Term 3 Grants - Summary

This thread is an ongoing summary of grants by Ecosystem Working Group for the third term.

This is not the place to request grants. To request a grant please reach out to @slobo.eth on the forum or on twitter.

Discussion of project occur on the weekly ecosystem calls.

Most grants are giving retroactively for proof of work.

Receiving a grant does no preclude a project from participating in the monthly small grants.

To review prior term grants checkout the following thread: Term 2 - Grant Summary

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What is ETH.LIMO?

Simply put eth.limo is an ENS gateway with a strong focus on user privacy and security that enables users to access Ethereum-native dApps and content.

Project Updates

User Growth:

Last year we saw a massive increase in dWebsite growth and adoption with ENS dWebsites growing 116% between 2021 and 2022. Currently eth.limo serves over 17k unique ENS domains and receives on average 1-1.5m requests per day. During the bull market there were days with 4.5m+ requests.


These dWebsites can be blogs, resumes, dApps and more.

One of the more unique cases was Devcon 6’s treasure hunt where the team deployed clues to Swarm and IPFS registering the hashes in ENS with participants being recommended to use eth.limo.

Larger Project Adoption:

We’re also starting to see larger projects utilizing dWebsites.

One example is kwenta.eth which is a futures exchange with $372m volume to date and one of the most accessed dWebsites with an average of 800k+ requests per day.

Synthetix also recently announced they’re phasing out the Synthetix staking dapp and migrating to staking.synthetix.eth.

These are just a handful of examples as there are many more projects exclusively using .eth dWebsites. Along with this increased growth comes increased support. The eth.limo team is in contact with many projects offering technical assistance and guidance.


Support for Emoji and Unicode Domains

Examples:
https://:alien:punk.eth
https://:joy::joy::joy:.eth
https://:rainbow::rainbow::rainbow:.eth

Storage Protocol Support

The ENS community had been requesting this for a long time and we’re happy to announce the eth.limo gateway now supports resolving these domains!

Support for Swarm and Arweave Contenthashes

The eth.limo gateway now supports every ENS compatible storage layer! IPFS, IPNS, Skynet, Arweave and Swarm.

Chauffeur

We have released a local ENS gateway that supports all of the primary features of eth.limo. Users can additionally benefit from OS wide ENS resolution, not just in the browser. Chauffeur is designed for Linux and allows users to access ENS dWebsites in a fully decentralized manner. More information can be found here: GitHub - ethlimo/chauffeur: Local infrastructure stack for resolving ENS domains

Base32 and Base36 Encoding for IPFS/IPNS

We have updated both the eth.limo gateway and our DNS over HTTPS service to explicitly use Base32 encoding for IPFS CIDs and Base36 for IPNS peer IDs.

HTTP Object Caching

Improving content retrieval times is always a priority for the eth.limo team. After several weeks of careful testing we have fully implemented static content object caching, globally for all eth.limo resolved names. This means that we will cache content retrieved from IPFS and save it for later retrieval. The result being much faster page load times for all static content.


Future Roadmap and Initiatives

Hotcaching

Caching is a big component of the eth.limo architecture and we are always looking for ways to improve it. In its current form, our caching layer will store ENS domain & contenthash pair mappings with a 15m TTL. This is obviously less than desirable as newly deployed content will not be visible to users immediately. In order to alleviate this limitation, we have been working on a “hotcache” solution that will dynamically update our ENS mapping cache in real-time as records are updated on-chain. Initial support will be limited to names using the ENS public resolver. Record updates will be synchronised as they happen, making updated content available in a timely fashion.

Reverse Lookups

Ever wondered if a particular IPFS CID is associated with an ENS name? Immediately following deployment of the Hotcache, we will begin working on a reverse lookup API for ENS domains. This means that you can search for ENS names based on the IPFS CID or contenthash.

Research on HTTP Header Standards for ENS dWebsites

HTTP headers are tricky to get right, even more so in decentralised environments. Certain browser features (like SharedArrayBuffer) can only be used in a “Same-Origin” context, which requires the use of certain server side headers to be returned to the client. With this in mind, we are investigating the best way for users to define their own header and value pairs at the ENS record level. This would be a new standard for ENS HTTP gateways and permit users to fully leverage all available browser features irrespective of how the content is accessed (i.e. gateway or web3 native browsers).

dAppNode Package

We plan to release a dAppNode package that will allow users to run a local instance of the eth.limo service at home. Similar to Chauffeur, a dAppNode deployment has the added benefit of serving all clients on a local network.

URL Fallback Support

We want users to have flexibility with how eth.limo chooses to resolve content. A feature request that we often see is performing a redirect to the value of the com.url record. In the future, eth.limo resolution will eventually look like this:

  • Does contenthash record exist?
    • Yes
      • Serve content
    • No
      • Does the com.url record exist?
        • Yes
          • Redirect
        • No
          • Nimi fallback

Ecosystem Partnerships

We’ve been diligently meeting and collaborating with other ecosystem projects on delivering enhancements for new user onboarding. We believe that tighter integrations and collaboration between ENS ecosystem projects is vital to the success of the protocol and strengthens the reputation of the ENS community. More details will be announced very soon.

Previous Updates
General Documentation
Gateway Basics
DoH Resolver
Using eth.limo with IPFS (Kubo)
Website
Twitter
Discord


Steward Commentary

Without a doubt eth.limo is foundational infrastructure that adds immense value to the ENS ecosystem. Dozens of builders have built on top of eth.limo, creating a virtuous cycle of added utility that could not happen without the tireless work of the eth.limo team.

