4 ms·

Show HN: Free web hosting for handshake TLDs, no account required

44 points by rasengan 7y ago

rasengan 7y ago
SS: Handshake names have addresses (and keys) associated with them. Because of this, it provides a unique method of authenticating against ownership of a domain without any interaction other than the blockchain and signature verification.
- janci 7y ago
  Are those free and first come first served? If I forget the key, is the TLD lost forever?
  - rasengan 7y ago
    This service is a POC for accountless web and dns hosting using only signed messages for name and ownership verification. To get a Handshake TLD, you will need to buy one on the handshake blockchain [1]. If you lose your key, unfortunately, you will be out of luck - same as bitcoin. Luckily, there are great services like Namebase [2] that can manage this for you. [1] https://handshake.org https://handshake.org [2] https://namebase.io https://namebase.io
  - tasuki 7y ago
    > Are those free and first come first served? No. There's a Vickrey auction for the name. The amount paid is burned. > If I forget the key, is the TLD lost forever? No. If the owner doesn't extend after two years I think, the name is put back up for auction.
    - thinkmassive 7y ago
      Under "How long are my names good for?" at the FAQ[1]: Handshake names are registered for one year at a time. Names can be renewed annually by paying a standard network fee. 1: https://handshake.org/faq/ https://handshake.org/faq/
universa1 7y ago
I just checked the namebase site: Did I understand the website correctly, that I can only bid on whatever is up for auction, but not put something up myself? So if I want: myfancyhandshake I have to wait, till it is up for auction, and I can not pick it? Or can I pick it, but others can potentially bid on it?
- rasengan 7y ago
  This was designed to give a fair chance to all names. Each name is released on a release schedule where you can take the hash of the name % 52 to determine which week it will be released. All names will be released within a year. When it’s released, you or anyone can start the auction process!
fxtentacle 7y ago
Free centralized hosting for special TLDs that were supposed to be decentralized through the use of Blockchain. That kind of defeats the purpose of using Blockchain in the first place, doesn't it?
- rasengan 7y ago
  I think this is actually what makes Handshake so unique compared to every other blockchain project. Rather than attempting to unrealistically decentralize everything, it’s a drop in replacement for a centralized point within the dns system - the DNS root. Everything else will completely work the same, but giving ownership of the dns root, and moreover, the global namespace, to the people is a huge step forward and what we were always trying to achieve with ICANN but, unfortunately, could not. Additionally, the blockchain in this circumstance also makes the legacy CA system extremely outdated — no more need to trust CAs to do the right thing [1]... the blockchain is immutable. As for this DNS and web service, since many services currently don’t support TLD level hosting (only subdomains like something.com), I put this together to ease adoption until services “upgrade” to allow TLDs! It also serves to show how names in the handshake era can authenticate without accounts which I think is simply really cool without a better way to describe it. It opens up the door for new kinds of services where people bring their own name and identity with them which I think, for HN, this has been something the whole community has been waiting for. [1] https://www.tcdi.com/the-threat-of-rogue-certificate-authorities/ https://www.tcdi.com/the-threat-of-rogue-certificate-authori... (many more examples can be found with a web search)
peter_d_sherman 7y ago
I went to the website. I read the FAQ. I didn't get it... Then I watched the explainer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOj25i_BmMQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOj25i_BmMQ Then I got it! Handshake (and other technologies like it) are very, very important to the future of a free and open internet. Reason: Current websites are dependent on domain names, which are in turn dependent on ICANN and CA's. If they fail -- then so does your website! (A chain is only as strong as the weakest link, as the old expression goes...) This, and other future technologies like it (basically, moving DNS to a blockchain) get rid of the above dependency chain (or could act to supplement it, in the case of a failure). That's why this technology (and others in the future that will duplicate the blockchain functionality of this) are so important! ICANN and CA's could, theoretically, accidentally or intentionally censor/redirect your site, and/or destroy your e-commerce business/livelihood! Now, we assume Good Faith on their part (they are after all, reputable companies!), but the ethos of the Internet has always been about routing around single points of failure, potential or otherwise. While ICANN and CA's may use redundant servers in geographically separate regions -- that's no absolute guarantee that war/famine/zombie apocalypse or other "acts of God" -- would not/could not render them useless in the future... That's why (if you're running or planning to run) a website, you might need this, or something like this, now or in the future...
- zzo38computer 7y ago
  I am running more than a website (I am also running a SMTP server, NNTP server, Gopher server, and may add a IRC server and telnet server too later); how does this affect me?
rasengan 7y ago
Server posted here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22610940 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22610940

