Blockchain
Ethereum Name Service is set up to support a web domain called .box that can be routed on web browsers just like any conventional internet domain.
The name .box, or Top-Level Domain, comes from a project called My.Box. According to Nick Johnson, the founder and lead developer of ENS, it will be the first blockchain-based internet name service to be rolled out for Ethereum users and powered by the ENS protocol. In particular, My.Box allows domains to be used for both crypto and internet services, such as email.
“We are excited to have .box as a pioneer of blockchain-native DNS routable TLD powered by ENS. These bridges between Web2 and Web3 are vital to bringing decentralized use cases to a wider audience,” Johnson said in a statement shared with The Block. “By building on ENS, it’s part of the overall goal of making decentralized naming a simple, usable standard.”
Registrations and transfers of the .box domain will be performed on the Ethereum blockchain. Ownership of the associated NFT includes both the Domain Name System and My.Box ENS based names.
The My.Box project will go live in September.
What’s different about .box domains?
ENS currently operates the .eth name service for Ethereum users, providing an easy-to-remember alternative to long and complex Ethereum crypto addresses. Unlike .eth, which does not interact with the Internet’s standard naming protocol, DNS, the .box domain will be accessible in all web browsers through ENS. This means a crucial integration of ENS and DNS protocols in the scope of the project.
The team at My.Box explained that the project can use Ethereum names and conventional web names at the same time by tokenizing a DNS domain with each name registration and having a crypto counterpart.
“We have a mechanism to tokenize a DNS domain. Think about everything you know about .eth, then add that you can also set up your DNS records (via the same dApp), and use it for websites and email,” said Josh Brandley, founder of My .Box, to The Block . In addition, it is deployed on an Ethereum Layer 2, so gas costs will be minimal, Brandley added.
However, Johnson highlighted potential challenges related to resistance to censorship. He stated that unlike .eth, the name .box would not have the same level of resistance. According to ICANN’s TLD policy, .box names must follow certain rules, which means that the DNS records can be seized under specific and rare circumstances.