---
title: Exploring ways to improve ipns
tags: IPFS, IPNS, DWEB
description: View the slide with "Slide Mode".
type: slide
slideOptions:
spotlight:
enabled: true
---

# Exploring ways to improve IPNS!

slides: https://hackmd.io/@hugodias/ipns

---

## Who are we?

- Hugo Dias & Adin Schmahmann
- Porto, Portugal & Boston, USA :heart:
- IPFS Core Developers :cat:

Note:
ask who knows about IPFS, IPNS and DHT

---

### IPNS

:space_invader: Inter-Planetary Naming System :space_invader:

---

## IPFS is Immutable

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

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

Note:
IPFS is powered by content-addressed data, which by nature is immutable: changing an object would change its hash, and consequently its address, making it a different object altogether.
However, there are several use cases where we benefit from having mutable data. This is where IPNS gets into the equation.

---

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

Note:
Each time a file is modified, its content address changes. As a consequence, the address previously used for getting that file needs to be updated by who is using it. As this is not pratical, IPNS was created to solve the problem.

---

## 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

Note:
IPNS is based on Self-certifying File System (SFS). It consists of a PKI namespace, where a name is simply the hash of a public key. As a result, whoever controls the private key has full control over the name. Accordingly, records are signed by the private key and then distributed across the network.

---

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

- **value** (eg. /ipfs/bafy...)
- **sequence**
- **signature**
- **public key**
- validity
- validity type
- ttl

Note:
- value
- It can be any path, such as a path to another IPNS record, a dnslink path (eg. /ipns/example.com) or an IPFS path (eg. /ipfs/Qm...)
- validity
- Expiration date of the record
- Signature
- Concatenate value, validity field and validity type. Sign the concatenation result with the provided private key.
- Validity type
- Allows us to define the conditions under which the record is valid.
- Sequence
- Represents the current version of the record (starts at 0)
- Pubkey
- Ttl
- A hint for how long the record should be cached before going back to, for instance the DHT, in order to check if it has been updated.

---

### Current Overview


Note:
Routing
- DHT acts as a KV store and router
- Right now PubSub works mostly to get faster updates

---

### Multiple routers

:tada: We don't need to choose just one router! :tada:

- DNS
- MDNS
- Workers
- PubSub
- DHT

Note:
Strategies: fastest, guaranteed of freshness, offline only.

---

### IPNS over DNS

dig TXT bafybeicagsz6fho75fzralubljnhmvayrnkzgm4vtujedd7ldsojzn3xym.dns.ipns.dev

/ipfs/QmdfuCQQZG3ZknEcUs4vGuf8rWXFpZWD3eakTth74HbpNw


Note:
* we built a package called ipns-ns
* Nameservers for a domain (ipns.dev)

---

### IPNS over DNS

* Fast resolves < 100ms
* Provides Origin Isolation in browser
* [https://<key hash>.ipns.dev](https://)
* 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 :dizzy_face:
* Shows that any KV store can be used as a backend
* Runs in the edges :dash:

---

### 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)

Note:
- Publish/Resolve records to/from **interested** peers
- Decentralized given interested peers
- Discover peers with:
- Any KV store
- Resolve speed depends on peer discovery method
- DHT peer discovery much faster than DHT record search

---

### TLDR
- multiple routers :+1:
- ipns can be fast :horse_racing:
- ipns can be flexible :electric_plug:
- ipns can be simple :white_circle:
<br>

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! :clap:

You can find us online with the handles
#### @hugomrdias @aschmahmann