44 points by rasengan 7y ago

SS: Handshake names have addresses (and keys) associated with them. Because of this, it provides a unique method of authenticating against ownership of a domain without any interaction other than the blockchain and signature verification.

janci 7y ago
Are those free and first come first served? If I forget the key, is the TLD lost forever?
- rasengan 7y ago
  This service is a POC for accountless web and dns hosting using only signed messages for name and ownership verification. To get a Handshake TLD, you will need to buy one on the handshake blockchain [1]. If you lose your key, unfortunately, you will be out of luck - same as bitcoin. Luckily, there are great services like Namebase [2] that can manage this for you. [1] https://handshake.org https://handshake.org [2] https://namebase.io https://namebase.io
- tasuki 7y ago
  > Are those free and first come first served? No. There's a Vickrey auction for the name. The amount paid is burned. > If I forget the key, is the TLD lost forever? No. If the owner doesn't extend after two years I think, the name is put back up for auction.
  - thinkmassive 7y ago
    Under "How long are my names good for?" at the FAQ[1]: Handshake names are registered for one year at a time. Names can be renewed annually by paying a standard network fee. 1: https://handshake.org/faq/ https://handshake.org/faq/

universa1 7y ago

I just checked the namebase site: Did I understand the website correctly, that I can only bid on whatever is up for auction, but not put something up myself? So if I want: myfancyhandshake I have to wait, till it is up for auction, and I can not pick it? Or can I pick it, but others can potentially bid on it?

rasengan 7y ago
This was designed to give a fair chance to all names. Each name is released on a release schedule where you can take the hash of the name % 52 to determine which week it will be released. All names will be released within a year. When it’s released, you or anyone can start the auction process!

fxtentacle 7y ago

Free centralized hosting for special TLDs that were supposed to be decentralized through the use of Blockchain. That kind of defeats the purpose of using Blockchain in the first place, doesn't it?

rasengan 7y ago
I think this is actually what makes Handshake so unique compared to every other blockchain project. Rather than attempting to unrealistically decentralize everything, it’s a drop in replacement for a centralized point within the dns system - the DNS root. Everything else will completely work the same, but giving ownership of the dns root, and moreover, the global namespace, to the people is a huge step forward and what we were always trying to achieve with ICANN but, unfortunately, could not. Additionally, the blockchain in this circumstance also makes the legacy CA system extremely outdated — no more need to trust CAs to do the right thing [1]... the blockchain is immutable. As for this DNS and web service, since many services currently don’t support TLD level hosting (only subdomains like something.com), I put this together to ease adoption until services “upgrade” to allow TLDs! It also serves to show how names in the handshake era can authenticate without accounts which I think is simply really cool without a better way to describe it. It opens up the door for new kinds of services where people bring their own name and identity with them which I think, for HN, this has been something the whole community has been waiting for. [1] https://www.tcdi.com/the-threat-of-rogue-certificate-authorities/ https://www.tcdi.com/the-threat-of-rogue-certificate-authori... (many more examples can be found with a web search)

peter_d_sherman 7y ago

I went to the website. I read the FAQ. I didn't get it... Then I watched the explainer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOj25i_BmMQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOj25i_BmMQ Then I got it! Handshake (and other technologies like it) are very, very important to the future of a free and open internet. Reason: Current websites are dependent on domain names, which are in turn dependent on ICANN and CA's. If they fail -- then so does your website! (A chain is only as strong as the weakest link, as the old expression goes...) This, and other future technologies like it (basically, moving DNS to a blockchain) get rid of the above dependency chain (or could act to supplement it, in the case of a failure). That's why this technology (and others in the future that will duplicate the blockchain functionality of this) are so important! ICANN and CA's could, theoretically, accidentally or intentionally censor/redirect your site, and/or destroy your e-commerce business/livelihood! Now, we assume Good Faith on their part (they are after all, reputable companies!), but the ethos of the Internet has always been about routing around single points of failure, potential or otherwise. While ICANN and CA's may use redundant servers in geographically separate regions -- that's no absolute guarantee that war/famine/zombie apocalypse or other "acts of God" -- would not/could not render them useless in the future... That's why (if you're running or planning to run) a website, you might need this, or something like this, now or in the future...

zzo38computer 7y ago
I am running more than a website (I am also running a SMTP server, NNTP server, Gopher server, and may add a IRC server and telnet server too later); how does this affect me?

rasengan 7y ago

Server posted here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22610940 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22610940