WHOIS can be accessed in a number of ways:
- through a local WHOIS client,
- an interactive telnet session,
- e-mail,
- or a Web-based form (at the InterNIC).
The way a user interacts with a WHOIS database depends on the interface being used.
For example, a telnet session to a WHOIS server may require a knowledge of commands, whereas a
graphical WWW interface will usually provide a form to fill in.