Introduction to AllDomains

AllDomains is revolutionizing the domain landscape on Solana, offering innovative solutions that bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3. Founded by Vlad Toni and his team, AllDomains has been pushing the boundaries of what's possible with blockchain-based domains for nearly two years. The project began with a focus on social primitives but quickly pivoted to address the immediate needs of the Solana ecosystem.

Vlad Toni, co-founder of AllDomains, shared the journey of his project on the Solfate podcast, hosted by Nick and James. He provided insights into the challenges and triumphs of building a domain protocol during the turbulent crypto market cycles, from the tail end of the bull market through the bear market and into the current resurgence.

The Evolution of AllDomains

AllDomains didn't start out as a domain provider. Initially, the team was focused on developing social primitives for Solana, similar to projects like Gama. However, sensing the impending bear market, they decided to pivot to a product that could be launched more quickly and provide immediate value to the ecosystem.

Their first foray into domains was a playful project called "Poor Club," which offered .poor domains as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the idea that "Solana is for the poor." This experiment allowed them to gauge interest and gather feedback from the community. While reactions were mixed, it laid the groundwork for what would become AllDomains.

The Unique Offering of AllDomains

AllDomains stands out in the crowded domain space by offering a wide range of top-level domains (TLDs) and innovative features. One of their most groundbreaking offerings is the ability to tokenize Web2 domains, specifically .ID domains, on the Solana blockchain.

Vlad explained, "We are domains like these, the .ID domains can be, you know, tokenized in NFTs and traded. So to actually sell a domain in the Web2 world, like if you registered, the registrar takes from five, seven days to 30 days to sell it to someone else. And there's brokerage fees and then all that kind of weird procedure of doing this. Why not just register it with us? Solana with Solana wallet, you have it, you wrap it as an NFT, go to Magic Eden, right? You're listed there and somebody else can buy it, can buy it, like almost instantly, like transactional Solana, right?"

This innovation allows for seamless integration between traditional domain ownership and the speed and efficiency of blockchain transactions.

Tokenized Web2 Domains: A Game-Changer

The ability to tokenize Web2 domains on Solana is a significant leap forward in the domain industry. AllDomains has partnered with the Indonesian registry to offer .ID domains that can be purchased, owned, and traded as NFTs on the Solana blockchain.

This process required careful planning and implementation to ensure atomicity and verification. Vlad detailed the challenges they faced: "The hardest part was to, what's to go, was to, let's say like the go to marketing and to test everything, not to have the tech or the architecture ready."

The result is a system where users can purchase a .ID domain through AllDomains, have it tokenized as an NFT, and then easily trade it on marketplaces like Magic Eden. This drastically reduces the time and complexity involved in domain transfers compared to traditional methods.

Renewable Domains: A New Model

AllDomains has introduced a renewable domain model that mirrors the traditional Web2 domain registration process. Users pay yearly for their domains, just as they would with a .com domain. This model ensures ongoing revenue for infrastructure maintenance and allows for a subscription-like system that can be leveraged by communities and projects.

Vlad highlighted the potential applications: "We've had people talk to us about this. Like how can we use this as a, it's slash identity, slash a subscription to a, to a project or like a monthly type, you know, access to a community."

Non-Transferable Domains for Specific Use Cases

Recognizing the need for different domain types, AllDomains has also implemented non-transferable domains. These domains are permanently tied to a specific address and cannot be transferred, making them ideal for info projects or partners who want to maintain control over their branded domains.

Vlad explained, "We also can do non-transferable domains which are really good for like info projects or projects like partners that don't want there's domains to be sent to other you know to other addresses."

Cross-Chain Compatibility and Future Plans

While AllDomains is currently focused on Solana, the team is exploring cross-chain compatibility and integration with Web2 systems. They're working on partnerships that would allow users to transfer domains from other registrars and tokenize them on Solana.

