Web3 Domain Test - Can your Browser view this page?
So a longer while ago I registered a Web3 Domain with UnstoppableDomains which is one of the leading Web3 Domain "Registrars" (if you will). Web3 domains, once purchased are like "lifetime deals" and you own them forever since you own the private keys to them. In my case, the domain has been minted on the Blockchain network (ETH based iirc) right thereafter and is stored in my crypto wallet. From there on UnstoppableDomains no longer "controls" any part of the domain and you basically have full ownership over it. After idling the domain for a while, I thought "Why not try hosting a website on it?". Afterall, hosting a static site is possible for free using Unstoppable Domains feature but you can also upload your own static html files. For this trial, I used one of their templates, and in a few minutes (after verifying domain ownership through my wallet and signing a smart contract, my Web3 Domain was linked to the respective IPFS hash). My website should now be "live". That said, afaik only BRAVE Browser supports resolving Web3 Domains by default, Opera resolves only .crypto domains iirc. Chrome/Firefox and others might require Browser extensions or DNS updates to resolve Web3 domains.
Disclaimer: Web3 is still very new. I am still learning about this and it is crucial that you DYOR before proceeding as I can not say how "safe" the whole process is. I didn't put my domain at the top of OP nor put up a TL;DR for this very reason. I just figured as a Webdesigner I should eventually dip into this and have a go at it, so here I am 
Now, the webpage I put up is a simple static site template from UD which is linked to my Web3 Domain and served via IPFS hash if I understood that correctly. It would be nice if some of you guys who have Brave Browser (or want to try it with the offical UD Browser Extension) want to give this a test.
That said, I am quite new in the whole WEB3 field and I can't guarantee for the safety of the extension.
If you "trust" Brave Browser, maybe that's the best place to give it a go. Anyway, some more info:
Web3 Domains are new web extensions (like .com or .info) launched as smart contracts on public blockchains. For example, our domains are ERC 721 on the Ethereum blockchain and Polygon Network.
Web3 Domains are stored in a wallet by the owner, much like a cryptocurrency, and no third party can take them away. Pay once, and you own the domain for life, with no renewal fees.
Self-custody is one of the most important features of a Web3 Domain. This is what makes your domain decentralized - This is what gives you complete control over your domain!
A self-custody solution is possible because your domain is an asset on the blockchain and stored like a cryptocurrency in your wallet. This custody method gives your Web3 Domain “superpowers” that traditional domains do not have.
Due to the self-custody nature of your blockchain domain:
Can not be seized by a third party.
Can enable decentralized websites.
It can be transferred around the world in seconds without needing permission from any third party.
It gives the owner sole control and access to domain management features - adding crypto addresses and pointing content to your domain.
Unstoppable Domains has no control over your domains after they are minted and cannot block/restrict any access to the domain. You own the private keys of the wallet storing your domain and nobody will be able to take your domain/website/content/settings away from you.
You can even receive and send emails using your Web3 Domains and specific services:
https://unstoppabledomains.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/48001218107-unstoppable-email#:~:text=Unstoppable email uses an email,to keep your identity safe.
There are at least six browsers with native support for ENS+IPFS websites. That means you can just type “vitalik.eth/” into the URL bar and it should work without special extensions.
Those browsers are Brave (desktop), Opera, Status (mobile), MetaMask Mobile (mobile), and Puma.
When typing my Web3 Domain below in the address bar of Brave Browser you will see the following.
It will ask you whether you want to use Brave as a local IPFS node, or use a public Gateaway.
I opted for the local IPFS node, but please DYOR (here are some pointers):
https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051406452-How-does-IPFS-Impact-my-Privacy-
https://brave.com/ipfs-support/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ipfs/comments/rz8fiq/ipfs_through_brave_local_node_or_public_gateway/
If you want to browse Web3 Domains via Chrome/Firefox, probably the easiest way is to just install the UnstoppableDomains Extension: Chrome / Firefox
Of course, for Web3 Domains to become more viable, the way Brave/Opera opted for, which is native browser support without relying on browser extension or manual DNS change, is the way to go.
