Handshake

What is Handshake?

Designed and initially released by a team including Joseph Poon, Andrew Lee, Christopher Jeffrey, and Boyma Fahnbulleh in 2020, Handshake (HNS) is a decentralized, permissionless blockchain project designed to create a new system for managing and distributing domain names.

How to Purchase HNS Domains?

Web3 domains on the Handshake blockchain can be purchased through platforms like Namebase or Bob Wallet.

Handshake naming protocol allows peers to collectively manage the root DNS zone without relying on centralized authorities. It was designed to create a more secure and censorship-resistant alternative to traditional systems like Certificate Authorities and ICANN-managed TLDs. Handshake explores how a peer-to-peer model can restore the original decentralized vision of the internet, offering resilience against censorship, corruption, and sybil attacks that led to the dominance of centralized platforms.

Who are Handshake clients?

People who want full ownership and control over a domain extension, like .wallet or .music, buy TLDs on Handshake. Buyers include crypto users, domain investors, brands, and developers building decentralized apps or communities.

How to purchase an extension on the Handshake Blockchain?

On Handshake one cannot just invent and instantly claim a TLD. They are released through Vickrey auctions on the blockchain. The list of extensions to be auctioned was fixed at the launch of the blockchain in 2020. The protocol automatically releases them on a schedule, without human intervention.

New extensions come up for auction every day, until the full list is exhausted. Each name enters its auction window at a predetermined block height, and anyone with HNS can place a bid during that window. Some TLDs cost just a few HNS (a few dollars), others reach thousands during auctions if highly desirable.

Once you win a TLD through Handshake's on-chain auction (via Namebase or Bob Wallet), you fully own it. Running your TLD means setting DNS records, creating subdomains, or offering them for sale. Anyone can do it, but managing a live TLD for public use requires some technical knowledge (DNS setup, hosting, optional integration with legacy DNS). Tools like Namebase simplify most of it.

Most popular Handshake Web3 domain extensions

Based on the Namebase Registry leaderboard (by number of registered second-level names), the largest Handshake TLDs include: c (21,778), 1 (16,389), api (5,702), tx (3,279), js (1,843), nfts (1,559), xr (1,454), token (1,316), yo (1,235), zen (1,084), then dogecoin (902), brand (820), ds (778), knight (692), defi (607), project (581).

Some Handshake TLDs that are frequently sold at retail are not necessarily in the top leaderboard list. One example is ik, where you can buy second-level domains like name.ik.

Handshake second-level domains (like name.api, name.tx, name.ik) are sold by registrars and marketplaces. Common sellers include Porkbun, Namecheap, and EnCirca. Namebase also operates as a major marketplace, and it provides registrar-style search and purchase flows for many Handshake TLDs depending on what the TLD owner has made available.

Contact Info for Handshake

handshake.org