Historical page: Namebase shut down in June 2026. This page is preserved for reference only — do not follow links to namebase.io services (they are offline). For current tooling, start at /start/.
Edit this page on GitHubVision and mission
Historical record (2020–2026): Namebase was the primary onramp and marketplace for Handshake from launch through its wind-down in June 2026. This page preserves their original vision and mission statement. For current tooling, see /start/ or SkyInclude’s wind-down explainer.
Namebase existed to enable an internet owned by individuals — not a handful of organizations like ICANN that controlled the DNS.
For most of Handshake’s early commercial era, Namebase was the main place newcomers landed. It combined domain registration, wallet custody, HNS trading, and a secondary marketplace in one platform — often described as “GoDaddy meets Coinbase” for the decentralized naming protocol.
The vision
Namebase believed blockchain was a technology for mass empowerment. Bitcoin offered money without masters; Handshake offered domain names resistant to censorship and seizure. Namebase positioned itself as the company that would make that protocol usable for everyday people — not just developers running full nodes.
Their stated long-term vision: a naming layer that the internet could rely on without gatekeepers, where domain owners controlled their fate through private keys rather than registrar rental agreements.
The mission
Namebase’s mission was to enable freedom and safety on the Internet by making it easy for anyone, anywhere, to own, manage, and access a Handshake domain.
In practice, that meant:
- A web wallet and registrar most Namers used between 2020 and 2026
- Automatic bid reveals and renewals for custodied names
- A BTC → HNS onramp when few exchanges listed Handshake
- An open marketplace for instant on-chain name transfers
- Educational content at learn.namebase.io (now preserved at /docs/)
The strategy
Namebase pursued three strategic pillars during its operating years:
Empower every type of user
Handshake attracted domain investors, crypto enthusiasts, developers, and privacy-conscious registrants. Namebase navigated regulatory requirements (including KYC tiers) while also offering paths for users who wanted names without full financial verification — see Private naming.
Make Handshake easier than traditional domains
Namebase aimed to reduce onboarding friction below that of ICANN registrars. They hosted DNS, managed auctions, and operated a secondary market that settled on-chain rather than through month-long escrow transfers common in legacy domain sales.
Support ecosystem adoption
Namebase invested in community growth, browser integration efforts, and partnerships (including projects like Pi-hole and educational outreach). They maintained learn.namebase.io as the canonical beginner documentation for the protocol during this period.
After Namebase
Namebase wound down in June 2026. The Handshake protocol continues independently of any single company. The LearnHNS community preserved Namebase’s documentation and the ecosystem moved to self-custody tools like Bob Wallet, Liquidity Spot, and ShakeDex.
For a detailed account of the shutdown and what it meant for name owners, see SkyInclude’s wind-down update.