes
• Line height
• Text alignment

Button styling:

• WHOIS button color
• WHOIS button text
• Hover effects
• Close button appearance

Custom CSS:

• Advanced customization
• Override any style
• Match your theme

Display Options

WHOIS button position:

• Next to unavailable status
• Custom placement
• Mobile positioning

Button text:

• Default: "WHOIS"
• Customizable label
• Multilingual support

Modal behavior:

• Auto-open: Yes/No
• Close on overlay click
• Animation speed
• Keyboard shortcuts (ESC to close)

Information display:

• Choose which WHOIS fields to show
• Field order
• Field labels
• Format dates
• Privacy protection handling

Language Support

8 languages included:

• English
• French
• Spanish
• German
• Dutch
• Russian
• Portuguese
• Italian

Auto-detection:

• Matches customer's WHMCS language
• No manual switching
• Fallback to English

Custom translations:

• Edit language files
• Add new languages
• Customize labels

Understanding WHOIS Data

Module displays standard WHOIS information:

Domain details:

• Domain name
• Creation date
• Expiration date
• Last updated
• Registry domain ID

Registrar info:

• Registrar name
• Registrar URL
• Registrar WHOIS server
• Registrar abuse contact

Contacts:

• Registrant (owner)
• Administrative contact
• Technical contact
• Billing contact

Technical data:

• Nameservers (DNS)
• DNSSEC status
• Domain status codes

Status codes explained:

• clientTransferProhibited: Cannot transfer
• clientUpdateProhibited: Cannot update
• clientDeleteProhibited: Cannot delete
• ok: No special restrictions
• pendingDelete: Being deleted
• redemptionPeriod: Grace period after expiration

Privacy protection:

• Shows proxy service if active
• Indicates protected information
• Displays protection service name

Performance

Fast lookups:

• Direct WHOIS protocol queries
• Under 2 seconds typical response
• Cached results (5 minutes)
• No external API dependencies

Resource usage:

• Minimal server load
• Lightweight JavaScript
• Efficient WHOIS parsing
• No database bloat

Reliability:

• Multiple WHOIS server sources
• Automatic failover
• Error handling
• Timeout protection

Technical Details

WHOIS protocol:

• Port 43 queries
• Direct registrar connections
• RFC 3912 compliant
• Multi-TLD support

TLD coverage:

• .com, .net, .org
• Country codes (.uk, .de, .nl, etc.)
• New TLDs (.io, .app, .dev, etc.)
• 500+ TLDs supported

Parsing:

• Format normalization
• Field extraction
• Date formatting
• Contact parsing
• Privacy detection

Security:

• Input sanitization
• XSS prevention
• CSRF protection
• Rate limiting
• No data stored

Troubleshooting

WHOIS button not appearing:

• Check module activated
• Verify license valid
• Confirm domain actually unavailable
• Review browser console for JavaScript errors
• Clear WHMCS cache

Modal won't open:

• JavaScript conflict with other modules
• Check browser console
• Disable other modules temporarily
• Test in different browser
• Check custom CSS conflicts

No WHOIS data shown:

• Domain registry blocking queries
• Rate limit hit (5-minute cache helps)
• WHOIS server timeout
• Check PHP socket functions enabled
• Firewall blocking port 43

Styling issues:

• Theme CSS conflicts
• Clear browser cache
• Check custom CSS syntax
• Test with default styling first
• Inspect element to find conflicts

Privacy-protected domains:

• Module shows proxy service info
• This is normal behavior
• Real owner info hidden by design
• Contact via registrar's proxy system

Language not displaying:

• Check WHMCS language setting
• Verify language file exists
• Clear template cache
• Check file permissions

High latency:

• WHOIS servers can be slow
• Some TLDs respond slower
• Caching reduces repeat queries
• Consider different registrar WHOIS server
• Check network connectivity

When You Need This

Required if:

• You sell domain registrations
• Customers ask about unavailable domains
• Support handles WHOIS lookups manually
• Want professional domain search experience
• Reduce customer friction
• Keep customers on your site

Not required if:

• You don't sell domains
• Customers never ask about WHOIS
• Fine with external WHOIS lookups
• Zero support tickets about domain ownership

Technical Specifications

Requirements:

• WHMCS 8.9+
• PHP 7.4+
• Socket functions enabled
• Port 43 outbound access

File structure:

modules/addons/whois_extended/
├── whois_extended.php    Main module
├── hooks.php              WHOIS button injection
├── lib/                   WHOIS parser
├── templates/             Modal templates
└── lang/                  Translations

Database:

• No database tables
• Uses WHMCS settings storage
• No persistent data

Languages:

• English, French, Spanish, German
• Dutch, Russian, Portuguese, Italian
• Add more by copying lang files

Browser support:

• Modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• Mobile browsers (iOS Safari, Chrome Mobile)
• Responsive design
• Touch-friendly

Support

Purchase: ArkHost Store

Before contacting support:

1. Check module activated and licensed
2. Test with default styling
3. Check browser console for errors
4. Verify port 43 accessible
5. Test different TLD

When reporting issues:

• WHMCS version
• PHP version
• Module version
• Domain being queried
• Browser console errors
• Steps to reproduce