The WHC registrar module lets you manage your WHC domains directly from your own WHMCS installation. Once installed and connected, you can check availability, register, renew and transfer domains, manage registrar locks, retrieve EPP codes, and update name servers and contact details, all through your WHMCS admin.
This article explains how to download, install, and configure the module, and covers three points you should understand before you begin: the WHMCS version required, the API label applied to domains registered through the API, and the default auto-renew behaviour.
Before you begin
You will need the following:
An active WHC account.
The API enabled on your account. In your Client Area, open the API section, review and accept the API Terms of Service, then enable the API. You cannot download or use the module until the API is enabled.
Your API credentials (client ID and API key), available in the API section of your Client Area once the API is enabled.
A WHMCS installation that meets the version requirement below.
WHMCS version requirement
The module supports WHMCS 8.0 and later. Earlier versions are not supported. If you are running an older version, update WHMCS before installing the module.
To check your version, sign in to your WHMCS admin. Your current version is shown under System Information.
Downloading the module
Sign in to your WHC Client Area.
Open the API section from the main menu.
On the API dashboard, select Download the WHMCS module.
Save the .zip file to your computer.
The download is a standard WHMCS registrar module. The same file is used by all customers. It does not contain your API credentials. You enter those during setup.
Installing the module
Unzip the downloaded file. You will see a single module folder (for example, whc).
Upload that folder to the /modules/registrars/ directory of your WHMCS installation, so the path becomes /modules/registrars/whc/.
In your WHMCS admin, go to System Settings > Domain Registrars (in older versions, Setup > Products/Services > Domain Registrars).
Find WHC in the list and select Activate.
Connecting the module to your WHC account
After activating, select Configure next to WHC.
Enter your client ID and API key from the API section of your Client Area.
Save the settings.
Your WHMCS is now connected to WHC. You can assign WHC as the registrar for your TLDs under System Settings > Domain Pricing.
What you can do with the module
Once connected, the module supports:
Domain availability checks
Register, renew, and transfer
Registrar lock and unlock
Retrieve EPP (transfer) codes
Get and update name servers
Update contact details
API documentation
The API documentation is WHC's public-facing, WHC-branded API documentation for the domain-management API. You can access it from the API page in your New Client Area (NCA).
It is the reference for every operation the module uses, and what you need to call the API directly from your own scripts or systems rather than through WHMCS. It lists each endpoint, the parameters it takes, and the responses it returns.
Important behaviours to understand
The API label
Every domain registered through the API is automatically tagged with an API label in your WHC Client Area. This lets you identify which domains were created programmatically.
Two things to note:
The API label is applied automatically, but it is not locked. You can remove it at any time if you do not want it.
WHC allows a maximum of two labels per domain. The API label uses one of those two slots. If you remove it, both slots are free for your own labels.
Auto-renew is off by default
Domains registered through the API and the module have auto-renew turned off by default. This is deliberate, so that programmatic registrations do not renew automatically without your intent.
If you want a domain to renew automatically, enable renewal for that domain yourself after it is registered. Review your API-registered domains regularly so that none expire unintentionally.
Domain protection and the API
WHC Domain Protection is not applied to actions performed through the API. Domain Protection normally guards four operations behind an email verification step: updating contact details, removing a registrar lock, updating name servers, and retrieving an EPP code. These verification steps cannot be applied to an API call.
By enabling and using the API, you accept that Domain Protection is not enforced on those four operations when they are performed through the API or the module. Keep your API key secure and treat it as sensitive.