The importance of Real Web3 Domains, the very new things they do, and how to spot fake ones.

May 19, 2024 | by John Mc Keown | 1

To understand Web 3 domains are, we first have to examine the legacy domains, understand them, and learn what has changed.

Legacy Domains

Registering 9jacosmos.com is a way of finding us virtually. All things on the internet are represented by IP (Inernet Protocol) addresses. A process known as DNS (Domain Name Service) translates a human language ID into an IP so the internet can understand it.

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9jacosmos.com real identity is 198.187.29.39 but DNS is converting it to something people will understand

The registrant of 9jacosmos.com (Namecheap), like all registrants, have their own DNS integration to take care of that. They can also be paid for other stuff, such as hosting space, design services, security certificates and other things. These are services that allow things to be done with 9jacosmos.com, such as create a website at the destination or make an email address like ‘[email protected]

Aside from Registrars, DNS translation is also used in browsers and mobile apps.

This is a legacy web system that is centralized. The registrars are controlled by a centralized autonomous NGO body known as ‘Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN). They basically ‘make up’ the root zone. They are a single point of failure. Root Zones’ are an upper extension of ‘Top Level Domains’ abbreviated to ‘TLD’

Examples of TLDs are .com, .net, .co.uk, .fr, .de, .io, .xyz etc.

Individual companies (or nations in the case of Country Domains), own the TLDs issued and regulated by ICANN.

ICANN itself is also not entirely impartial. Over the years, it has been infiltrated by eminent individuals who have positions in the commercial sector and work for companies whose prosperity is influenced by its trajectory, findings and decisions. This is common in many quazi-civil agencies. You only have to look at the IMF, WHO, Environment, Climate and Wildlife Conservation… see all the professionals from big finance corporations, big phrama, energy conglomerates etc, and we see many with influence that shouldn’t have it, due to conflicts of interest and the commercial agenda of their paymaster.

Web 3 domains are the next generation and involves a decentralized process where there SHOULD BE no central authority ‘making up’ root zones. GENUINE Web 3 domains are produced through an integral architecture of a (Nakamoto Consensus) PoW blockchain in public ownership.

Root Zone:

The Root Zone is the base anchor for the Top Level Domain (TLD) and subdomains. In ICANN domains, the Root Zone is merely a data reference point inside an internal database management system. In Genuine Web 3 domains, the root zone is integrated to a PoW (Proof of Work) blockchain (preferably Nakamoto Consensus), using a TLD ownership information file. This file is stored by adding a distributed and decentralized blockchain-based system that no one controls and anyone can use. It is not a ‘Smart Contract’.

We’ve purposefully avoided making mention of providers claiming to have ‘Web3’ domains if how they achieve their root zone isn’t clear.

Top Level Domain (TLD) :

The Top level Domain is the highest group of characters which annexe the Root Zone. Examples of ICANN TLDs are .com , .net, .fr, .ng, .eu , .xyz and .io

ICANN TLDs have only one use, which is to issue sub-domains. Genuine Web 3 TLDs have many other uses and are not confined to just issuing sub-domains.

Examples of providers with some products leveraged through Genuine Web 3 TLDs are Wallet Inc, HNSAU, 9ja Cosmos, Eskimo Software and Namebase

ENS used to have a Genuine Web 3 TLD (.eth) , though it became compromised following a change which happened in … generally referred to as ‘the merge’. This compromised the Root Zone, as Ethereum is no longer a ‘decentralized blockchain-based system that no one controls’. Other changes since the merge has made it less so.

Several other TLDs exist claim to be Web3 Domains. Key attributes of fake Web3 Domains:

Do not have Root Zones produced through an integral architecture of a (Nakamoto Consensus) PoW blockchain in public ownership. Detailed information on Root Zone construct is absent from publicly available information.

Try to emulate ICANN in focusing solely on the sub-domain generation rather than the wide spectrum of use cases Web3 TLDs can be put to.

Tend to exist solely in the EVM Compatible Ecosystem.

Try to emulate the appearance of Web 3 Domains through imitation of Web 3 TLD use case diversity at the sub-domain level, by forming corporate and centralized extensions through EVM Compatible partners.

‘Flippers’ (people who buy and sell virtual assets without improving them) flip SLDs/subdomains more often or to the exclusion of flipping TLDs (another emulation of ICANN).

Sub-Domains and SLDs (Second Level Domains)

SLDs (Second Level Domains) are the first level of ‘subdomain’ below a TLD

With legacy ICANN domains, SLDs are the only consumer/general product and once registered, SLD registrant can make up as many subsequent subdomains as they like. They don’t have to pay extra for them.

For example, in the address www.linkedin.com/notifications. ‘.com’ is the TLD owned by a company – Verisign. LinkedIn has had to pay to register ‘linkedin’ but ‘notifications’ is a subdomain made up by LinkedIn using registrants’ tools. It didn’t have to pay anything.

With GENUINE Web 3 domains, there isn’t a distinction between an SLD and lower subdomains most of the time, unless an SLD vendor is involved. This is because subdomains are only one use-case of a GENUINE Web 3 domain.

Some services feigning Web 3 domain creation, attempt to sell, or encourage the sale of further subdomains, through using tokenizing strings with no valid root zone, typically using EVM compatibility (ERC 20). This means monetizing subdomain levels that would normally be available free.

Hybrid Variations:

‘.hns’ by Namebase (case in point) offers SLDs creation options off Optimism which are EVM Compatible. This means they can avail of (centralized) EVM Compatible services made to work on similar architectures, such as ‘.eth’

The SLD created (example: ‘crypto.hns’) doesn’t have the decentralization ‘.hns’ does, but it does have a dependency on a TLD with a GENUINE Web 3 Root Zone. This makes it superior to SLDs with EVM Compatibility where a Nakamoto Consensus Root Zone is either absent or unclear.

.9jacom by 9ja Cosmos was the first Country TLD in the world, issued in September 2022. SLDs off .9jacom (and .9javerse) are offered via EnCirca registrar extensions, which emulate some of the features of traditional SLDs. Products that are technically similar are owned by Namecheap, 101 Domains and Porkbun, as well as EnCirca, and several third party commercial operators, although they are not targeting the Web 3 Country TLD market specifically.

Innovative Use cases of GENUINE Web 3 TLDs.

9ja Cosmos also made history by leveraging Web 3 TLDs to market NFT like assets to Qatar 2022, and issued 9ja Cosmos as an ‘extra-sovereign’ business using GENUINE Web 3 TLDs as shares.

In the Sinosignia/Sino Amazon products we have GENUINE Web 3 TLDs partnered with amazing tokenized artwork where each TLD is one single character of East Asian appearance.

GENUINE Web 3 TLDs can be put to many uses that bears no relation to subdomains, internet addresses or websites. They can replace long alphanumeric strings in identifications related to wallets, exchanges, web 3 services and platforms.

However, security is weak when people do not have a root zone integrated to a Nakamoto Consensus blockchain. This is particularly true of EVM Compatible proxies.