Overview

OBIAN is the browser that unites the World Wide Web and the decentralized web.

OBIAN is a full browser for the traditional web: type example.com and it loads, just like any other browser. What makes it different is that it also resolves names that live on other systems: any Handshake or Freename name, the Unstoppable Domains TLDs, .eth on Ethereum, and more. You type a name, OBIAN figures out which system it belongs to, resolves it, and renders whatever it points to.

How OBIAN routes a name

When you type a name, OBIAN works through its naming systems in a set order (its resolver cascade) and the first one that can answer wins:

1. DNS (ICANN): the traditional web
2. Freename
3. Handshake
4. Unstoppable Domains
5. ENS

Most names route straight to the system that owns their TLD: ICANN names like .com go to DNS, the Unstoppable TLDs go to Unstoppable Domains, and so on. When a name isn't tied to a single system, OBIAN tries them in the order above, DNS first and ENS last, and uses the first that resolves. You can always force a specific system with a scheme prefix.

What OBIAN resolves

Listed in resolution-priority order:

DNS comes first because most of the web still lives on ICANN names, and OBIAN treats them as first-class. It resolves them over DNS-over-HTTPS and fails closed for privacy (see Known Limitations).

When two systems claim the same name, you can force one with a scheme prefix: dns://, fn://, hns://, ud://, or ens://.

What OBIAN renders

Once a name resolves, OBIAN loads its content from wherever it lives:

• HTTP / HTTPS: the traditional web
• IPFS / IPNS: content-addressed and decentralized
• Arweave: permanent storage

Why it works this way

Resolution and content fetching happen on your machine, not through a middleman service that logs where you go. ICANN DNS lookups use DNS-over-HTTPS and fail closed rather than quietly falling back to your ISP's resolver, so your browsing isn't leaked to the network you're on.

Getting Started

This guide gets you from download to browsing the decentralized web in a few minutes.

1. Install

Download an installer from the download section (Windows and Linux) or from GitHub Releases for all platforms, including macOS.

2. Type a name

The URL bar accepts any name OBIAN can resolve, whether an everyday website or a decentralized web name. Try a few:

• example.com: an ordinary ICANN site, resolved over DNS just like any browser
• a Handshake or Freename name shared with you
• vitalik.eth: an ENS name on Ethereum

OBIAN detects which naming system the name belongs to, resolves it, and loads the content. It checks systems in priority order (DNS first, then Freename, Handshake, Unstoppable Domains, and ENS), and the resolution-source badge in the URL bar shows which one answered: DNS, FN, HNS, UD, or ENS.

3. Force a specific system (optional)

Sometimes the same name exists on more than one system. Prefix the name to force a resolver (listed in priority order):

For example, hns://tube reaches the Handshake .tube even though ICANN also operates a .tube.

4. Everyday browsing

• Tabs: open, close, and reopen recently closed tabs
• Bookmarks: click the star in the URL bar; revisit from the new-tab page or the bookmarks panel
• History: automatically recorded and searchable
• New-tab page: your bookmarks, frequently visited names, and recent pages
• Find in page: search within the current page

5. Publish your own

Have a Web3 name? Point it at a website and browse to it in OBIAN. The Domain Setup Guide walks through both IPFS (fully decentralized) and HTTP hosting (simplest, supports multi-page sites). Once your site is live, consider submitting it to be featured.

Reading Markdown

Markdown has become the shared language between people and AI. Open a local .md file in OBIAN and read it as a clean document, with one switch back to the raw source.

When you work with an assistant, what comes back is almost always Markdown: the headings, lists, tables, checklists, and code blocks you see in a chat are Markdown underneath. The notes and specs you hand back to an agent live in .md files too. Plain text is perfect for an agent, but raw Markdown full of ##, *, and backticks is something a person has to decode rather than read. OBIAN closes that gap, so the loop between you and your agents is faster and clearer.

Open a file

• Open with OBIAN: right-click a Markdown file and choose Open with OBIAN. If OBIAN is already open, the file lands in a new tab in your current window.
• Drag and drop: drop a .md file onto an open window. Drop several at once and each opens in its own tab.
• Double-click: set OBIAN as your default Markdown app and a double-click opens it straight away.

