Eth.limo is a privacy-preserving ENS gateway that enables users to access Ethereum-native dApps and content from DNS-compatible applications. Eth.limo's gateway has significantly improved the accessibility and privacy of utilizing dWebsites. In this exclusive interview, the eth.limo team shares insights into the unique features of their gateway, as well as the developments that the team is actively working on.
Q: When was eth.limo founded?
A: "The eth.limo gateway was stealth launched in late August 2021. Frustrations expressed by DAOs and project owners regarding the reliability of eth.link served as a driving force behind its creation. By December, when Vitalik tweeted his Endgame article using the .limo gateway, there was a remarkable surge in dWebsite adoption. Since then, our community has grown rapidly, driven by the enhanced availability and improved user experience eth.limo provides."
Q: What is eth.limo, for those who are unfamiliar?
A: "Eth.limo is a public good within the ENS ecosystem that acts as a transparent proxy, bridging the gap between Web2 DNS/HTTP and decentralized websites using ENS. It enables HTTP-enabled clients, such as browsers, to seamlessly retrieve and render content from the IPFS, Arweave, and Swarm storage protocols by simply appending ".limo" to any .eth name. The gateway also supports CCIP (Cross Chain Interoperability Protocol), allowing users to resolve names on any L2 or chain implementing the CCIP gateway resolver service. In summary, eth.limo empowers users to interact with ENS names storing web content on distributed storage networks."
Q: How does eth.limo ensure privacy protection?
A: "Privacy is a top priority for the eth.limo team. They never log users' IP addresses or X-Forwarded-For HTTP headers, ensuring complete anonymization of request data. Additionally, all HTTPS connections are terminated at the application layer, preventing cloud providers from inspecting request/response contents. Eth.limo actively blocks FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts), a Google-developed algorithm used for advanced user tracking and fingerprinting, thereby preserving online privacy and anonymity."
Q: What is the integration with 0xNimi and its impact?
A: "The collaboration with 0xNimi has significantly accelerated dWeb adoption. Eth.limo's proxy supports fallback record checking, which means that if no contenthash is defined, users are directed to a personalized Nimi profile. This integration seamlessly pulls in ENS avatars, text records, and displays POAPs, providing users with a social landing page without requiring technical expertise."
Q: Can you provide examples or use cases demonstrating the benefits of using eth.limo for ENS-related activities?
A: "Unlike other gateway services, eth.limo offers dedicated support and assistance, working directly with small teams and large projects to enhance user experiences. The gateway runs its own IPFS cluster nodes, ensuring optimal performance when serving requests. Eth.limo also provides on-demand, unlimited ENS subdomains, supports emoji and Unicode names, and offers a DNS over HTTPS (DoH) resolver API for native ENS resolution. These features empower users to leverage the full potential of their ENS domains, whether for building dWebsites or utilizing Nimi integration for seamless landing pages."
Q: Are there any upcoming developments to enhance privacy or expand eth.limo's services within the ENS ecosystem?
A: "The eth.limo team has exciting plans for the future. They are actively working on a "hotcaching" solution to update their ENS mapping cache in real-time, ensuring newly deployed content is immediately visible to users. Additionally, they are researching HTTP header standards for ENS dWebsites to allow users to define their own header and value pairs at the ENS record level, unlocking the full potential of browser features. Further developments include ENS to DNS TXT record mappings for Bluesky integration and preparation for the release of the .eth TLD in the ICANN namespace."
Q: How does eth.limo support SEO for ENS dWebsites?
A: "SEO in Web3 can be challenging, but eth.limo addresses this issue by exposing ENS dWeb content to Web2, enabling search engines to index dWebsites served through their gateway. Eth.limo has optimized its service configuration to meet SEO crawler standards and best practices. Ultimately, the SEO ranking of a dWebsite relies on backlinks, and eth.limo encourages ENS name holders to advertise and create referrals to enhance their domain's ranking."
Eth.limo has emerged as a pioneering gateway, revolutionizing the ENS ecosystem by enabling easy access to decentralized websites. By prioritizing privacy, providing robust support, and offering innovative features such as 0xNimi integration, eth.limo empowers users to maximize the potential of their ENS domains. With future developments in the pipeline to enhance privacy and facilitate content updates, eth.limo is poised to further strengthen its position as a key player within the ENS ecosystem, driving the adoption and usability of ENS-powered dWebsites
May 31, 2023