Blockchain DNS
Will Blockchain Domain Name Systems Replace Current Centralized DNS?
There has been a shift of attention towards the new technology known as the Blockchain Domain Name System (bDNS), built and deployed through an encrypted system of cryptography, deemed by a growing group of experts and entities as a likely replacement for the current centralized DNS. The centralized DNS is a public directory of domain name IP addresses hosted on the web and uses DNS servers for data interpretation or retrieval.
This article will investigate some limitations of the current DNS systems and benefits that make Blockchain DNS an attractive alternative.
Censorship Resistance
Traditional DNS is known to point browsers to centralized servers while the Blockchain Domain Name System points to a distributed registry. With this approach, users can get site data from peer devices also accessing the site. For instance, if 15 people are logging on to a site, the first few people are sufficient to directly access the blockchain location for the files, while the rest can access the data via peer devices.
The above is not a detailed description of how the use of decentralized serving works, but it is a way to understand benefits of blockchain DNS. Since it doesn’t employ a centralized data location or communication pathway, it becomes difficult to censor blockchain DNS, unlike the traditional DNS that can be blocked and selectively censored.
Privacy and Ownership
Current service providers and DNS server authorities can analyze and monitor users’ interaction with the DNS server. Invariably, authorities in charge can keep an eye on what you are doing online, which is enough to follow your DNS servers’ request, leading to potential breaches of personal data and privacy. Espionage and privacy breaches are theoretically impossible with the blockchain DNS with interactions being peer-to-peer, distributed and encrypted. Since site owners possess private keys to the site, third-party access becomes difficult. This feature denotes improvement in individual rights and protection.
Attacks and Security Concerns
Despite the absence of authoritative and prying entities, the centralized DNS system is prone to cyber hacks and attacks. Even with a firewall, internet users can be exposed to several attacks. The architectural structure on which the Blockchain domain name system is built makes it less prone to hacks. While the technology seems impenetrable to hack, it should be noted that there are no completely immune systems. With technological advancements, the possibility of hacks cannot be ruled out. But the main reason for hacks in the blockchain space is not because of security vulnerabilities but due to human error including the inadvertent giving out of private keys to wallets.
Financial Inclusions
The bDNS makes DeFi and a host of other decentralized applications more assessable due to an easier understanding of how to use a personal domain for wallet authentication. This creates a way towards greater financial inclusion around the globe, as part of the movement to decentralization. Also, the blockchain domains can make decentralized apps more usable and more discoverable on blockchain networks.
In all, though blockchain DNS is not without its limitations, it is another major step towards decentralization. It removes pain points that are currently associated with centralized DNS, thereby creating an evolving environment of more personal control of our digital lives.
Aditya Walia
Cofounder
aditya@nexbloc.com
