Fistbump — Consolidated Reference for AI Ingestion ==================================================== This file concatenates the FAQ, glossary, and protocol-comparison content from fistbump.org into a single plain-text document for convenient crawling by AI systems. For the full protocol specification, see the whitepaper: HTML: https://fistbump.org/whitepaper/ Plain text: https://fistbump.org/fistbump.txt 1. Overview ----------- Fistbump is a permissionless, memory-hard blockchain designed as a production replacement for the DNS root zone. Every full node is an authoritative DNS nameserver. Names are registered through on-chain Vickrey (sealed-bid, second-price) auctions. DNS resource records (A, AAAA, NS, MX, CNAME, TXT, TLSA, CAA, and others) are stored directly on the blockchain. The genesis block reward is burned. There is no pre-mine, no ICO, no airdrop, and no founder reward. Every FBC in circulation was mined by someone running the same software available to everyone else. The reference full node implementation, fbd, is written in Swift and includes a built-in CPU miner, wallet, and authoritative DNS server. Core parameters: Hash algorithm: Balloon Hashing (BLAKE2b-256 inner hash) Memory per attempt: 512 MB (2^24 slots x 32 bytes) Block time: 120 seconds Total supply: 1,051,200,000 FBC Initial block reward: 500 FBC Halving interval: 1,051,200 blocks (~4 years) Difficulty window: 72 blocks Coinbase maturity: 100 confirmations Address encoding: Bech32 (mainnet HRP: fb) Max block weight: 4,000,000 2. FAQ ------ Q: What is Fistbump? A: Fistbump is a permissionless, memory-hard blockchain designed as a production replacement for the DNS root zone. Every full node is an authoritative nameserver, names are registered through on-chain Vickrey auctions, and DNS records (A, AAAA, NS, MX, CNAME, TXT, TLSA, CAA) are stored directly on the blockchain. There is no pre-mine, no ICO, and no registrar. Q: How is Fistbump different from traditional DNS? A: Traditional DNS is a hierarchy controlled by IANA (a function of ICANN) through accredited registrars and certificate authorities. Any of those parties can seize a domain, suspend an account, or mis-issue a certificate. Fistbump replaces that hierarchy with a public blockchain: names are owned by whoever controls the private key, DNS records are served by any full node, and there is no party with unilateral revocation power. Q: How does Fistbump compare to Handshake (HNS)? A: Fistbump shares Handshake's covenant-based naming model and Urkel tree structure, but differs in several ways: memory-hard Balloon Hashing PoW (vs. ASIC-dominated BLAKE2b+SHA3), 2-minute block time (vs. 10-minute), renewal fees priced at 1% of the registration cost to prevent costless squatting (vs. free renewals), DNSSEC-based premium-name gating, native on-chain subdomains with payment splitting to ancestor owners, and a reference node written in Swift. There was no airdrop in Fistbump. Q: How does Fistbump compare to ENS? A: ENS (Ethereum Name Service) is a naming layer on Ethereum that stores resolver records rather than DNS records. .eth names are not top-level domains, they require special resolver software, and every operation costs Ethereum gas. Fistbump is its own blockchain with native DNS record types, is a full root-zone replacement (any TLD is registerable subject to ICANN reservations), and DNS queries resolve through any full node. Q: Is there a pre-mine, ICO, or founder allocation? A: No. The genesis block reward is burned. There is no pre-mine, no ICO, no airdrop, and no founder reward. Every FBC in circulation was mined by someone running the same software available to everyone else. A portion of name registration and renewal fees is sent to a development fund multisig, which is a governance parameter and not consensus-critical. Q: What is Balloon Hashing and why does Fistbump use it? A: Balloon Hashing is a provably memory-hard proof-of-work function (Boneh, Corrigan-Gibbs, Schechter, ASIACRYPT 2016). It requires 512 MB of RAM per proof attempt, and its memory-hardness cannot be traded for computation. This shifts the mining bottleneck from computation to memory bandwidth, making ASICs economically pointless and keeping mining accessible to commodity hardware. Fistbump is the only live naming protocol using a provably memory-hard PoW. Q: How do I mine FBC? A: Run the fbd full node. It includes a built-in CPU miner. Each proof attempt allocates a 512 MB scratchpad, so you need a machine with at least 