Log something crazy, but intresting.

What the heck are these Handshake domains?

Date: Feb 19, 2023

There is this world that exists and ordinary people are not aware. It is not UFO, it is a naming protocol on the blockchain the DNS shift. Not every browser is able to show these sites natively as of now but soon will. You should also be aware that when we buy a legacy TLD that is centralized and the root is run by an organization called ICCAN.

Now just to paint a picture you are running a site and the local government or some highly influential people don't like what you are doing what can they do? Yes, recently you might have seen a lot of legacy sites taken down or blocked which is not possible on the blockchain.

Handshake domain names are decentralized and run on the same technology that is powering Bitcoin and Ethereum. It is a network that is a decentralized, dotless and permissionless naming protocol.

Most of the time when we buy a domain we are actually renting a subdomain. Now there is a way where you can own the TLD and rent it out if you want or use it for yourself.

But are there yet in the WEB3 space where all this is as normal as buying a domain and start using it? No, I don't think so we are still at day 1, there are a ton of development that is happening in this space right now.

Should you be buying these domains or TLD's?

I would have strongly said no to this but now when you see companies like NameCheap, Porkbun and 101domain selling handshake domains you might want to reconsider. NameCheap even when ahead and bought NameBase, these are known companies and are ICANN-accredited registrars. Currently, they are going cheap but as the network builds and HNS tokens are burned it will become expensive.

How do you access handshake domains?

This is where things get interesting, I did tell you about a world that everyone does not know exists. Only a few are currently able to see it, that is because everything on the internet is based on browsers. If web browsers don't show it does not exist but there are a few ways you can see them too.

Beacon Web Browser: This is a Chromium-based web browser with a built-in HNS resolver. With this, you don't have to do any technical stuff. I find this the easiest way to keep a track of the handshake domain world.
Fingertip: This is like an application that runs in the background and resolves the handshake on your browsers and this is what I use.
HDNS: This is where things get a bit technical, you can point your DNS to 103.196.38.38 and 103.196.38.39 to resolve Handshake. Everyone will not be very comfortable with this but it works.

There are more and I will leave a link to a complete list on the NameBase doc, but I really like to keep things simple.

Do handshake domains work?

Yes, they do, if you look at this site that is https://shaanchopra.net and I have https://shaanchopra/ on the handshake network. Both have almost identical content. But to experience the handshake domains you have to first resolve them on your browser.

How to get a handshake TLD?

I got the TLDs from NameBase, there is another way from Bob Wallet. You can also run Handshake software suite and get the same. I have not tried but you can try it. I found NameBase so easy to operate that did not look at any other place. Another thing to keep in mind is the medium of buying is the HNS token you can not use your traditional mode of payment here.

You can also buy sub-domains from NameCheap or PorkBun, here you can use your traditional mode of payment.

How difficult is it to manage the HNS domain?

To be very honest it is very similar to what you currently do with the current domain. There is a place where your domain is, then we have DNS record or NameServers then there is the hosting provider.

The only different part is from the user side, he is the person who has to do the work to actually view the content. This can only change if browsers like Chrome and Firefox resolve these domains. How difficult is it for them to do such a thing I have really not gotten into that.

How big can this be?

If web browsers natively start to resolve these domains and TLD that would be huge. Then everything will change from traditional .COMs to dotless domains. I have really not seen where the web browser organizations have come out to support them yet.

I would like to see that happen and that usually happens when they start getting a hit. What do I mean by this, when these companies will start to see revenue in this space or start a downstream revenue in the WEB2 space. They will shift on their own, which also comes with the fact that this space can not be censored. This is what most organizations and governments around the world don't like.

The initial take on handshake domains.

Well, I like the concept of decentralization and borderless communication. There is just too much power concentrated at one location. This makes HNS domains critical and also a target. Now for me, it has just been a week on this network and this is what I understand till now. I also know the sea is much bigger and I will know as I progress.

The thing that I don't like here is that the user or the viewer has to do an extra step for visiting a site. This is a big turn-off, till the time only the site owner had to do a few more steps is fine but for users that is a dropout.

This can be a huge deal or this can be a rug I don't know yet, actually, no one knows where the boat ride will go or end. This is the reason I have not gone too big on the domain names. Currently, I only own 3 TLDs only once I am sure where this is going I'll add more.