About 26 years ago, Opera entered the market and started supporting access to various websites with domain extensions including .com, .net, and .org. Over time, the domain system keeps getting additions, with one of the recent ones being the .crypto extension. Now, Opera has moved to find a way to support access to the special .crypto websites that rely on Ethereum smart contracts to source and display search results.
No DNS Entry
While regular browsers use the DNS (Domain Name System) to capture websites’ IP address for access, the .crypto websites supported by Opera doesn’t have any DNS entries. Essentially, this utility means that the over 200,000 .crypto websites registered by Unstoppable Domains can now be accessed by Opera’s vast user base.
Before this revolutionary partnership was inked, users needed to use special Google Chrome Extensions or the eponymous browser (created by Unstoppable Domains) to access the said websites.
How It Works
Explaining how the system works, the founder of Unstoppable Domains, Brad Kam, said that the .crypto websites distribute their web content across a distributed network system and store their hashes (content locators) in Ethereum smart contracts. As such, the websites are resistant to any kind of censorship by any one central entity.
If one entity decides to censor the website, someone else will obviously still have access to the websites. As such, these domains and websites add a push to the current wave of the struggle for freedom and the fight against censorship practices.
Expected Impact
Opera’s partnership with Unstoppable Domains means that the over 80 million users of the browser can now comfortably access the 200,000+ .crypto websites. While announcing the partnership, Opera also said it has partnered with Protocol Labs, the developer of the IPFS system employed in the distributed host network.
Opera is now supporting the purchase of cryptos via its browser. Users across the EU, Switzerland, New Zealand, Mexico, and Australia will now be able to use Opera for Android to purchase cryptos. Basically, this means more crypto adoption, and that’s a good thing especially at a time when the use of cash is being discouraged due to the spread of Covid-19.