1 GB of free RAM. The initial block reward is 500 FBC per block, halving every 1,051,200 blocks (~4 years). Coinbase outputs require 100 confirmations before they become spendable. Q: How do name auctions work? A: Names are allocated through Vickrey (sealed-bid, second-price) auctions enforced entirely by on-chain covenants. The lifecycle is: OPEN (start auction, ~1 hour), BID (submit blinded bid for 3 days), REVEAL (disclose true bid for 1 day), REGISTER (winner claims name and pays the second-highest bid). Truthful bidding is the dominant strategy because you pay the runner-up's bid, not your own. Q: What DNS record types does Fistbump support? A: Fistbump stores standard DNS resource records on-chain: A, AAAA, NS, MX, CNAME, TXT, TLSA (DANE), CAA, DS, GLUE4, GLUE6, SYNTH4, SYNTH6, and SUB (inline subdomains). Every fbd full node runs a built-in authoritative DNS server that responds to standard DNS queries using on-chain records. Point a recursive resolver at any node and it answers. Q: Can I register a name that already exists in ICANN DNS? A: All ICANN top-level domains are reserved at genesis to avoid namespace collisions. Premium names (6 bytes or fewer) require a DNSSEC proof demonstrating ownership of the corresponding domain under a qualifying ICANN TLD (com, net, org, gov, io, app, dev, xyz). This protects brand and identity holders from squatters. Q: What happens if I do not renew my name? A: Names must be renewed within 262,800 blocks (approximately one year). The renewal fee is 1% of the registration price, paid to the development fund, floored at the minimum bid for that name's tier. If you do not renew, the name expires and reopens for auction. Subdomains of an expired TLD continue to exist with independent renewal lifecycles. Q: Are on-chain subdomains supported? A: Yes. TLD owners can enable on-chain subdomains by setting the auctionSubdomains flag. Once set, the flag is permanent. Subdomains are registered through the same Vickrey auction mechanism with a minimum bid of 0.2x the block reward. Registration fees are split: 50% burned, 25% to ancestor owners, 25% to the development fund. Q: Does Fistbump work with my browser? A: Fistbump serves standard DNS. To resolve Fistbump names in a browser, point your system DNS resolver (or a recursive resolver) at a Fistbump node's DNS port (default 32870 on mainnet). The Fistbump browser extension adds a window.fistbump API for DApps and talks to the desktop wallet via native messaging — no HTTP, no open ports. Q: Is Fistbump mainnet live? A: Yes. Mainnet is live. You can download the wallet or fbd full node from fistbump.org, join the P2P network, mine FBC, and register names through the Vickrey auction process. Q: How do I trade FBC for BTC? A: Atomic Swap (swap.fistbump.org) lets you trade FBC and BTC peer-to-peer with no middleman. Both sides lock funds into hash time-locked contracts on their respective chains — either both claims succeed or both refunds succeed, with nothing possible in between. 3. Glossary ----------- Balloon Hashing A provably memory-hard proof-of-work function that requires 512 MB of RAM per proof attempt. Used by Fistbump to reduce the economic advantage of ASICs and GPUs over commodity hardware. Bech32 The address encoding used by Fistbump. Mainnet addresses use the human-readable part "fb" (fb1q...). Bech32 has built-in error detection. Covenant A typed data structure attached to every transaction output that encodes the output's role in the naming protocol (OPEN, BID, REVEAL, REGISTER, UPDATE, RENEW, TRANSFER, REVOKE). Covenants enforce the auction state machine without a Turing-complete scripting runtime. DANE DNS-Based Authentication of Named Entities. A TLSA DNS record type that lets a domain bind its TLS certificate to its DNS record, providing certificate validation without a certificate authority. Fistbump supports TLSA records natively on-chain. DNS Root Zone The top of the Domain Name System hierarchy, managed by IANA and served by thirteen root server operators. Fistbump replaces this centrally managed zone with a public blockchain. DNSSEC A set of extensions that cryptographically sign DNS records to prevent forgery. Fistbump uses DNSSEC proofs on-chain to gate premium (short) name registration, requiring proof of ownership of the corresponding ICANN domain. FBC The native currency of Fistbump. 