RFC 9498 · INFORMATIONAL · 2023

The GNU Name System

Overview

RFC 9498, “The GNU Name System”, is an Informational document published in November 2023 by M. Schanzenbach, C. Grothoff, B. Fix. The canonical text is published by the RFC Editor.

Abstract

This document provides the GNU Name System (GNS) technical specification. GNS is a decentralized and censorship-resistant domain name resolution protocol that provides a privacy-enhancing alternative to the Domain Name System (DNS) protocols.

This document defines the normative wire format of resource records, resolution processes, cryptographic routines, and security and privacy considerations for use by implementers.

This specification was developed outside the IETF and does not have IETF consensus. It is published here to inform readers about the function of GNS, guide future GNS implementations, and ensure interoperability among implementations (for example, pre-existing GNUnet implementations).

Abstract as published in the RFC, via rfc-editor.org.

What “Informational” means

Published for the general information of the community. It does not define an IETF standard and carries no standards-track status.

Read this RFC

The canonical text of RFC 9498 is hosted at rfc-editor.org. Available in HTML,TXT,PDF,XML.

Other RFCs from 2023

Who Is Online

In total there are 53 users online: 0 registered, 47 guests and 6 bots.

Most users ever online was 1,226 on 13 Jun 2026, 3:56 am.

Bots: Applebot Facebook Googlebot Other Bot SemrushBot Sogou

Users active in the past 15 minutes. Total registered members: 354