What is Unstoppable Domain and How Does it Work?
What is Unstoppable Domain?
Unstoppable Domains is a crypto domain registrar where users can create non-censorable websites stored in the owner’s crypto wallet.
Unstoppable Domains is a San-Francisco based company that provides blockchain-based domain names to users — most popularly, .crypto and .zil. The latter stands for the Zilliqa blockchain, one of the blockchains used to power the system.
Unstoppable domains work much like your traditional domain, hosting a website to sell a product, inform an audience, or anything else you want to use it for. However, they also let users generate a universal username, log in to the decentralized web, and work as a crypto wallet, storing cryptocurrency sent by visitors and buyers.
What Can You Do on Unstoppable Domains?
1. Profile Badges
Unstoppable Domains owners can display their Web 3 accomplishments via profile badges. Based on popular projects and user ideas, Unstoppable Domains has generated 31 badges. Bored Ape and Decentraland are examples of Ethereum Early Adopter and 1-Year Club.
2. Email Forwarding
Are you looking for a way to communicate through email privately? Unstoppable Email lets you send end-to-end encrypted emails with your @ud.me email address. It enables you to receive and reply to messages without revealing your primary email address.
3. Single-Sign-On for Web 3
With over 125 dApps and projects that have integrated Login with Unstoppable, you’ll be able to use your NFT domain as a username to log into these apps.
4. The Unstoppable Mobile App
You can now manage your domains through the Unstoppable iOS app. You can mint domains directly from the mobile app, and the Unstoppable app will show you the wallet apps you have installed on your device.
How Much are Unstoppable Domains?
Your domain’s total cost depends on the estimated value of the domain and the gas fees at the time of your transaction. Once these have been paid, you’ll never have to pay a renewal fee.
Domains themselves can range from $20 to over $1000.For example, choosing a popular word will likely increase the cost, and .crypto domains tend to cost more than .wallet or .dao options. The shorter the domain name, the more expensive it will be.
Pros and Cons of Unstoppable Domains
The concept of a crypto domain may seem a little overwhelming initially, and it helps to understand the benefits and detractions of this novel technology.
Pros
1. You Have Full Ownership
Unlike your .com alternatives, which are subject to legal jurisdiction and removal, your Unstoppable domain will be registered on a public blockchain, and you will have full ownership. It means you’re not at risk of being censored.
2. Single Purchase
Are you tired of unexpected renewal fees? Unstoppable Domains claims to remove unexpected renewal fees. The domain will be yours forever with a single purchase without needing renewal fees. It is because domains work like NFT, stored in your wallet as proof of ownership.
3. Customization
Being the complete owner of the domain means you can with it as you please. You can choose any design, theme, or content you want. Alternatively, you can transfer it for a profit, which is significantly harder to do with a traditional domain.
4. Works As A Crypto Wallet
If you run a business that accepts cryptocurrency (or plan to), then your Unstoppable Domain will also work as a crypto wallet for you to accept payments. As of July 2022, over 280 types of cryptocurrency are supported.
5. Support for dApps
Unstoppable Domain websites natively support decentralized apps, which means they can be implemented and used without any extensions.
6. High Security
Blockchain technology is well known for its high level of security. Due to the nature of your site, cyber-attacks on your domain are almost impossible, giving you peace of mind that your site is safe from hackers.
Cons
1. Risk Of Not Becoming Mainstream
Crypto domains are still a relatively new concept, with the average internet user not knowing anything about them. As a result, there’s no way to tell whether or not the mainstream market will adopt unstoppable Domains.
2. Not Fully Supported On Browsers
As of July 2022, Unstoppable Domains is somewhat limited regarding browser support. Domains are accepted on web browsers such as Brave and Opera. However, browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge require DNS modifications to access them. Unstoppable Domains have designed a free browser extension to solve this, though this is still a minor inconvenience.
3. Web Hosting Isn’t Practical
The process is a little complex if you want to host your standard website on your Unstoppable domain. You’ll need a decentralized peer-to-peer infrastructure for hosting, such as IPFS.
4. Public Perception
Although Unstoppable domains are more or less the same as traditional domains, many people still believe the site is only for crypto services. It goes back to our first con, as it delays the mainstream adoption rate.
Bottom line
Unstoppable Domains uses the blockchain to bring the full power of domain ownership to the people for the first time since the internet days.
As cryptocurrency and crypto domains continue to influence society, the value of crypto domains will likely skyrocket as more domains are taken. Though it’s impossible to predict the future of cryptocurrency, it’s difficult to ignore the emergence of crypto domains and the ways blockchain technology can impact how we use the internet.