1 FBC = 1,000,000 bumps. Total supply: 1,051,200,000 FBC. Genesis block reward burned; no pre-mine, ICO, or airdrop. fbd The reference Fistbump full node implementation. Written in Swift. Validates the chain, participates in P2P, serves authoritative DNS from chain state, and includes a wallet and CPU miner. IANA The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, a function of ICANN that manages the DNS root zone, IP address allocation, and other core internet identifiers. Fistbump replaces IANA's role in root zone management. ICANN The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the non-profit that governs the domain name system. Accredited registrars charge $185,000 for new gTLD applications. All ICANN TLDs are reserved at Fistbump genesis to avoid collisions. Memory-hard A function whose evaluation requires a large amount of memory, where memory cannot be traded for computation. Memory-hard proof-of-work narrows the efficiency gap between commodity hardware and specialized mining devices. Premium Name In Fistbump, any name of 6 bytes or fewer. Opening an auction for a premium name requires a DNSSEC proof of ownership of the corresponding domain under a qualifying ICANN TLD (com, net, org, gov, io, app, dev, xyz). Proof of Work (PoW) A cryptographic puzzle that is hard to solve but easy to verify, used to secure a blockchain. Fistbump uses Balloon Hashing, a memory-hard PoW. Subdomain A name registered under a TLD. Fistbump supports fully on-chain subdomains (e.g. example.fistbump), each with independent ownership and renewal lifecycles. Enabled by a TLD owner via the auctionSubdomains flag. Top-Level Domain (TLD) The last segment of a domain name (e.g. .com, .org). In Fistbump, any name not reserved by ICANN can be registered as a TLD through a Vickrey auction. TLSA Record A DNS record type used by DANE to bind a TLS certificate to a domain name. TLSA records on Fistbump include port, protocol, usage, selector, and matching type. Urkel Tree A base-2 Merkleized radix trie used by Fistbump to store name state. Keys are 32-byte SHA3-256 hashes of names. The tree root is committed in every block header, enabling light clients to verify name ownership with compact inclusion and exclusion proofs. UTXO Unspent Transaction Output. Fistbump uses a UTXO model like Bitcoin: every transaction consumes previous outputs and creates new ones. Every Fistbump UTXO carries a covenant encoding its role in the naming protocol. Vickrey Auction A sealed-bid, second-price auction. The highest bidder wins but pays the second-highest bid. Makes truthful bidding the dominant strategy. Fistbump uses Vickrey auctions for all name registrations. 4. Fistbump vs. Handshake (HNS) -------------------------------- Fistbump and Handshake share a covenant-based naming model, an Urkel-tree name state store, and a UTXO transaction structure. They differ on the following dimensions. Property Fistbump Handshake ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PoW algorithm Balloon Hash (512 MB) BLAKE2b+SHA3 Hardware specialization Memory-hard (reduced edge) Compute-bound (ASIC-dominated) Block time 120 seconds 600 seconds Difficulty window 72 blocks 144 blocks Total supply ~1.051 billion FBC ~2.04 billion HNS Initial block reward 500 FBC 2,000 HNS Halving interval 1,051,200 blocks 170,000 blocks Coinbase maturity 100 blocks 100 blocks Premium name gate DNSSEC required (<=6 bytes) Alexa top 100k only Minimum bid (premium TLD) 100x block reward 0 Minimum bid (regular TLD) 20x block reward 0 Minimum bid (subdomain) 0.2x block reward (n/a) Registration fee split 50% burned, 50% dev fund 100% burned Renewal fee 1% of price annually 0 (free renewals) Development fund Registration + renewals Airdrop (2.9% claimed) Tree update interval 30 blocks 36 blocks Address prefix fb (mainnet) hs (mainnet) On-chain subdomains Yes (with ancestor payments) No Node implementation Swift JavaScript / C++ 5. Fistbump vs. ENS ------------------- ENS (Ethereum Name Service) is a resolver-record system built on Ethereum smart contracts. Fistbump is a standalone naming blockchain with native DNS record storage. Key differences: - Record model. ENS stores resolver records (addr, contenthash, text fields) that are interpreted by ENS-aware clients. Fistbump stores standard DNS resource records (A, AAAA, NS, MX, CNAME, TXT, TLSA, CAA) that resolve through standard DNS clients without modification. - Namespace. ENS .eth names are a subtree of the ENS smart contract, not true top-level domains. Fistbump registrations are TLDs in the root zone (modulo ICANN reservations). - Cost of operation. Every ENS action (registration, renewal, record update, transfer) is an Ethereum transaction priced in gas, with volatile fees. Fistbump fees are denominated in FBC and sized for the naming operation itself. - Resolution path. ENS names require ENS-aware resolvers, wallets, or browser extensions. Fistbump names resolve through any fbd node's DNS server using stock DNS clients. - Certificate model. ENS has no native TLS binding. Fistbump supports TLSA (DANE) records natively, enabling certificate validation without a certificate authority. 