Life & fun · September 2, 2020
DNS-based alternative to the web for structured data
DNS-based alternative to the web for structured data launched on September 2, 2020 with 59 votes, #824 of 3,898 launches that month and more than 90% of that year's launches. The site was not reachable when checked in September 2026.
In plain words
Num is a DNS-based system launched in 2020 that enables structured data storage and retrieval through domain names as an alternative to traditional web infrastructure. It allows users and organizations to encode information directly into DNS records, making data accessible without conventional websites. The system targets developers and technical users interested in decentralized data storage methods. Num stands out for its unconventional approach to web infrastructure, leveraging existing DNS technology to create a distributed network for structured information.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
Does a similar job
all alternatives →- DBDNS-based alternative to Semantic Web – 23M data points now in DNS2021 · ▲25
We’ve just launched NUM [1] in the UK, it’s an alternative to the semantic web [2] but based in DNS. We’ve published 23 million data points about 4.8m UK businesses. We had some really interesting HN feedback when we previously posted about one of our example apps [3] so keen to hear what the community has to say this time round. 1. https://www.num.uk 2. https://num.uk/blog/we-crawled-5m-uk-websites-and-published-23m-data-points-to-dns 3. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27598164
- NANoms – A new decentralized database based on ideas from Git2016 · medium.com · ▲508
- NDNuage – Domain names with no hassle2016 · nuageapp.com · ▲79
Company contact data API (UK Launch)2021 · num.uk · ▲18Free, unlimited and unrestricted access – 23m data points
"q", a DNS query tool with support for UDP, TCP, DoT, DoH, DoQ and ODoH2022 · github.com · ▲140A tiny command line DNS client with support for UDP, TCP, DoT, DoH, DoQ and ODoH. - natesales/q
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