Preview and Raw

Each Markdown tab has a header row with the file name and a Preview / Raw switch. Preview is the rendered, readable view (the default). Raw shows the exact source in a monospaced font, for copying the original or checking precise syntax. The switch is keyboard accessible, and OBIAN remembers your choice for the next file.

What it renders

The preview supports GitHub-Flavored Markdown, the same flavor most AI tools produce: headings, bold and italic and strikethrough, bulleted and numbered lists, task-list checkboxes, tables, blockquotes, inline and fenced code, links, and images. It is styled for comfortable long-form reading on OBIAN's dark theme.

Work alongside your agents

Keep a working document open while your assistant revises it. Edit on one side, press reload in OBIAN, and you are looking at the latest version instantly. Markdown files open read-only, and every document is sanitized before display, so reading a file is always safe.

Full guide: Reading Markdown in OBIAN.

Get Involved

OBIAN is growing, and the decentralized web grows with the people building on it. Here's how to be part of it.

Try it and share it

The fastest way to help is to use OBIAN, find a name or site you love, and show someone. Resolving a .eth or Handshake name in a real browser is a moment worth passing along.

Submit your site to be featured

We're assembling a showcase of the best sites across every naming system OBIAN supports, for use in onboarding, demos, the landing page, and marketing materials. If you've built something on a Web3 name, submit it.

How to submit: open a GitHub issue titled [Showcase] yourname.eth and include:

• Name: the full name to type (e.g. yoursite.eth)
• Naming system: ENS / Unstoppable / Handshake / Freename
• Content network: IPFS, IPNS, Arweave, or HTTP
• One line: what it is and why it's worth a look
• Screenshot: how it looks rendered in OBIAN

Submit: github.com/ds1/web3-browser/issues/new

By submitting, you're offering the site for inclusion in OBIAN's showcase and promotional materials. We curate for sites that render well in OBIAN, look great, and are safe for a general audience, so the showcase stays something we can confidently point newcomers at.

Build and publish

Don't have a site yet? Point a Web3 name at one. The Domain Setup Guide covers both decentralized (IPFS) and traditional (HTTP) hosting. Then come back and submit it.

Report bugs and request features

Found something broken, or have an idea? Open an issue at github.com/ds1/web3-browser/issues. Helpful bug reports include the name you typed, what you expected, what happened, your OS, and the OBIAN version. See Known Limitations first, since the thing you hit may already be tracked.

Spread the word

Tell people what OBIAN is for: one browser that reaches both the World Wide Web and the decentralized web, with resolution and content fetching that run on your own machine.

Known Limitations

OBIAN is under active development. This page lists the current constraints, why they exist, and any workarounds, so you know what to expect and can report issues that aren't listed here.

Rendering

Some IPFS-hosted sites render best with inline CSS. Content loaded over IPFS runs in a sandboxed iframe. Sites whose styles and scripts are external files referenced by separate paths may not load those resources, so the page can appear unstyled or partially rendered. Sites with inline (embedded) CSS render reliably.

• For visitors: prefer sites known to render well (the launch showcase curates for this).
• For builders: inline your CSS, or host over HTTP. Sites loaded via the HTTP path render full CSS, JS, and multi-page navigation natively.

Single-page sites work best over IPFS. Multi-page navigation between separate files is smoother on HTTP hosting, where in-page links work natively and the URL bar keeps showing your Web3 name.

Platforms

macOS builds are distributed via GitHub Releases. While notarization is pending, the macOS .dmg files are available from GitHub Releases rather than the download page. Windows and Linux are available from both.

No mobile release yet. OBIAN is currently a desktop browser (Windows, macOS, Linux). Mobile is on the longer-term roadmap.

Resolution

ICANN DNS lookups fail closed. To avoid leaking your browsing to the network you're on, OBIAN resolves ICANN names over DNS-over-HTTPS and does not fall back to your operating system's resolver. If the secure lookup can't complete, the name won't resolve rather than quietly routing through your ISP.

Not every Web3 name points at a website. Many names are registered but parked, redirect elsewhere, or have no content record set. When a name has no content to render, OBIAN reports that rather than inventing a destination.

Reporting something not listed here

If you hit a limitation that isn't on this page, we'd like to know. See Get Involved for how to file a useful report.