The ultimate goal is to make AllDomains work seamlessly across both Web2 and Web3 environments. Vlad shared their vision: "At that point, I see the Web3 addresses being like for all intensive purposes in this stream, wishable for from the Web2 and at that point, since we have both, both text, well, both text acts, Web2 as we're three being, you know, being on Web3 and being owned by a, by a blockchain, by a blockchain wallet, right?"

Browser Integration and On-Chain DNS

One of the most exciting developments on AllDomains' roadmap is browser integration. The team is working towards making their domains resolvable in popular browsers, allowing for a seamless Web3 browsing experience.

Vlad outlined their progress: "We're working towards is actually having the domains working browsers, right? Because there's no point in these having being just an identity, they should be able to be visible, right?"

This involves storing DNS settings on-chain and developing systems to resolve these addresses to actual websites. While there are challenges, particularly around security and content moderation, the potential for a truly decentralized web is immense.

Emoji Domains: A Unique Offering

In a world-first, AllDomains is offering emoji domains that work in browsers. Vlad proudly announced, "I think we are one of the only registrars in the world that do that have emoji domains that actually work in browsers emoji .ID domains."

This innovative feature adds a new dimension to domain naming, allowing for more expressive and memorable web addresses.

Community Integration and Use Cases

AllDomains has seen various projects in the Solana ecosystem integrate their domains in creative ways. For example, some projects use domain ownership for staking benefits or community points systems.

Vlad shared some examples: "I've seen projects use our domains and I don't know, like icon is using them to, for the domains to be staked on anybody's and they're basically giving people if they stick there, like non-cost audio, non-cost audio is taking over domains and people, you know, get the token."

The Journey of Building on Solana

Vlad's journey into the Solana ecosystem is a testament to the power of community and perseverance. Coming from a background in web development and advertising, he found himself drawn to blockchain technology in late 2020.

After initially experimenting with other chains, Vlad discovered Solana in August 2021 when a friend sent him an NFT. This sparked his interest, leading him to dive deep into the Solana ecosystem, learning about its technology and building various tools and bots.

Surviving the Bear Market

The crypto bear market of 2022 proved to be a challenging but ultimately rewarding time for AllDomains. Vlad reflected on this period: "The bear market last year and it's been a lot of fun right it was it was interesting... people left and the pada got got small right and people but some people never left and they were you know they were pushing and pushing whatever happens and they truly believed in the future of this place in the future of Solana right."

This period allowed AllDomains to connect with other resilient builders in the ecosystem, forging relationships that would prove invaluable as the market recovered.

The Importance of Community Support

One of the key takeaways from Vlad's experience is the importance of community support in the crypto space. He shared a touching anecdote about the Breakpoint conference, where he realized that many people were aware of and supportive of AllDomains' work, even if they hadn't expressed it directly.

This revelation highlights the often unseen impact of building in public and the importance of expressing support for projects you admire. As Vlad put it, "Sometimes just building you don't feel like you're in you know you don't feel the support or whatever you just get into like dev hole not see in sunlight and you're like oh there's a whole world out there too and they know what I'm doing right."

Technical Challenges and Innovations

Building AllDomains has not been without its technical challenges. The team has had to innovate in areas such as atomic transactions for domain registration, implementing filters for content moderation, and developing co-signing features for certain domain types.

Each new partnership and integration has brought its own set of requirements, pushing the AllDomains team to continuously expand their feature set and technical capabilities. Vlad emphasized the importance of this constant evolution: "Every time we take a step and we have every new partner is like we add more stuff to do we add more features to the tech."

The Future of Web3 Domains

Looking to the future, AllDomains is positioned at the forefront of Web3 domain innovation. Their work on browser integration, cross-chain compatibility, and the tokenization of Web2 domains points towards a future where the lines between traditional web addressing and blockchain-based domains are blurred.

Vlad envisions a world where AllDomains can facilitate the management of both Web2 and Web3 domains through decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). He explained, "Something like let's say Dean was called these list dial manages their, their websites through a doll. This is a specific use case where Web2 domain, but also what we domain can be managed to a doll."

