The Internet Runs on Names

2026-05-15

AI Summary

This study addresses a fundamental misalignment in the Internet’s architecture: while the design remains centered on IP addresses, operational practice has decisively shifted toward DNS names for service identification, reachability, load balancing, and trust management. This divergence between architectural principles and real-world usage exacerbates system complexity, fragility, and security vulnerabilities. The paper systematically uncovers this “name-driven” evolution, framing it as a foundational shift at the architectural level. Through comprehensive analysis of network architecture, empirical investigation of operational practices, and retrospective examination of prominent failure cases, the work elucidates the intricate interactions among DNS, the IP layer, and higher-layer services, revealing the root causes of major outages and operational challenges. These insights lay the theoretical groundwork and provide critical risk awareness for designing future name-oriented network architectures.

Abstract

The Internet's TCP/IP architecture was designed for resilient packet delivery between hosts identified by IP addresses. Over time, however, the consolidation of applications and services into large-scale platforms built on that universal packet-delivery substrate drove deployment practices that fundamentally changed the Internet's operational model: the network now operates primarily on names. DNS names have become the basis for service identity, reachability, load balancing, and trust, while IP addresses have become ephemeral routing locators. This change was driven by application needs and platform consolidation in the absence of any overarching plan. The resulting mismatch between the original address-based design and the current name-based operation leads to serious consequences: operational complexity that grows with each new layer of indirection, fragility, and vulnerability - as seen in recent high-profile outages. This paper exposes this mismatch as a necessary first step toward understanding its consequences and addressing the risks of continuing on the same path.

Problem

• Internet architecture
• name-based operation
• IP address
• DNS names
• design mismatch

Innovation

• name-based networking
• DNS-centric Internet
• address-name mismatch
• service identity
• Internet architecture evolution