🧵 [ANN] DNSChain — Decentralized DNS on Blockchain | TLD DAO | Staking | Censor

[sebastian_ti]

🧵 [ANN] DNSChain — Decentralized DNS on Blockchain | TLD DAO | Staking | Censorship-Resistant DNS
🌐 Website / GitHub: https://github.com/DNSChain/dnsblockchain
📄 Whitepaper: Available in the repo
🔐 Consensus: Proof-of-Stake
🧱 Built With: Cosmos SDK
🗓️ Mainnet ETA: Q3 2025
🌍 Open Specification — Community-driven

🔎 What is DNSChain?
DNSChain is a decentralized DNS protocol built on a lightweight PoS blockchain. It allows domain registration without central authorities, enabling censorship-resistant internet naming while remaining interoperable with the traditional DNS (ICANN) system.

Unlike ENS or Unstoppable Domains, DNSChain stores only NS records on-chain, making it efficient and scalable. The actual DNS records (A, CNAME, MX, etc.) are resolved by user-controlled authoritative name servers.

🚀 Features
✅ Permissionless Domain Registration
✅ On-chain NS records, off-chain resolution
✅ Supports custom TLDs like .dweb, .alt, .peer
✅ ICANN TLDs like .com, .org, .mx are excluded to avoid collisions
✅ Staking-based governance for adding new TLDs
✅ DNS Client supports hybrid resolution (ICANN fallback)
✅ Decentralized TLD approval via DAO voting
✅ Burn mechanism for rejected TLD proposals

🛠️ How It Works
Domains are registered via blockchain transactions.

Only authorized TLDs (approved by governance) can be used.

NS records are stored on-chain. Other records are served by user-run authoritative servers.

Hybrid DNS clients resolve .com and .net via ICANN, and .dweb via DNSChain.

🧑‍⚖️ Governance
TLD proposals are submitted on-chain.

Each proposal requires a deposit — accepted proposals refund the proposer; rejected ones burn the deposit.

ICANN TLDs are hardcoded as restricted and cannot be proposed or registered.

On-chain governance determines TLD approval, upgrade paths, and staking rules.

🎯 Use Cases
Censorship-resistant domain infrastructure

Custom naming systems for DAOs and dApps

Decentralized naming for mesh and P2P networks

Web3-native DNS resolvers and mobile clients

🗺️ Roadmap
Phase   Milestone
Phase 1   Testnet + Resolver Client
Phase 2   Mainnet Launch + Domain Registration
Phase 3   On-chain TLD DAO + Explorer + CLI Tools
Phase 4   IBC support + Registrar APIs + Mobile Apps

🧩 Comparisons

**Feature**	DNSChain (Decentralized DNS)	ENS	Unstoppable Domains	ICANN DNS	Handshake	Namecoin	EmerDNS	GNUnet (GNS)	OpenNIC
Rootless	Yes	Partially	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
TLD Flexibility	High	Medium	Low (predefined)	Low	High	Low	Medium	Medium	High
Interoperable	Yes	Limited to Ethereum	No	Yes	Limited	No	No	No	Yes
Staking Economy	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Censorship Resistance	High	Medium	Medium	Low	High	High	Medium	High	Medium

🤝 Join Us
This is a community-led project — open to developers, DNS operators, crypto-native registrars, and sovereign tech advocates.

Help us reshape the naming layer of the Internet.

🔗 GitHub: github.com/DNSChain/dnsblockchain

[Vod]

1) It allows domain registration without central authorities...
1) Only authorized TLDs (approved by governance) can be used....
2) ICANN TLDs are hardcoded as restricted and cannot be proposed or registered.

1) Is the first line plural to allow a single central authority? (governance)
2) Why restrict this?  Why can't I register microsoft.com on this blockchain, and have those using it respect my record?

3) What education do you have to run this?

[sebastian_ti]

1) It allows domain registration without central authorities...
1) Only authorized TLDs (approved by governance) can be used....
2) ICANN TLDs are hardcoded as restricted and cannot be proposed or registered.

1) Is the first line plural to allow a single central authority? (governance)
2) Why restrict this?  Why can't I register microsoft.com on this blockchain, and have those using it respect my record?

3) What education do you have to run this?

Thank you for your questions — they address important design decisions behind DNSChain. Let me clarify:

"Domain registration without central authorities" vs. "Only authorized TLDs (approved by governance)"
This may appear contradictory at first glance, but it's a matter of distinguishing between permissionless participation and protocol-level safeguards.
Anyone can register a domain under an authorized TLD — there is no registrar, no central authority, no KYC. The governance mechanism (DAO) exists only to prevent abuse at the top-level domain (TLD) layer (e.g., preventing spammy or malicious TLDs), not to control individual domain registrations.

Why restrict ICANN TLDs like .com? Why not allow registering microsoft.com?
This is intentional to avoid namespace collisions and ensure compatibility with the traditional DNS.
If DNSChain allowed .com, it would create ambiguity: which record should a DNS client trust — the one from ICANN or DNSChain?
By design, DNSChain is complementary, not adversarial, to the global DNS root. It enables a parallel, censorship-resistant naming system without breaking the internet.
Allowing .com or similar TLDs would damage credibility and hinder adoption by responsible developers, projects, and organizations.

What education do you have to run this?
This is a community-driven open-source project, and it doesn't require credentials to participate — only competence, transparency, and commitment.
The protocol is designed to be verifiable and auditable. All specifications, code, and governance are open for scrutiny.
Personally, I have a multidisciplinary background in software development, systems administration, and business operations, and I've built this to enable others to extend, contribute, and deploy independently.