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

A particular topic of interest in the blockchain space is the emergence of blockchain-related projects in the domain name system (DNS) and domain ecosystem. Handshake, in particular, has been gaining attention among decentralized technology enthusiasts for its potential to revolutionize how people think about and interact with domains, especially in the context of Web3.

What is a handshake (HNS) domain?

Handshake (HNS) is a decentralized, permissionless naming protocol that allows for 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. Also, the creation of top-level domains (TLDs) such as .agency, .gov, .edu and the like are currently managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and are subject to an application process.

As such, before an applicant can have a new TLD created in the root DNS, they first have to apply for the top-level domain, win an auction for it, and await approval. The current process is tedious, complex and expensive — not to mention highly centralized. This makes the system vulnerable to hackers and nonresistant to corruption and censorship.

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

Handshake (HNS) vs. traditional DNS

As mentioned, the current DNS infrastructure is heavily reliant on ICANN’S root zone. This means that for HNS domains to be resolved, there must first be a Handshake-aware resolver in the resolution chain.

The way DNS works, however, is quite similar to HNS. The only difference is the root zone file that the internet trusts and reads from, hence the need to introduce a Handshake alternative.

The goal isn’t to switch to the Handshake root zone entirely, as doing so would render current TLDs (.com and others) unless they also claim and recreate their TLDs on the Handshake blockchain. Suffice it to say that this is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Compatibility is another potential issue. There are thousands of TLDs, and they continue to increase as the internet…