For me so far it's just idling and experimenting a bit But I really love the idea of "owning" the domain and no renewal fees. Due to the decentralized nature I'd also assume it could help activists and other groups at risk to keep their domains "online".
Anyway, if you are still here and ready for an adventure, try accessing my Web3 Domain via any of the means introduced earlier and give me feedback if you can indeed view it
My Web3 Domain: Try entering this domain in your Brave Browser (or Firefox/Chrome with the respective UD Browser Extension):
hostyour.nft
Please let me know if this works for you
Kind regards,
Ympker
Comments
Brave gives a warning for .NFT top level domain.
It also generates a warning for .ETH top level domain.
I will not accept this. In my opinion this is a lost cause. It's dead. The best attempt was made by Handshake crypto, and that failed too. In my opinion Internet will be bound to ICANN legislation and their corporations for a very long time.
How are you... online?
No issues if you won't proceed. Thanks for giving it a try, regardless! First time I tried it in my Virtualbox VM lol. That's why I said DYOR. I understand anyone who won't proceed. I'm just testing the waters here
If everything works, the domain should resolve to this:
Ympker's VPN LTD Comparison, Uptime.is, Ympker's GitHub.
I am trying out access to your website @Ympker.
Meanwhile how does it UD compare with handshake?
https://www.namecheap.com/domains/handshake-domains/
Are these mutually exclusive?
Any idea?
Thanks for giving it a try! It worked on my Win10 PC (Brave, Chrome UD extension), Chromebook (Brave), Mobile phone (Brave).
I do see renewal fees for Domains, though. With UD they are one-time payments. Regarding your question, maybe UD support could answer this best. I think I am not yet knowledgeable enough to give a solid answer.
I haven't seen this offer from Namecheap before. I will have a look later! Interesting as well
Overall, Web3 is very new. So are crypto domains. While right now it might seem perhaps unthinkable of using it catering to a broader audience, perhaps in the future it will establish itself. Whether that be the way UD persues, or a middle ground as seems like Namecheap presents here (?). I am sure Web 2.0 is here to stay for a loooong while, but things are always changing and I thought I'd at least give them a try :P
Ympker's VPN LTD Comparison, Uptime.is, Ympker's GitHub.
Samsung Internet Browser doesn't even recognize it. Just does a Google search for the term.
URL Shortener | YetiNode | Come join us on the MetalVPS IRC channel!!! | Don't be a jerk, let YetiNode do the work.
Yup, without an extension only Brave and Opera and the other browsers named in the Medium article in OP offer native support for now.
It's still very new stuff.
@mee2 I just checked and it appears like Handshake Domains Namecheap offers do currently not automatically resolve in any browser but still rely on extensions. Whether Web3 Domains succeed or not, I find the fact that two major browsers (Brave&Opera)offering native support for web3 domains is already a HUGE step. Because it can't be about people installing browser extensions if this is meant to get more popular.
Ympker's VPN LTD Comparison, Uptime.is, Ympker's GitHub.
No worries, I am curious about this. If we have two ( known to me so far ) providers then there will be collision of domains. Eg. If I register same domain as you on handshake I will be able to create my own completely difderent website. Decentralised yeh?
New vhs vs betamax or hdddvd vs blueray like competition will be great.
It's definitely quite intriguing. I will definitely keep observing where this goes. I assume Hosting Providers could offer IPFS hosting at some point, too. While UD includes like 10MB IPFS storage for domain website, there are services dedicated to IPFS hosting storage and they usually have a small entry plan and a bigger plan where they sell a couple MB for good money. Might become a thing @lesproviders :P
I am referring to something like https://www.pinata.cloud/
Ympker's VPN LTD Comparison, Uptime.is, Ympker's GitHub.
