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CAD014: Convex Name System

The Convex name system (CNS) is a globally accessible naming service available on the CVM.

Motivation​

Similar to DNS on the Internet, there is a need for a naming which system which provides:

  • Meaningful human readable names
  • A mapping to resources on the network
  • Secure facilities for managing this information

Alternatives​

Nothing in Convex requires the use of CNS. It must be possible to create working systems on the CVM without relying on CNS.

Alternative CNS implementations must be possible, with a different CNS root.

Specification​

CNS paths​

Record in CNS MUST be specified specified by a path.

Paths can be represented in at least two forms:

  • A dot delimited symbol e.g. convex.asset
  • A vector or strings e.g. ["convex" "asset"]

Rationale: Dot delimited symbols are preferred for conciseness and human readability, whereas a vector of strings is more convenient and efficient for internal database representation.

CNS Records​

A CNS record is a logical entry in CNS.

A CNS record MUST contain the following values:

  • Address : The entity referred to be the CNS record, which SHOULD be an address or a scoped reference e.g/ [#45 :some-key]
  • Controller : The controller that enables access to update the CNS record, which SHOULD be a valid trust monitor
  • Metadata : Optional metadata attached to the CNS Record

Any of the three logical values MAY be nil

Root namespaces​

The following root namespaces are initially available:

  • convex - reserved for approved convex libraries and tools. Typically these SHOULD be FULLY specified with a CAD (e.g. convex.asset API as specified in CAD19). Foundation approval required.
  • user - indended for user accounts. Open access, names / subdomains are assets obtainable for a fixed Convex coin cost.
  • torus - reserved for open source marketplaces and trading contracts such as the Torus DEX. Community approval required.
  • app - reserved for decentralised application actors and contracts. Community approval required.
  • peer - reserved for peer operators. Community or Foundation approval required.
  • id - reserved for decentralised IDs

New root namespaces require Foundation governance approval.