It is easy to forget that behind the technology there are real people working every day to make sure the service runs smoothly and consistently. The eth.limo team is on-call. All. The. Time. 365/24/7. To date the majority of the work has been done by just two people.

Furthermore, the cost of their infrastructure is not cheap. They run their own nodes. They handle sporadic DDoS attacks, which spike costs due to autoscaling. eth.limo does this free of charge, unfortunately web2 infrastructure providers like to be paid.

Roughly $100k/year is needed to keep eth.limo running. The cost to run web3 infrastructure is generally more than web2. In part this is because the web3 / decentralized works differently. For example, if a user is storing a large video on IPFS, eth.limo has to serve that through the gateway instead of offloading that to Akamai or Cloudflare. There are dozens of other ways that running decentralized infrastructure is more expensive than traditional tech, this is expected.

The DAO approved EP3.1.1 funding request had 85,000 USDC & 10 ETH allocated to eth.limo. Though this is a material amount of funding. This is insufficient given the value eth.limo provides, combined with their costs.

Over the next few months a proposal will be put forth directly to the DAO to fund eth.limo in a more substantial manner. Stay tuned.

The stewards appreciate the eth.limo team and all the work they have done. Thank you for your dedication.

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1W3 - Build Web3Sites for your ENS domain on the Decentralised Web

What we are building?

1W3 is a No-code Web3site builder which helps users to create beautiful Web3Sites for their ENS domain on the Decentralised Web.1W3 lets anyone build professional-grade web3sites, seamlessly link them to ENS domains, and easily upload them to decentralized storage platforms such as IPFS or Arweave, guaranteeing the safety, security, and accessibility of their content from anywhere in the world.

[Website][Twitter][Telegram][Discord]

Why it matters to ENS?

Creating a decentralized website for an ENS domain can be a complex process, requiring extensive research and technical understanding of concepts such as IPFS, CID, and ENS Content Hash. This can be especially challenging for non-technical users. Because of the above challenges very fewer users build websites for their ENS domains.
To address this challenge, we have developed a product that simplifies the design, build, and publishing process for web3sites on ENS domains.

Dune analytics link

Journey So far:

Our Moto: Users should own the content built using 1W3

At 1W3, we believe in empowering users to own the content they create. To achieve this goal, we have partnered with storage companies to create a mechanism that ensures content ownership is transferred to the user’s wallet address when they publish a web3site to IPFS. This means that users will have complete control over their content and can access it from the storage provider’s platform. With 1W3, you can create and publish content with confidence, knowing that you truly own what you create.

What users can create using 1W3

At 1W3, users have the ability to create a diverse range of content. Some examples include:

link in bio ( ENS linktree)
Blogs
Personal Portfolio
Business websites
Resume
Sell domain landing page
More…

1W3 provides the flexibility and tools necessary for users to create unique and compelling content that meets their specific needs. Whether you’re an individual looking to showcase your skills and experiences, or a business seeking to establish an online presence, we have the resources to help you achieve your goals. With our user-friendly interface and robust features, the possibilities are endless.

Links: A linktree alternative for the decentrallised web.

“Links” is a cutting-edge feature developed for the decentralized web presence. It offers an alternative to centralized services like Linktree, while empowering users with complete control over their personal pages.

With Links, you can create a personal page that showcases everything you are and everything you create. This includes your social media profiles, NFTs, videos, podcasts, newsletters, photos, and even your calendar. Unlike other platforms, all of your content is integrated into your personal page, which lives on the blockchain. This ensures that your content remains secure and accessible to you, no matter what.

Whether you’re a content creator, entrepreneur, or simply looking to establish an online presence, Links offers the tools and features you need to succeed. With a user-friendly interface and the ability to customize your page to your unique style, Links is the perfect choice for anyone looking to take control of their online presence.

Link: hidayath.eth.limo

Support for Emoji and Unicode Domains
hodlwizard.eth built this web3site using 1W3 for the below Emoji ENS domain
Examples: tesla🤖.eth.limo

Decentralised blogs

Build and manage blogs on the blockchain. It provide users with complete control over their content and design. Platforms like ENS News (https://ensnews.eth.limo/) can leverage this feature to build and manage their blog on the decentralised web.

Personal Decetralised Portfolio:

A simple drag-and-drop interface, allows users to easily add and customize different components such as text, images, and videos. Users can choose from a variety of templates to create a personalized portfolio website that best represents them.

Business Web3Sites:

Wide range of pre-designed website layouts that businesses can choose from to create their own web3site. The templates typically include a range of customizable modules like features, pricing, about, contact clients etc.

Some of the templates live on the platform

How grants will help us?

Grants can be a game-changer for our project by providing us with the necessary funding to achieve our goals. With grants, we can accelerate the development of advanced features and expand the storage capacity of IPFS and Arweave to host data for web3 sites. We can also create new web3 templates that offer enhanced elements tailored to the specific needs of individuals and businesses.

In the short term, our primary focus is to launch sophisticated Link in bio templates similar to Linktree, which will allow community members to showcase their links on their ENS domains. This will provide an easy and efficient way for individuals to share their online presence while maintaining control over their digital identity. With the help of grants, we can turn this vision into a reality and create a more accessible and user-friendly web3 ecosystem that meets the needs of our growing community.

[Website][Twitter][Telegram][Discord]

Steward Commentary

ENS Ecosystem stewards are awarding 10,000 USDC to 1W3 in retroactive grant funding. We see 1W3’s no-code solutions for building Web3 sites as valuable to spreading adoption of both Web3 and ENS. Web2 products of a similar design have an outsized impact on today’s internet, with offerings from platforms like Squarespace and WordPress making up a large majority of websites. We’re excited to support them for their contribution and are confident in their ability to build.

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