Most of us use internet names every day without thinking about who coordinates them.
We type .com, .org or .au and expect them to work.
But who manages this naming system, and why was Handshake created as an alternative?
How Did ICANN Come About?
As the early internet grew, there needed to be a reliable way of coordinating internet names and addresses.
Much of this early work was carried out through the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), with computer scientist Jon Postel playing an important role.
As the internet expanded globally, ICANN the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers was established in 1998 to help coordinate its unique names and numbers.
Today, ICANN coordinates the traditional DNS root and the system of toplevel domains such as .com, .org and .au.
When you register example.com, you are registering a name underneath .com.
You don't own .com itself.
Why Was Handshake Created?
The creators of Handshake asked a different question:
Does the root of internet naming need to rely on central coordination?
Handshake was created to explore another approach.
Instead of a central organisation coordinating the root namespace, Handshake uses a decentralised peer to peer blockchain network.
This makes it possible for people to acquire and own names at the root level through the protocol.
There is no Handshake equivalent of ICANN sitting at the top.
Understanding the Difference
The simplest way to understand the two systems is:
⚪️ ICANN coordinates the root.
⚪️ Handshake decentralises the root.
One doesn't necessarily have to replace the other.
They represent two different approaches to internet naming and understanding that difference helps explain why Handshake exists.
Own the Name | Own the Rules | Own The Dot.