# What is NibID ? NibID is a distributed, open, and extensible naming system based on the Nibiru Chain blockchain. NibID's primary function is to map human-readable names like 'alice.nibi’ to machine-readable identifiers such as Nibiru Chain addresses or other cryptocurrency addresses, content hashes, and metadata. NibID also supports 'reverse resolution,' allowing the association of metadata such as canonical names or interface descriptions with Nibiru Chain addresses. NibID shares similar goals with DNS (Domain Name Service) on the Internet, but its architecture is significantly different due to the capabilities and constraints provided by the Nibiru Chain.\ Such as DNS, NibID operates on a system of dot-separated hierarchical names called domains, where the owner of a domain has full control over subdomains. Top-level domains, like ".nibi", are owned by smart contracts called registrars. These registrars define rules for allocating subdomains. Anyone can obtain ownership of a domain by following the rules set by these registrar contracts. Because of NibID's hierarchical structure, anyone who owns a domain at any level can configure subdomains as desired. For instance, if Alice owns 'alice.nibi’, she can create 'pay.alice.nibi' and customize it as she wishes. NibID is deployed on Nibiru Chain's testnet. Libraries and applications, such as the JavaScript library or end-user applications, automatically detect the network being used and interact with the NibID deployment on that network. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://nibid-documentation.gitbook.io/nibid-documentation/what-is-nibid.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.