{"slug": "pkarr", "name": "pkarr", "category": "networking", "category_name": "Networking and VPN", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 6, "warners": 0, "score": 3.486, "rising": 0.35, "first": "2026-02-23", "latest": "2026-09-03", "why": "the only real way to have a decentralized domain system is something like", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 4, "compare": 1, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "the only real way to have a decentralized domain system is something like", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": "pkarr.org", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://pkarr.org/", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["pkarr", "Pkarr"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 792906352, "item_id": 49556647, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49556647", "by": "teravor", "date": "2026-09-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the only real way to have a decentralized domain system is something like", "excerpt": "the only real way to have a decentralized domain system is something like https://github.com/pubky/pkarr but you lose the ability to have short domains. also until such a time that pkarr is widely adopted, you are better off using .onion domains anyway. it becomes a question of requiring custom DNS client vs. Tor browser. both approaches use a DHT.", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized domain resolution", "switched_from": "", "story": ".name Termination"}, {"id": 776685616, "item_id": 48542851, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48542851", "by": "andy_xor_andrew", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The \"address lookup\" strategy is really interesting, especially how it uses actual DNS", "excerpt": "The \"address lookup\" strategy is really interesting, especially how it uses actual DNS: https://docs.iroh.computer/concepts/address-lookup https://github.com/Nuhvi/pkarr/", "context": "", "use_case": "address lookup over DNS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Iroh 1.0"}, {"id": 754132000, "item_id": 47133250, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47133250", "by": "dpc_01234", "date": "2026-02-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can use Pkarr as a distributed identity system", "excerpt": "Do everyone realize, that it's easier than ever was to build p2p software? E.g. You can use Pkarr as a distributed identity system, and Iroh for reliable p2p connectivity. There's no point in messing with custom hardware, etc. We could host bunch of redundant p2p access points for everyone as portable software. E.g. I'm building a P2P/F2F Social Media protocol that is very close to syndication platform. https://app.r", "context": "", "use_case": "Distributed identity", "switched_from": "", "story": "A simple web we own"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["decentralized domain resolution", "decentralized dns-like naming", "dns-based key publishing", "address lookup over dns", "distributed identity"], "compared": [{"slug": "iroh", "name": "Iroh", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48542480", "title": "Iroh 1.0", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49550772", "title": ".name Termination", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49498993", "title": "DNS abuse and criminal infrastructure", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49421489", "title": "IPFS Maintainers Winding Down", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49300759", "title": "RustDesk now supports true unattended remote access on Wayland", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48322389", "title": "Local Git Remotes", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {"neutral": 2, "compare": 1}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 792906352, "item_id": 49556647, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49556647", "by": "teravor", "date": "2026-09-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the only real way to have a decentralized domain system is something like", "excerpt": "the only real way to have a decentralized domain system is something like https://github.com/pubky/pkarr but you lose the ability to have short domains. also until such a time that pkarr is widely adopted, you are better off using .onion domains anyway. it becomes a question of requiring custom DNS client vs. Tor browser. both approaches use a DHT.", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized domain resolution", "switched_from": "", "story": ".name Termination"}, {"id": 792204832, "item_id": 49512802, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49512802", "by": "teravor", "date": "2026-08-31", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "an effort to do this", "excerpt": "such decentralized systems would have to rely on a DHT and the domains would be public keys, somewhat defeating the purpose of a domain. an effort to do this: https://github.com/pubky/pkarr", "context": "", "use_case": "decentralized DNS-like naming", "switched_from": "", "story": "DNS abuse and criminal infrastructure"}, {"id": 790759505, "item_id": 49422469, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49422469", "by": "chriswarbo", "date": "2026-08-24", "stance": "compare", "quote": "e.g. this uses pkarr addresses for IPFS content", "excerpt": "I agree that IPNS has always seemed a bit naff; but alternatives naming systems can be used too (if your system's name resolver can understand them); e.g. this uses pkarr addresses for IPFS content: http://www.chriswarbo.net/blog/2026-05-08-pkdnslink.html Regarding an \"update path\", GNS has support for that built-in; though I've not been able to try it myself, since I can't get GNUNet to bootstrap :-(", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "IPFS Maintainers Winding Down"}, {"id": 788973073, "item_id": 49310817, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49310817", "by": "preisschild", "date": "2026-08-15", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "do it like them with dns via pkarr", "excerpt": "You can use either iroh directly or do it like them with dns via pkarr and use mainline DHT and ed25519 public keys that you can share via separate channels https://app.pkarr.org/ https://www.iroh.computer/blog/v1", "context": "", "use_case": "DNS-based key publishing", "switched_from": "", "story": "RustDesk now supports true unattended remote access on Wayland"}, {"id": 776687825, "item_id": 48542989, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48542989", "by": "rklaehn", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "https://pkarr.org", "excerpt": "We have an answer, but it isn't really clever. We do have both built in and pluggable address lookup services. Our default enabled address lookup service is using DNS in a creative way, but we also have a service that is fully peer to peer and is using the mainline DHT, specifically the bep_0044 extension that allows you to store a tiny bit of arbitrary data for an Ed keypair that you control. https://www.bittorrent.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Iroh 1.0"}, {"id": 776685616, "item_id": 48542851, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48542851", "by": "andy_xor_andrew", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The \"address lookup\" strategy is really interesting, especially how it uses actual DNS", "excerpt": "The \"address lookup\" strategy is really interesting, especially how it uses actual DNS: https://docs.iroh.computer/concepts/address-lookup https://github.com/Nuhvi/pkarr/", "context": "", "use_case": "address lookup over DNS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Iroh 1.0"}, {"id": 773218066, "item_id": 48326129, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326129", "by": "chriswarbo", "date": "2026-05-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "subdomains of a specified pkarr address", "excerpt": "> btw, Git also supports the HTTP protocol ... In fact, Git supports any protocol! If you add a git remote like git remote add my-remote my-super-duper-protocol::some-sort-of-address-thingy Then pushing/pulling `my-remote` will try to invoke a command called `git-remote-my-super-duper-protocol`, with `some-sort-of-address-thingy` in its arguments. You can implement that however you like. I use remotes like \"pkipfs::y", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Local Git Remotes"}, {"id": 754132000, "item_id": 47133250, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47133250", "by": "dpc_01234", "date": "2026-02-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can use Pkarr as a distributed identity system", "excerpt": "Do everyone realize, that it's easier than ever was to build p2p software? E.g. You can use Pkarr as a distributed identity system, and Iroh for reliable p2p connectivity. There's no point in messing with custom hardware, etc. We could host bunch of redundant p2p access points for everyone as portable software. E.g. I'm building a P2P/F2F Social Media protocol that is very close to syndication platform. https://app.r", "context": "", "use_case": "Distributed identity", "switched_from": "", "story": "A simple web we own"}]}