What are Handshake Domains (HNS) and how do they work?

A topic of particular interest in the blockchain space is the emergence of blockchain-related projects in the domain name system (DNS) and domain ecosystem. The handshake, in particular, has caught the attention of decentralized tech enthusiasts for its potential to revolutionize the way people think about and interact with domains, especially in the domain. web3 context.

What is a handshake domain (HNS)?

Handshake (HNS) is a decentralized, permissionless naming protocol that enables peer-to-peer communication and provides an accessible alternative to centrally managed domain names such as .com, country code domains and other generic domains .

As a decentralized peer-to-peer domain naming protocol, Handshake aims to serve as a DNS chain alternative to the current default root chain. In addition, the creation of top-level domains (TLDs) such as .agency, .gov, .edu, etc., is currently managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and is subject to a review process. candidacy.

So, before an applicant can create a new TLD in the root DNS, they must first apply for the top-level domain, win an auction for it, and wait for approval. The current process is cumbersome, complex and costly — not to mention highly centralized. This makes the system vulnerable to hackers and not resistant to corruption and censorship.

Handshake hopes to change the system and provide much more efficient, affordable and secure Handshake alternative top-level domains. The goal is to be able to use blockchain technology to allow Handshake domains to bypass the current system overseen by ICANN and help build a more decentralized domain landscape online.

Handshake (HNS) vs Traditional DNS

As mentioned, the current DNS infrastructure relies heavily on the ICANN root zone. This means that for HNS domains to be resolved, there must first be a resolver supporting the handshake in the resolution chain.

However, the operation of DNS is quite similar to that of HNS. The only difference is the root zone file that the internet trusts and reads, hence the need to introduce an alternative to the handshake.

The goal is not to move entirely to the Handshake root zone, as that would make TLDs current (.com and others) unless they also claim and recreate their TLDs on the Handshake blockchain. Suffice it to say, that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Compatibility is another potential issue. There are thousands of TLDs, and they continue to grow as the Internet grows. What Handshake has done to ensure that the new decentralized root zone will be compatible with these other TLDs is to reserve them for managing organizations to claim over the next three years.

How does a handshake domain work?

Handshake primarily distributes website addresses via auctions automatically managed by Handshake’s software. Auctions for TLDs take place every two weeks and users must bid using the Handshake protocol. cryptocurrencyHNS, to participate.

Whoever wins the auction pays the second-highest price following the format of a Vickrey auction, a type of sealed-bid auction in which bidders are unaware of each other’s bids. This ensures that everyone is treated fairly and that domain names are allocated efficiently and at a fair market value.

The Handshake blockchain works similarly to Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain. Miners run Handshake software, competing to unlock newly created HNS tokens by solving a series of mathematical puzzles. New blocks are added to the blockchain every 10 minutes and miners are paid 2,000 HNS for every 10 minutes of mining. The maximum supply of HNS is 2.04 billion.

What is a handshake domain used for?

There are many use cases for handshake domains. They work like any domain name and can be used for any website or online service. For businesses, in particular, Handshake domains can provide a competitive advantage by giving them greater privacy and control over their domain name space.

others documented Handshake use cases are:

• Sell ​​subdomains: Make a profit by selling subdomains that are extensions of its TLD.
• Connect with Handshake: Use Handshake to connect securely and privately without needing a password.
• Redirection: use it as a URL shortener.
• dLinks: Use Handshake to create a decentralized hub for its online content.
• Hmail: create an email address on his handshake name.
• dWord: can be used to create websites deployed on its handshake name.
• Nomad: Handshake names can be used as a username on a social networking site.
• Building a Website: Use Sia Skynet, GitHub Pages, Heroku, Vercel, or WordPress to build a website on Handshake.

How do I register a Handshake domain?

As mentioned, one of the ways users can participate in auction processes for Handshake domains is through HNS. Apart from that, domain registrar Namecheap offers registration services for Handshake domains to the public.

Namecheap currently offers the following TLDs:

To register a handshake domain on Namecheap, a user simply needs to enable the HNS option and follow the usual process for registering a traditional domain name. Besides registering a domain name, transferring or updating a Handshake domain can also be done on Namecheap or through HNS coins.

How do I access a Handshake domain?

Handshake domains are currently not resolved on regular web browsers. To access a Handshake domain, one must use either the Handshake software itself or one of the following:

• Browser extensions
• Fingertip
• HDNS.io
• HNS.to
• NextDNS
• vpn.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Handshake Domains

Using Handshake domain names has several advantages, including increased privacy and control, greater flexibility in domain name usage, and the ability to participate in domain name auctions.

Additionally, the push towards a more decentralized Internet could mean that decentralized domain name system services like Handshake could eventually be considered more stable and resilient to domain name hijacking or server outages.

However, using Handshake domains also has some drawbacks. On the one hand, domain name users must already have HNS coins to participate in domain auctions or use other services offered by Handshake, which places barriers to entry for those who are not keen on technology or may be less familiar with cryptocurrency.

For the uninitiated, alternate domain names can also be a bit more complex to set up and use than traditional domain names, especially since the adoption of alternate domains has yet to penetrate the mainstream. .

The Future of Handshake Domains

The decision to institute Web3 blockchain domain name systems aims to provide users with simpler and shorter domains that can easily be used online. As such, Handshake domains – and similar iterations of decentralized domain system services – can be used to represent a blockchain address, for example.

People can then just say “Send payment to joe.crypto” instead of a multi-character hex string, making it more convenient and user-friendly to use domain names on the web. Handshake aims to participate in the decentralized future by giving users greater control over their data, security, and privacy while keeping things decentralized.

However, it remains to be seen whether accessibility will become an issue for potential adopters. As it stands, registration and browser support is still firmly in the hands of the traditional infrastructure. Additionally, if ICANN releases TLDs in the future that may conflict with Handshake’s TLDs, use of the domain could become more complicated.

In such a circumstance, resolvers should decide whether to resolve the handshake TLD or the ICANN TLD. ICANN is also an undeniably bigger and more powerful organization – will it give in to decentralization?

And with such a complicated process of renewing the domain infrastructure in the direction of decentralization, won’t the move to HNS just make it the main player once ICANN domain names will be removed (if applicable)? Many questions remain unanswered, and only time will tell if services like Handshake will gain widespread adoption or fade away.