Security and Trust in Web3 Domains

As AllDomains pushes the boundaries of what's possible with blockchain-based domains, security remains a top priority. The team is actively working with security researchers to identify and address potential vulnerabilities in their systems.

Vlad acknowledged the challenges ahead: "I've had this conversation with the security researchers and I've had this conversation about this and like some people are skeptical. Some people just want to see, okay, let's do this, let's break it up, let's see what happens."

This proactive approach to security is crucial as AllDomains works towards greater integration with traditional web infrastructure and browsers.

The Role of Domains in Web3 Identity

Web3 domains are more than just addresses; they're becoming a crucial part of digital identity in the blockchain space. AllDomains is at the forefront of this trend, providing tools for projects to create unique identities for their communities.

Vlad highlighted the importance of this: "Solana is such a vibrant and what's called vibrant and noisy ecosystem and people are very into the communities that they are in. It's like once you come to Solana, you don't have time to grow outside, like whatever happens in your Munka Dao or Mad Lads or whatever it takes your hope, like most of your time and people identify with these communities, right?"

By offering customizable domains for different projects and communities, AllDomains is helping to strengthen these digital identities and foster a sense of belonging in the Web3 space.

Bridging Web2 and Web3

One of the most exciting aspects of AllDomains' work is its potential to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3. By tokenizing traditional domains and making them tradeable on blockchain marketplaces, AllDomains is creating a hybrid system that combines the best of both worlds.

This approach could significantly lower the barriers to entry for traditional businesses looking to enter the Web3 space, as well as provide new opportunities for domain investors and traders.

The Importance of Long-Term Vision in Crypto

Vlad's journey with AllDomains underscores the importance of having a long-term vision when building in the crypto space. Despite the challenges of the bear market and the initial skepticism towards domain projects, the AllDomains team remained committed to their vision.

This persistence has paid off, with AllDomains now powering domains for major projects in the Solana ecosystem and continuously expanding their offerings. Vlad's advice to other builders in the space is clear: believe in your product and don't be afraid to keep pushing forward, even when times are tough.

The Role of Infra Projects in the Ecosystem

AllDomains positions itself as an infrastructure project for the Solana ecosystem. This role comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities. As Vlad explained, "We are an infra project, not company. We're an infra project product, right? We need to get integrated and we're talking to a lot of projects and whatever."

Being an infrastructure provider means that AllDomains needs to be reliable, secure, and flexible enough to meet the needs of a wide range of projects and use cases. This requires constant innovation and a deep understanding of the evolving needs of the Solana ecosystem.

The Potential of Solana for Domain Innovation

Throughout the conversation, Vlad repeatedly emphasized why Solana is the ideal blockchain for domain innovation. The high speed and low cost of transactions make it possible to implement features like renewable domains and instant transfers that would be prohibitively expensive on other chains.

Vlad stated, "I believe like Solana is one of the best, it's actually the best blockchain to build this, right? To have, you know, identities, then comments, then like all the parts and reactions and all this that make a, like a social media network and, you know, social primitives for this."

This unique positioning of Solana in the blockchain space has allowed AllDomains to push the boundaries of what's possible with Web3 domains.

The Challenges of Building in a Bear Market

Building during a bear market presents unique challenges, but it can also be a time of opportunity. Vlad and his team at AllDomains used this period to focus on development and building relationships within the Solana ecosystem.

Vlad reflected on this experience: "It's been fun I mean building in the building in a semi like the end of the bull market, then, then the bear market full on bell market bear market, then now back to, you know, the fun stuff or like how fun it is right now. It's been again, like a really interesting time."

This persistence through challenging times has positioned AllDomains well for the current market resurgence.

The Importance of Adaptability in Crypto Projects

One of the key lessons from AllDomains' journey is the importance of adaptability. The project began with a focus on social primitives but quickly pivoted to domains when they saw an opportunity to provide immediate value to the ecosystem.

This willingness to adapt and respond to market needs has been crucial to AllDomains' success. Vlad emphasized this point: "We felt kind of like the, what's called the bear market was coming. So how can we have a product that, like we can launch right now, we can do what's needed to launch, like, right, right, you know, about now."

