Can we do better than the DNS ?

Home > Observatory and resources > News > Can we do better than the DNS ?

08/26/2025

Afnic, the registry operator for .fr domain names, is publishing a new issue paper today. Following on from the previous paper on blockchain, this latest publication, “Can we do better than the DNS?”, looks at security issues surrounding a system of names and identifiers based on a public blockchain.

The Afnic DNS (Domain Name System) experts tackle topics as varied as governance, confidentiality, resilience, availability, uniqueness and delegation to report back to you.

Replacing DNS by a blockchain-based naming system is a subject of much debate. Especially regarding the security of such a system.

This Afnic issue paper presents various avenues for thought on these questions in the form of a comparative analysis of the pros and cons of blockchain and DNS.

Download the issue paper “Can we do better than the DNS?”

Download the issue paper Can we do better than the DNS (PDF - 677 Ko)

About Afnic

Afnic is the acronym for Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération, the French Network Information Centre. The registry has been appointed by the French government to manage domain names under the .fr Top Level Domain. Afnic also manages the .re (Reunion Island), .pm (Saint-Pierre and Miquelon), .tf (French Southern and Antarctic Territories), .wf (Wallis and Futuna) and .yt (Mayotte) French Overseas TLDs.

In addition to managing French TLDs, Afnic’s role is part of a wider public interest mission, which is to contribute on a daily basis, thanks to the efforts of its teams and its members, to a secure and stable internet, open to innovation and in which the French internet community plays a leading role. As part of that mission, Afnic, a non-profit organization, has committed to devoting 11% of its Revenues from managing .fr Top Level Domain to actions of general interest, in particular by transferring €1.3 million each year to the Afnic Foundation for Digital Solidarity.
Afnic is also the back-end registry for the companies as well as local and regional authorities that have chosen to have their own TLD, such as .paris, .bzh, .alsace, .corsica, .mma, .ovh, .leclerc and .sncf.

Established in 1997 and based in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Afnic currently has nearly 90 employees.