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This is the first attempt I've seen at using a blockchain for DNS. Looks like an amazing solution to an increasingly desperate problem (as DNS takedowns are th

This is the first attempt I've seen at using a blockchain for DNS. Looks like an amazing solution to an increasingly desperate problem (as DNS takedowns are the preferred method for internet censorship).

DINKDINK 12y ago
Are you familiar with NameCoin? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namecoin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namecoin
eric_bullington 12y ago
One of the first uses of blockchain technology for a non-financial application was an alternative domain name registration system called Namecoin, started back in 2010 and still active. Granted, that was an alternative domain name system, not an ICANN extension like this one. And it used a separate blockchain and coin (Namecoin), not the Bitcoin blockchain, which may be what you were referring to. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to mention Namecoin in any discussion about the history of blockchain technology and DNS. (incidentally, Namecoin was also the first altcoin)
- ryan-c 12y ago
  This thing runs on Namecoin, though that is buried in the documentation.
  - eric_bullington 12y ago
    Ah, you're right. I thought they had moved to the Bitcoin blockchain. But that's a whole can of worms, so it's probably best they stay on Namecoin. Bar the big incident last year (which it did recover from), Namecoin has been pretty stable.
  - wcummings 12y ago
    Buried on the front page
    - ryan-c 12y ago
      Wasn't mentioned at all when my previous comment was posted.
Rhapso 12y ago
https://github.com/BrendanBenshoof/P2PDNS/raw/master/P3DNS.pdf https://github.com/BrendanBenshoof/P2PDNS/raw/master/P3DNS.p...
itistoday2 12y ago
Namecoin has been used for this purpose since 2011. It already has specifications for DNS and identities (and these have been iterated on for years now): https://wiki.namecoin.info/index.php?title=Domain_Name_Specification https://wiki.namecoin.info/index.php?title=Domain_Name_Speci... https://wiki.namecoin.info/index.php?title=Identity https://wiki.namecoin.info/index.php?title=Identity As well as others (like hashes for software). Even OneName.io's u/ namespace is listed here: https://wiki.namecoin.info/index.php?title=OneName https://wiki.namecoin.info/index.php?title=OneName There are also many other blockchain DNS related projects: DNSChain (gives full-security read/write to arbitrary blockchains for all devices without having to run a DNS-based blockchain node, another nifty features like censorship circumvention and dotDNS metaTLD for JS apps): https://github.com/okTurtles/dnschain https://github.com/okTurtles/dnschain (I'm one of the devs of this) BitShares DNS (a different type of blockchain with a different consensus protocol): http://dotp2p.io http://dotp2p.io Feel free to mention others. I hope for more collaboration and less reproduction of efforts.
- ryan-c 12y ago
  OneName and OpenNameSystem appear to be trying to avoid any association with Namecoin despite the fact that they use it. Both projects have no mention of Namecoin (they just say "blockchain") on their websites and a lot of the documentation isn't very clear on this. What gives?
  - jude- 12y ago
    I think the reason they don't say Namecoin explicitly is because at the end of the day, it doesn't particularly matter which *coin's blockchain gets used. At this point in the course of distributed system design, a "blockchain" can be thought of as a building-block for a system, and the matter of which particular blockchain gets used is an implementation detail.
    - itistoday2 12y ago
      > it doesn't particularly matter which 'coin's blockchain gets used. Well, except that it does, because depending on the blockchain used, you are dealing with different consensus protocols, and most importantly, different people. Namecoin is a worthy project, has been doing its noble thing for quite some time, and deserves at least a mention if this project is going to be working off of the sweat its core devs have put into it (and continue to do so).

DINKDINK 12y ago

Are you familiar with NameCoin? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namecoin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namecoin

eric_bullington 12y ago

One of the first uses of blockchain technology for a non-financial application was an alternative domain name registration system called Namecoin, started back in 2010 and still active. Granted, that was an alternative domain name system, not an ICANN extension like this one. And it used a separate blockchain and coin (Namecoin), not the Bitcoin blockchain, which may be what you were referring to. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to mention Namecoin in any discussion about the history of blockchain technology and DNS. (incidentally, Namecoin was also the first altcoin)

ryan-c 12y ago
This thing runs on Namecoin, though that is buried in the documentation.
- eric_bullington 12y ago
  Ah, you're right. I thought they had moved to the Bitcoin blockchain. But that's a whole can of worms, so it's probably best they stay on Namecoin. Bar the big incident last year (which it did recover from), Namecoin has been pretty stable.
- wcummings 12y ago
  Buried on the front page
  - ryan-c 12y ago
    Wasn't mentioned at all when my previous comment was posted.

Rhapso 12y ago

https://github.com/BrendanBenshoof/P2PDNS/raw/master/P3DNS.pdf https://github.com/BrendanBenshoof/P2PDNS/raw/master/P3DNS.p...

itistoday2 12y ago

Namecoin has been used for this purpose since 2011. It already has specifications for DNS and identities (and these have been iterated on for years now): https://wiki.namecoin.info/index.php?title=Domain_Name_Specification https://wiki.namecoin.info/index.php?title=Domain_Name_Speci... https://wiki.namecoin.info/index.php?title=Identity https://wiki.namecoin.info/index.php?title=Identity As well as others (like hashes for software). Even OneName.io's u/ namespace is listed here: https://wiki.namecoin.info/index.php?title=OneName https://wiki.namecoin.info/index.php?title=OneName There are also many other blockchain DNS related projects: DNSChain (gives full-security read/write to arbitrary blockchains for all devices without having to run a DNS-based blockchain node, another nifty features like censorship circumvention and dotDNS metaTLD for JS apps): https://github.com/okTurtles/dnschain https://github.com/okTurtles/dnschain (I'm one of the devs of this) BitShares DNS (a different type of blockchain with a different consensus protocol): http://dotp2p.io http://dotp2p.io Feel free to mention others. I hope for more collaboration and less reproduction of efforts.

ryan-c 12y ago
OneName and OpenNameSystem appear to be trying to avoid any association with Namecoin despite the fact that they use it. Both projects have no mention of Namecoin (they just say "blockchain") on their websites and a lot of the documentation isn't very clear on this. What gives?
- jude- 12y ago
  I think the reason they don't say Namecoin explicitly is because at the end of the day, it doesn't particularly matter which *coin's blockchain gets used. At this point in the course of distributed system design, a "blockchain" can be thought of as a building-block for a system, and the matter of which particular blockchain gets used is an implementation detail.
  - itistoday2 12y ago
    > it doesn't particularly matter which 'coin's blockchain gets used. Well, except that it does, because depending on the blockchain used, you are dealing with different consensus protocols, and most importantly, different people. Namecoin is a worthy project, has been doing its noble thing for quite some time, and deserves at least a mention if this project is going to be working off of the sweat its core devs have put into it (and continue to do so).