Decentralizing the Internet's Root

When you use your browser to visit a domain name like google.com, your DNS resolver will first ask the root for directions to the top-level domain "Com". Browsers started using a centralized resolution system called the domain name system to make things more user-friendly when the internet became more widespread. Instead of typing 208.65.153.238 into the address bar, a user could simply type "Youtube.com," and DNS would do all the work for them. Over time DNS resolvers became the backbone of the internet, and all top-level domain endings were registered with companies that were allowed to propagate on the broader internet. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is the nonprofit that serves as an arbiter to register new top-level domains. The integration allows web developers to leverage both IPFS' CID solution for content retrieval and Handshake's solution for decentralized domain names. One of the things long-time users of the internet are likely to remember are the days of the domain name wars. People would go online and buy domain names, then sit on them, selling them back for considerable amounts to companies who wanted to build a website and unlock the power of the internet.