---
title: "The People Behind Handshake"
date: 2026-09-15
author: Erwin
image: "/media/the-people-behind-handshake.png"
description: "A look at the developers, builders, miners and community members who keep the open-source Handshake ecosystem moving."
tags:
  - Handshake
  - HNS
  - Open Source
  - Community
  - Decentralized Naming
---

Handshake is an open source naming protocol.

There is no traditional company behind it, no central marketing department, and no single organisation responsible for keeping everything moving.

Instead, there are people.

Developers writing and reviewing code. Miners securing the network. Builders creating wallets, resolvers and tools. Community members answering questions. Moderators maintaining discussion spaces. Educators explaining how the protocol works.

Much of that work happens quietly.

## Open Source Needs People

Open source software does not maintain itself.

For Handshake to remain useful, people have to keep contributing.

Some work directly on the protocol.

Others build services around it.

Some write documentation, test software, maintain infrastructure, answer questions or help newcomers understand their first Handshake name.

Not every contribution is technical.

A healthy open source ecosystem depends on many different people doing many different things.

## More Than a Protocol

Handshake may begin with code, but the protocol is supported by a much wider ecosystem.

Projects such as HSD, HNSD and HIPs help maintain and develop the technical foundation.

Wallets and tools such as Bob Wallet and FireWallet help people interact with Handshake.

Services including HNSDNS, SkyInclude and ShakeShift help make the network easier to access, explore and understand.

Then there are the community spaces where people share ideas, solve problems and help each other.

That human layer matters.

## Join the Handshake Community

If you want to learn more about Handshake, one of the best places to start is with the people already using and building it.

**Handshake**  
<https://handshake.org/>

**LearnHNS**  
<https://learnhns.com/>

**Handshake Telegram**  
<https://t.me/handshake_hns>

**Handshake Discord**  
<https://handshake.org/discord>

**Handshake Reddit**  
<https://www.reddit.com/r/handshake>

**Handshake IRC**  
<https://web.libera.chat/#handshake>

**Handshake Matrix**  
<https://matrix.to/#/#handshake:libera.chat>

**Developer Telegram**  
<https://t.me/hns_tech>

**Handshake GitHub**  
<https://github.com/handshake-org>

These are places where developers, builders, miners, users and newcomers continue to exchange ideas and help move the ecosystem forward.

## The Work Behind the Network

It is easy to look at a protocol and only see the technology.

But behind Handshake are people contributing their time, skills and knowledge because they believe open naming infrastructure is worth building.

I feel very fortunate to have people like this working on a protocol I believe in so strongly.

Many of them have been working tirelessly, often quietly, on something they know may take many years to fully flourish. There is no guarantee of quick recognition or immediate success. They continue because they believe the idea itself is worth pursuing.

Some contributions are highly visible.

Others are not.

Both matter.

Handshake continues because people continue to participate.

And that deserves recognition.

**Own The Name | Own The Rules | Own The Dot**