Handshake was very well thought. To avoid collision, branded TLDs were reserved, and still are. If a TLD gets registered on Handshake, and someone else gives 1 million dollars to register it on ICANN, Handshake will delete your TLD to respect ICANN, but this is another discussion.
Again, this was very well thought. Problem: it failed, because corporations don't like a decentralised web with anonymity.
How are you... online?
Fwiw some more example sites and a way of manual DNS change to access D-Sites:
https://docs.unstoppabledomains.com/d-websites/resolving-dwebsites-in-a-browser/
However, by now Brave and Opera not only support .crypto . At least Brave also supports others :P
@root do you also get the Infura Issue you are facing when using e.g. Chrome/Firefox with UD extension? (don't feel urged to give it a try if you don't want to install the extension)
Ympker's VPN LTD Comparison, Uptime.is, Ympker's GitHub.
Makes sense for collision between centralised vs decentralised but how about collision between two decentralised providers?
There will be a winner over time who will control it I guess.
Using NextDns, handshake domains can be resolved in any normal browser. .nft doesn’t work
Why?
Isn't that similar to how normal browser can resolve .nft domains when using DNS from UD, or browser extension, though? Both options won't work by "default" (that is to say browser vanilla without any dns or other modifications) with Chrome/Firefox, but .nft will even work by default with Brave and Opera? I am not saying Handshake is worse. It sounds like another good approach and probably more "accessible" to the general public serving as some sort of middle ground between Web2 and UD totally decentralised approach. A popular registrar like Namecheap backing this up could also become fruitful. This goes to show that also established players like Namecheap at least explore ways of leveraging blockchain technology to provide an ideally more open and free internet experience (or just to not be left behind and generate profit lol).
Ympker's VPN LTD Comparison, Uptime.is, Ympker's GitHub.
Btw, I tried your website on brave browser (win10) and I confirm I can access it.
I installed on Firefox and Chrome.
This type of behaviour is the problem. The DNS part was fixed by Handshake even by offering free DNS resolvers. But the browsers simply did not wish to adopt them. It's the corporations delaying all the hype, because they get to lose money and sales.
Meanwhile HNS has fallen and fallen. Now 1 HNS = $0.0228 on Coinbase, while this crypto was explicitly designed for a decentralised web with new TLDs and domains. It failed, and this failure will discourage any other attempts for a long time.
How are you... online?
Thanks for testing!
Did you use Brave local node or Public Gateaway option?
Ympker's VPN LTD Comparison, Uptime.is, Ympker's GitHub.
Thanks for testing, mate! Good to hear it worked on Firefox. It worked on Chrome for me earlier this day, too though. Can you try entering domain in address bar followed by a / as this, according to UD prevents the browser's search function from being triggered this actually resolving the nft domain instead.
Also interesting about HNS. If it failed at least Web3 Domains are still here through UDs, ENS etc approach. Anyway, big corps are most certainly loosing control and money over this hence why Chrome/Firefox still won't support it, I assume.
Ympker's VPN LTD Comparison, Uptime.is, Ympker's GitHub.
It is using brave public gateway option.
Enjoy hoping. I lost that hope. Previous attempts were made. Even our precious Namecheap registrar bought Namebase (a free web portal which handles Handshake TLDs and domains). Nothing happened. For them it's just about trying to get more money from those believers of a free web, while doing nothing significant to get it integrated by default within browsers (only through software and extensions so adopters may feel happy and spend more while they hope).
Corporations have no intention to give us full anonymity on internet. It's just how things are, because they are greedy for more control and more power.
How are you... online?
Also interesting read: https://dri.es/my-first-web3-webpage (self hosting ipfs website with web3 domain).
It doesn't have to be full anonymity though. There is always some middle ground to be made out. If this allows activists to be a bit more secure and even if it just lives on as a niche that's still nice.
Ympker's VPN LTD Comparison, Uptime.is, Ympker's GitHub.
