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Architecture Overview

The Geo Web is an open information network. It's conceptually (and philosophically) similar to the World Wide Web in many ways. Just as several underlying protocols and components create the experience of "surfing the web," the Geo Web is defined with a multi-layer technology stack.

High-level overview of the Geo Web architecture

High-level overview of the Geo Web architecture

While not 100% analogous, we can compare the Geo Web stack to the more familiar web stack as a starting point for deeper technical exploration. Check out the table below to start building your mental model of the Geo Web:

FunctionTraditional WebGeo WebNotes
NamespaceDomain Name System (DNS)Digital Land Registry ContractsGeo Web coordinates are like IP addresses. Parcels are like domain names.
LookupDNS ServersGeo Web SubgraphThe Graph network allows the Geo Web subgraph to scale and perform like DNS without centralization or an extensive infrastructure build out.
Namespace Registration

Domain registrars

(e.g. GoDaddy)

CadastreCadastres provide a visual interface for claiming, managing, trading, and viewing Geo Web land parcels.
Publishing & Content ManagementContent Management Systems (e.g. Wordpress)CadastreCadastres can provide landholders diverse publishing tools to anchor content to their parcels—similar to the services website builders and CMSs offer website proprietors.
Content Transfer

Hypertext Transfer

Protocol (HTTP)

IPFSIPFS is a peer-to-peer transfer protocol, so concepts around file storage differ from HTTP's client-server assumptions.
Content Formatting

Hypertext Markup

Language (HTML)

MUDThe MUD framework is used to define the state of the Geo Web's Autonomous World content layer
ArchiveWayback MachineFilecoinFilecoin is used as the archival complement to IPFS & Ceramic's "hot storage" for Geo Web content.
Browsing Interface

Web Browsers

(eg Chrome)

Spatial BrowserCompetition across browsers will be encouraged on the Geo Web as on the WWW.

In the remainder of this section, we'll explore these components first from a functional perspective and at a detailed technical level. This section's target audience is developers and technical users, but non-developers can benefit from this information as well.