Argus � the BNS public gateway (navigate.st) and its library layer. Serves BCNR names over HTTPS, verifies signed records, mints TLDs.
Find a file
Local Dev 6ff181b6c2 install.ps1: NRPT rules for all BNS-native TLDs (.bch .p2p .bit .nav)
Was only .bch. The daemon and CA already handle these four TLDs; the NRPT
rule was the missing piece that made .p2p / .bit / .nav queries never reach
the daemon at all (they went to ICANN's normal DNS and NXDOMAIN'd).

Dual TLDs (.de .ru .dev .ltd) intentionally NOT here. They need the
daemon's DNS-forwarding path to work reliably for unregistered names,
and there's still an open EDNS/AAAA forwarding bug in bnsd.js that
would break most German/Russian sites if we NRPT'd .de.

Adding more native TLDs (.x .sia .dgb .nt from Theseus's expanded set)
needs a CA rotation first — the current CA's nameConstraints only permit
bch/p2p/bit/deviant/nav/test/bcnr. Deferred.
2026-07-31 08:43:31 +02:00
setup install.ps1: NRPT rules for all BNS-native TLDs (.bch .p2p .bit .nav) 2026-07-31 08:43:31 +02:00
src Theseus: light/dark theme, redesigned search box, trimmed engines, WebRTC modes 2026-07-30 22:00:01 +02:00
test Theseus navigator UI overhaul, BNS-only indexer, site restructure 2026-07-30 08:16:55 +02:00
.gitignore Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
ariadne.config.json Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
BROWSER-PROMPT.md Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
build-web.mjs Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
DESIGN-hosting-pact.md Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
ENGINE.md Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
namespaces.pdf Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
OPERATIONS-electrum.md Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
package-lock.json Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
package.json Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
PROTOCOL.md Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
README.md Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
ROADMAP.md Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00
sia-test.html Initial commit — Silent Mode baseline (2026-07-29) 2026-07-29 13:54:34 +02:00

BNS — Namecoin-style decentralized names on Bitcoin Cash (chipnet)

A working prototype of "Option 3": names are CashTokens name certificates on the BCH chain (no fork, no sidechain), records ride in OP_RETURN, discovery via a beacon address, and the resolver is embedded in a wallet app with a built-in browser pane — the Brave/MetaMask-browser architecture in miniature.

See PROTOCOL.md for the on-chain design and its honest limitations.

Layout

  • src/lib/bns.js — protocol core: payload codec, chain indexer/resolver, tx builders
  • src/wallet-app.js — wallet + embedded resolver + browser UI (npm run wallet → http://localhost:4626)
  • src/register.js / src/update.js / src/resolve.js — CLI equivalents
  • wallets.json — chipnet seed phrases (TESTNET ONLY — never reuse for real funds)
  • src/lib/gen-wallets.js — one-time wallet generation (already run)

Setup

  1. npm install
  2. Fund the wallet with free chipnet tBCH: go to https://tbch.googol.cash/, paste the wallet address (shown in the app sidebar or by node src/lib/gen-wallets.js), pick chipnet, solve the captcha. ~0.001 tBCH funds hundreds of registrations.
  3. npm run wallet and open http://localhost:4626

Standalone resolver daemon (make EVERY browser resolve .bch)

  • src/daemon/bnsd.js — DNS server (answers *.bch from the chain, forwards everything else upstream) + HTTP gateway that serves on-chain sites by Host header. Test unprivileged: node src/daemon/bnsd.js --dns-port 5354 --http-port 8081, then node src/daemon/dig.js hello.bch.
  • setup/install.ps1 — run from an elevated PowerShell. Installs the daemon as a boot-time scheduled task (SYSTEM, auto-restart) and wires the OS to it:
    • default (-Mode nrpt): adds an NRPT rule so only .bch queries reach the daemon; all other DNS is untouched.
    • -Mode full: points every adapter's DNS at 127.0.0.1 (daemon forwards non-.bch upstream, ncdns-style); original servers are saved and restored on uninstall.
  • setup/uninstall.ps1 — reverses everything (rule/adapters/task).

HTTPS for .bch: the "BNS Local Root CA" (created on demand in ca/, keep root-ca.key private) signs per-name certs. The daemon's :443 gateway mints them on the fly for locally-served names; node src/lib/issue-cert.js <name> issues one for a real server (see the coinspectrum.bch nginx vhost). The installer trusts the root machine-wide and enables Firefox's enterprise-roots policy; cert fingerprints are published in "tls" chain records for pinning.

Caveats: browsers with "secure DNS" (DoH) enabled bypass the OS resolver — disable it or add an exception; ports 53/80/443 must be free.

Try it

  • Register hello with inline HTML (a website stored entirely on-chain), then type hello.bch in the address bar — the app resolves it from the blockchain (not DNS) and renders it.
  • Or CLI: node src/register.js hello '{"h":"<h1>Served from the BCH chain</h1>"}' then node src/resolve.js hello