Crypto domains are a decade-old technology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namecoin
Initial release 18 April 2011 (11 years ago)
Ethereum is largely a centralized system. Web3 is primarily a platform to scam people. Support for Web3 projects tends to die off once the hype's over. Watch this in-depth documentary about the ecosystem here:
ping command gives me this:
ping: hostyour.nft: Name or service not known
Chrome opens a search page for the term.
Web3 is well over a decade old now - and it's been a bullshit from the very start.
It's not going to allow you to trade and/or speak freely (or, you can speak, but no one will hear you which boils down to the same). Nor to be really anonymous.
It's a waste of time and resources.
I'd love to be wrong on this. To come back in a decade (if I live that long LOL), read this, and laugh at how stupid and shortsighted I was.
Relja of House Novović, the First of His Name, King of the Plains, the Breaker of Chains, WirMach Wolves pack member
BikeGremlin's web-hosting reviews
Didn't realize it was this old. People chose (centralized) order over (decentralised) chaos then? :P
Ympker's VPN LTD Comparison, Uptime.is, Ympker's GitHub.
It's not really decentralized - not in practice, IMO. Highly inefficient that way - not as bad as using pigeons, but not much better either.
Relja of House Novović, the First of His Name, King of the Plains, the Breaker of Chains, WirMach Wolves pack member
BikeGremlin's web-hosting reviews
Page opens for me in Brave on Debian.
No. It's about convenience. If web3 would have been included in browsers and global DNS resolvers by default, projects like Handshake would have been a huge success. But delaying stuff as corporation (while giving the impression you want it) generates some profits, and by the time hype is extinguished the end user will not even know something like this even existed, as it was never publicly available to end-consumers by default.
If 2 big players (like Google and Cloudflare) would have included something like this in their public DNS resolvers, things would have been way different; but it seems they want to keep this current status quo (one can only speculate as to why).
How are you... online?
Sarcastic Web3 site:
https://web3isgoinggreat.com/
The less sarcastic version:
https://blog.mollywhite.net/blockchain/
Relja of House Novović, the First of His Name, King of the Plains, the Breaker of Chains, WirMach Wolves pack member
BikeGremlin's web-hosting reviews
Thanks for testing!
@root ah, gotcha. However, since Brave and Opera now support crypto domains by default and hype can be re-generated by Influencer kiddos and whatnot, there could still be a comeback at some point. Not to say it will happen, but if browser like Chrome/Firefox also at some point adopted this it could become huge again. People also wouldn't need to know about web3 if e.g. a crypto favourable browser at some point became a default browser. Many already use Brave/Opera. If Google won't do it, perhaps MS Edge might try that innovation at some point. Anyway, all of that is just hypothetically speaking. It could all also just end..but since that's kind of boring, I'll rather believe/hope for the 1% chance of a comeback haha. Like @bikegremlin already said, in 10 years time we can look back and all have a laugh.
One thing is true though: Rather than browsers it would really help if major DNS resolvers would support this.
Ympker's VPN LTD Comparison, Uptime.is, Ympker's GitHub.
To use an analogy in order to show the flaw in the "what if" logic of this and a few other posts:
If people turned to custom hand built bicycle frames, the prices would skyrocket (from the existing high prices), and quality would go down.
As a hard-core commie, I'd love to see a free, open, decentralized system replace the corporate/investment fund run one. But web3 is not it. If more people started using it, it would just crash. Inefficient, unregulated, and with not a single use case that isn't better served by the existing web tech.
Relja of House Novović, the First of His Name, King of the Plains, the Breaker of Chains, WirMach Wolves pack member
BikeGremlin's web-hosting reviews
Guys this boggles my mind, why are you using Brave?
Isn't Brave an adware?
All you need is Firefox or Chrome with the uBlock Origin plugin.
Firefox for Mobile and uBlock Origin work as well, on Android devices.