Exploring ways to improve IPNS!

Who are we?

• Hugo Dias & Adin Schmahmann
• Porto, Portugal & Boston, USA
• IPFS Core Developers

IPNS

Inter-Planetary Naming System

IPFS is Immutable

> echo 'IPNS' > test.txt
> ipfs add test.txt
/ipfs/Qmcpr6B63t55cMni4zsZwdfsmc76bBWPgdP8fuoaGeat4x

> echo 'mutable' >> test.txt
> ipfs add test.txt
/ipfs/QmdfuCQQZG3ZknEcUs4vGuf8rWXFpZWD3eakTth74HbpNw

IPNS enables the creation of mutable pointers to a content path.

IPNS is Mutable

> echo 'IPNS' > test.txt
> ipfs add test.txt
/ipfs/Qmcpr6B63t55cMni4zsZwdfsmc76bBWPgdP8fuoaGeat4x

> ipfs name publish /ipfs/Qmcpr6B63t55cMni4zsZwdfsmc76bBWPgdP8fuoaGeat4x
/ipns/QmcjrwMdCoLLSUk4bidy8PxFdDHFJLq4dq2i3k2Z3t8esv

> echo 'mutable' >> test.txt
> ipfs add test.txt
/ipfs/QmdfuCQQZG3ZknEcUs4vGuf8rWXFpZWD3eakTth74HbpNw

> ipfs name publish /ipfs/QmdfuCQQZG3ZknEcUs4vGuf8rWXFpZWD3eakTth74HbpNw
/ipns/QmcjrwMdCoLLSUk4bidy8PxFdDHFJLq4dq2i3k2Z3t8esv

An IPNS record is a data structure containing the following fields:

• value (eg. /ipfs/bafy…)
• sequence
• signature
• public key
• validity
• validity type
• ttl

Current Overview

Multiple routers

We don't need to choose just one router!

• DNS
• MDNS
• Workers
• PubSub
• DHT

IPNS over DNS

dig TXT bafybeicagsz6fho75fzralubljnhmvayrnkzgm4vtujedd7ldsojzn3xym.dns.ipns.dev

/ipfs/QmdfuCQQZG3ZknEcUs4vGuf8rWXFpZWD3eakTth74HbpNw

IPNS over DNS

• Fast resolves < 100ms
• Provides Origin Isolation in browser
  • https://<key hash>.ipns.dev
• Human readable names
  • https://pretty-cat.ipns.dev
• DNS over HTTPS
• Publishing is centralized
• Resolving can be federated
• Anyone can run nameservers

IPNS over MDNS

• Works offline
• MDNS annouces ipns.local
• Browser can resolve ipns.local

IPNS over Cloudflare Workers

• Just a HTTP API with GET and PUT
• Prototype to understand how IPNS works
• It's still self-certifying
• Shows that any KV store can be used as a backend
• Runs in the edges

IPNS over DHT

• Put and Get IPNS records into DHT
  • Resolve/Publish decentralized
• On resolve ask for multiple records to confirm we have the latest version
  • Slow resolves since we need to find multiple records

IPNS over PubSub

• Publish/Resolve records to/from interested peers
• Fast record updates
• Discover peers with:
  • DHT
  • DNS or MDNS
  • Rendezvous servers
• Resolve speed depends on peer discovery method
• Enables advanced use cases (e.g. multiple writers)

TLDR

• multiple routers
• ipns can be fast
• ipns can be flexible
• ipns can be simple
  
  

IPFS = *Content => Content
IPNS = **Content => *Content

Future work

• Revocation and Rotation of IPNS keys
• Multiple writers to a single IPNS key
  • Including access control/capabilities
• Third-party republishing
• Flexible strategies for multiple routers

Thank you!

You can find us online with the handles

@hugomrdias @aschmahmann