WAIS

Stands for "Wide Area Information Server."

WAIS (pronounced "ways") was a client-server database search system introduced in 1990 before the widespread adoption of the World Wide Web. It indexed the contents of databases located on multiple servers and made them searchable over networks, including the Internet. Text searches of the databases were ranked by relevance, where files with more keyword hits are listed first.

As the web grew in popularity, WAIS usage declined and eventually faded into obsolescence. The service has now been completely replaced by modern search engines.

How WAIS Functioned

A central server called the Directory of Servers stored and indexed a database of other publicly-available databases. Since data storage was limited by the technology of the day, databases were distributed amongst several servers. To conduct a WAIS search, one would connect via telnet to a server running a WAIS client or install and run their own client. Once connected to the Directory of Servers, a WAIS user could browse a large number of distributed databases, each focused on a specific topic (usually an academic discipline, such as history, biology, or social sciences).

WAIS was also popular as a way to search for text within individual Gopher servers. Modern search engines as a way to quickly find relevant information were inspired by WAIS. As the World Wide Web caught on and supplanted Gopher servers, WAIS declined in popularity.

Updated October 3, 2022 by Brian P.
Reviewed by Per C.

quizTest Your Knowledge

InterNIC was superseded by what organization?

A
ANSI
0%
B
IEEE
0%
C
ICANN
0%
D
ISO
0%
Correct! Incorrect!     View the InterNIC definition.
More Quizzes →

The Tech Terms Computer Dictionary

The definition of WAIS on this page is an original definition written by the TechTerms.com team. If you would like to reference this page or cite this definition, please use the green citation links above.

The goal of TechTerms.com is to explain computer terminology in a way that is easy to understand. We strive for simplicity and accuracy with every definition we publish. If you have feedback about this definition or would like to suggest a new technical term, please contact us.

Sign up for the free TechTerms Newsletter

How often would you like to receive an email?

You can unsubscribe or change your frequency setting at any time using the links available in each email.

Questions? Please contact us.