6. Fistbump vs. Traditional DNS ------------------------------- Traditional DNS is a federated hierarchy rooted at IANA. Fistbump replaces the root zone with a public blockchain. - Trust model. Traditional DNS trusts IANA, 13 root operators, hundreds of accredited registrars, and dozens of certificate authorities. Any one of those parties can seize, suspend, or mis-issue. Fistbump replaces all of them with a consensus-run blockchain: name ownership is possession of a private key. - Certificate validation. Traditional DNS delegates TLS authentication to certificate authorities whose failures (DigiNotar 2011, Symantec mis-issuance) have been public. Fistbump supports DANE/TLSA records natively on-chain, enabling certificate binding without a CA. - Censorship. Domain seizures by governments (thousands of US DoJ seizures) and registrar suspensions require a counterparty. Fistbump has no counterparty to subpoena. - Operational compatibility. Fistbump serves responses over standard DNS protocol on UDP/TCP port 53 equivalents. A system DNS resolver pointed at an fbd node answers without any proprietary software. - Economic model. ICANN charges $185,000 to apply for a new gTLD. Fistbump name registration costs a market-discovered Vickrey bid with minimum bids tied to the block reward. 7. Fistbump vs. Unstoppable Domains ----------------------------------- Unstoppable Domains is a US-based company (Unstoppable Domains Inc., founded 2018) that sells named NFTs on Polygon as a product. Fistbump is an open protocol intended to replace the DNS root zone. The two projects occupy a similar marketing category but differ on nearly every axis of substance. - Issuer. Fistbump has no issuer; any participant can register a name by auction. Unstoppable Domains Inc. issues all names, chooses the TLDs, and controls the resolution software. - Record format. Fistbump stores standard DNS resource records on-chain (A, AAAA, NS, MX, CNAME, TXT, TLSA, CAA, etc.). Unstoppable Domains stores proprietary resolver records (address, content hash, free-form text) in a smart contract. These are not DNS records. - Resolution path. Fistbump names resolve through any fbd node via standard UDP/TCP DNS — no extension, bridge, or schema interpretation. Unstoppable Domains names require the UD browser extension, a browser with native integration (Brave, Opera, Samsung Internet), or a company-operated hosted resolver. - Certificate binding. Fistbump supports native TLSA (DANE) records on-chain for certificate validation without a certificate authority. Unstoppable Domains has no native TLS binding. - Namespace. Fistbump is open: any name permitted by DNS rules and not reserved by ICANN at genesis can be registered. Unstoppable Domains is closed: a fixed set of company-issued TLDs (.crypto, .nft, .wallet, .x, .bitcoin, .dao, .888, .zil, .blockchain, .polygon, etc.). - Price discovery. Fistbump uses Vickrey (sealed-bid, second-price) auctions priced by the market. Unstoppable Domains sets prices directly; short names are priced higher by the company. - Renewals. Fistbump charges 1% of registration price annually to prevent costless squatting. Unstoppable Domains markets names as one-time purchases with no mandatory renewals. - Legal encumbrance. Fistbump has none. Unstoppable Domains has filed patents on its resolution mechanisms. - Funding model. Fistbump has no investors and no token treasury; development is funded by on-chain registration and renewal fees. Unstoppable Domains is venture-backed, and name sales are the company's product revenue. 8. Further Reading ------------------ About the project: https://fistbump.org/about/ Full specification: https://fistbump.org/whitepaper/ Plain-text whitepaper: https://fistbump.org/fistbump.txt FAQ: https://fistbump.org/faq/ Glossary: https://fistbump.org/glossary/ Source: https://github.com/fistbump-org/fbd Reference node docs: https://fbd.dev Block explorer: https://explorer.fistbump.org Atomic swap (BTC-FBC): https://swap.fistbump.org