The Future of Decentralized Website Hosting

As AllDomains works towards making their domains resolvable in browsers, they're also paving the way for more decentralized website hosting solutions. While currently focusing on resolving to IPFS, the team is exploring ways to make fully decentralized websites a reality.

Vlad acknowledged the challenges ahead: "There's quite no, all kinds of risk and that's why it's going to take a little while longer to do these because I can go up the world with somebody, you know, who is something really bad on our website, they can be, you know, they can be taken down or something."

Addressing these challenges will be crucial in realizing the vision of a truly decentralized web.

The Potential for Enhanced Security in Web3 Domains

While discussing the future of Web3 domains, an interesting point was raised about the potential for enhanced security. The idea of having on-chain definitions for allowed resources could potentially provide an additional layer of security for websites.

As James speculated, "You can almost have this added layer of security. If, if you're basically a allow listing resources on chain. And so like the browse, the browser can sort of know for sure based on like on chain definition of where things come from, that everything is legit comes from the right place."

While this idea is still in its early stages, it represents the kind of innovative thinking that could lead to significant improvements in web security in the future.

The Role of Domain Names in Project Marketing

Domain names are proving to be a powerful tool for project marketing in the Web3 space. Vlad shared an interesting example: "I've seen people, what's it called? Claming domains, claiming domain and sending them to trading addresses on bird eye just to do marketing for the project. So they basically are fear in trading."

This creative use of domains for marketing demonstrates the versatility of AllDomains' offerings and the innovative ways projects are leveraging Web3 technologies to gain visibility.

The Importance of Building a Strong Team

Throughout the conversation, Vlad emphasized the importance of having a strong, dedicated team when building a project like AllDomains. He spoke about his co-founders and their shared determination: "We're free co-founders like we basically don't know any better we don't know when to stop that's the thing like and if I think that's yeah that like when you believe in your product and like you love the you know solving logic problems on these I mean that's how we get here."

This unwavering commitment to the project has been crucial in overcoming the challenges of building during a bear market and establishing AllDomains as a key player in the Solana ecosystem.

The Future of AllDomains

As AllDomains continues to grow and evolve, Vlad and his team are focused on expanding their offerings and integrations. They're working on sub-domains, claiming to CNFTs, and continuously improving their tech stack.

Vlad expressed his excitement about the future: "This is what we're keeping up like using tech building tech improving the stack doing this these kind of you know I'm a builder at heart even though currently I don't have time to do it anymore."

With their innovative approach to Web3 domains and their commitment to pushing the boundaries of what's possible on Solana, AllDomains is well-positioned to play a significant role in shaping the future of the decentralized web.

Facts + Figures

• AllDomains has been building their domain protocol for close to two years.
• The project initially started with a focus on social primitives before pivoting to domains.
• AllDomains offers tokenized Web2 domains, specifically .ID domains, on the Solana blockchain.
• The process of selling a tokenized domain on AllDomains can be almost instant, compared to 5-30 days in the traditional Web2 world.
• AllDomains powers domains for projects like Superteam, Bonk, and various DAOs in the Solana ecosystem.
• The project offers both renewable and non-renewable domain options.
• AllDomains is one of the only registrars in the world offering emoji domains that work in browsers.
• The team has been building through both bull and bear market cycles in crypto.
• AllDomains is working towards making their domains resolvable in popular browsers.
• The project is exploring cross-chain compatibility and integration with Web2 systems.
• Vlad Toni, co-founder of AllDomains, has been a developer for over 18 years.
• AllDomains began with the "Poor Club" project, offering .poor domains as a playful experiment.
• The project is working on implementing on-chain DNS records for both Web2 and Web3 domains.
• AllDomains is partnering with traditional domain registrars to tokenize Web2 domains.
• The team is actively working with security researchers to ensure the safety of their systems.
• AllDomains is exploring the use of domains as a subscription model for community access.
• The project started in December 2021 and has survived through the crypto bear market.
• AllDomains is positioning itself as an infrastructure project for the Solana ecosystem.
• The team is working on sub-domains and claiming to CNFTs as part of their future developments.
• Vlad emphasized the importance of having a long-term vision when building in the crypto space.

