Ordnung Name System

Ordnung Name System
Developer	secondtruthLabs
Status	Draft
First published	2025
Based on	DNS
Transport	UDP/TCP
Default port(s)	53
License	Public Domain

The Ordnung Name System (ONS) is a semantic data query system that repurposes the DNS CHAOS (CH) class for structured data retrieval. Developed by secondtruthLabs, ONS enables semantic queries using existing DNS infrastructure without requiring new protocol implementations.

Overview

ONS leverages an underutilized feature of DNS—the CHAOS class—to create a parallel query namespace for semantic data. This approach provides:

• Zero protocol overhead
• Complete freedom in data organization
• Compatibility with existing DNS tools
• Built-in caching via DNS infrastructure

Design philosophy

ONS prioritizes simplicity and compatibility:

• No new protocols to implement
• Works with standard DNS tools (dig, nslookup)
• Domain-agnostic naming
• Minimal structural requirements

Technical specification

Query format

ONS queries use standard DNS TXT record queries with the CHAOS class:

Basic ONS query

{{{code}}}

Examples

Query examples

{{{code}}}

Response format

Responses are standard DNS TXT records containing structured data:

Example response

{{{code}}}

Related specifications

ONS is part of a family of specifications:

• Ordnung Data Schema (ODS) – Standard field conventions for ONS data
• Ordnung Data Retrieval System (ODRS) – Global namespace using .o TLD

Implementations

ONS can be implemented using:

• BIND with CH class zones
• CoreDNS with custom plugins
• Any DNS server supporting CHAOS class

See also

• Ordnung Data Schema
• Ordnung Data Retrieval System
• wp:Domain Name System
• wp:Multicast DNS