Questions Answered

What is AllDomains?

AllDomains is a domain protocol built on Solana that offers Web3 domains and tokenized Web2 domains. It allows users to register, own, and trade domain names as NFTs on the Solana blockchain, providing features like renewable domains, non-transferable domains, and even emoji domains. The project aims to bridge the gap between traditional domain ownership and blockchain technology, offering innovative solutions for digital identity and web addressing in the Web3 space.

How does AllDomains tokenize Web2 domains?

AllDomains tokenizes Web2 domains by partnering with traditional domain registrars, specifically for .ID domains. When a user purchases a .ID domain through AllDomains, it's registered with the traditional registrar but also tokenized as an NFT on the Solana blockchain. This process allows for almost instant transfers and trades of the domain on NFT marketplaces like Magic Eden, significantly reducing the time and complexity involved in domain transfers compared to traditional methods.

What are the benefits of using AllDomains over traditional domain registrars?

Using AllDomains offers several benefits over traditional domain registrars. Firstly, it allows for near-instant transfers and trades of domains through blockchain technology. Secondly, it provides additional use cases such as using domains for community membership or project subscriptions. AllDomains also offers unique features like emoji domains and non-transferable domains. Furthermore, the integration with the Solana ecosystem allows for creative use cases like staking domains for rewards or using them as part of a project's tokenomics.

How is AllDomains working towards browser integration for Web3 domains?

AllDomains is actively working on making their domains resolvable in popular browsers. This involves storing DNS settings on-chain and developing systems to resolve these addresses to actual websites. The team is addressing challenges related to security and content moderation. While currently focusing on resolving to IPFS, they're exploring ways to enable fully decentralized website hosting. This development aims to create a seamless Web3 browsing experience where blockchain-based domains can be used just like traditional web addresses.

What unique features does AllDomains offer?

AllDomains offers several unique features. These include tokenized Web2 domains (.ID domains), renewable domains that mirror traditional domain registration processes, non-transferable domains for specific use cases, and emoji domains that work in browsers. They also provide customizable domains for different projects and communities, allowing for unique digital identities within the Solana ecosystem. Additionally, AllDomains is working on sub-domains and integration with various Solana projects for features like staking and community points systems.

How has AllDomains adapted to the challenges of the crypto market?

AllDomains has shown remarkable adaptability in the face of crypto market challenges. The project initially pivoted from social primitives to domains when they sensed the bear market approaching. During the bear market, the team focused on development and building relationships within the Solana ecosystem. They've continuously added features and expanded their offerings based on feedback and partnerships. This persistence and adaptability have allowed AllDomains to survive the bear market and position themselves well for the current market resurgence.

What is the future vision for AllDomains?

The future vision for AllDomains involves several key areas. They aim to fully bridge Web2 and Web3 domains, making their system work seamlessly across both environments. The team is working towards broader browser integration, allowing Web3 domains to be as easily accessible as traditional domains. They're exploring cross-chain compatibility and developing new features like sub-domains and CNFTs. AllDomains also envisions a future where domains can be managed by DAOs and used for decentralized website hosting. Overall, they aim to be at the forefront of domain innovation in the Web3 space.

How does Solana's technology benefit AllDomains?

Solana's technology significantly benefits AllDomains due to its high speed and low transaction costs. This allows for features like renewable domains and instant transfers that would be prohibitively expensive on other blockchains. Solana's efficiency also enables AllDomains to tokenize Web2 domains cost-effectively. The vibrant Solana ecosystem provides numerous integration opportunities, allowing AllDomains to power domains for various projects and DAOs. Solana's technology stack also supports the complex operations required for managing DNS records on-chain, making it an ideal platform for Web3 domain innovation.