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+---
+title: "OpenAlias"
+date: 2021-07-01
+tags: ["server"]
+---
+
+## The Problem
+
+Cryptocurrency can be unintuitive. After all, look at this annoying
+Monero address of ours:
+
+- `84RXmrsE7ffCe1ADprxLMHRpmyhZuWYScDR4YghE8pFRFSyLtiZFYwD6EPijVzD3aZiEpg57MfHEr1pGJNPXyJgENMnWrSh`
+
+It breaks up pages and looks ugly. When you copy and paste it to send
+money, you might be paranoid that you somehow added an extra character
+in there. That\'s all around a bad user experience.
+
+### It would be nice\...
+
+It would be nice if we could just input someone\'s email address or
+maybe a website and send Bitcoin or Monero to that instead. So instead
+of that long jumble, it would be easier to just type in someone\'s
+website or email and sending them money that way.
+
+## The Solution
+
+The [OpenAlias](https://openalias.org/) standards are just that. It uses
+[DNS](/basic/dns) settings, which you know something about, to link a
+website or an email address with a cryptocurrency address. It allows
+someone to simply put `chad.thesiah.xyz` or `chad@thesiah.xyz` as a payment
+recipient and that will direct to that long address above.
+
+The default Monero wallet and Bitcoin\'s Electrum are already compatible
+with OpenAlias, as are a growing group of wallet software.
+
+## Let\'s do it.
+
+Open up your domain registar and open up your DNS settings for the
+website you would like to add.
+
+Open the **TXT record** section. Now, create an entry with text like
+that below:
+
+```txt
+oa1:xmr recipient_address=84RXmrsE7ffCe1ADprxLMHRpmyhZuWYScDR4YghE8pFRFSyLtiZFYwD6EPijVzD3aZiEpg57MfHEr1pGJNPXyJgENMnWrSh; recipient_name=SiCh;
+```
+
+Obviously change the address to your desired address and you may also
+give a proper name for yourself (this may be multiple words). Note that
+the entry above is **all one line**.
+
+Now create a new TXT entry and input this text into the **TXT Value**
+input box. Note here that I have create two entries:
+
+{{< img alt="openalias" src="/pix/openalias-01.png" link="/pix/openalias-01.png" >}}
+
+One entry\'s \"Host\" is left empty, this will allow people to send
+Monero by merely typing `chad.thesiah.xyz`.
+
+The second entry has \"chad\" as the \"Host\"; this will allow people to
+send money to `chad@thesiah.xyz`, i.e. this is how you allow people to
+connect a Monero address with an email address.
+
+### Checking to see if it works\...
+
+Let\'s check to see if it works. In the Monero wallet, we can now type
+in `chad.thesiah.xyz` as a recipient:
+
+{{< img alt="checking" src="/pix/openalias-02.png" link="/pix/openalias-02.png" >}}
+
+And once we press the \"Resolve\" button, it automatically turns into
+that address we gave to the DNS!
+
+{{< img alt="It works!" src="/pix/openalias-03.png" link="/pix/openalias-03.png" >}}
+
+Now people can donate Monero to you without having to worry about QR
+codes or copying-and-pasting super-long public addresses!
+
+### Now with Bitcoin!
+
+OpenAlias was originally developed for Monero, but since it\'s such a
+good idea, Bitcoin wallets have implemented it as well, so let\'s add
+some TXT entries for Bitcoin. The OpenAlias TXT records have the same
+format, except for the **xmr** at the beginning is replaced with **btc**
+and obviously we use a Bitcoin address instead of Monero.
+
+```txt
+oa1:btc recipient_address=bc1q9f3tmkhnxj8gduytdktlcw8yrnx3g028nzzsc5; recipient_name=SiCh;
+```
+
+Add the TXT entries in and save:
+
+{{< img alt="bitcoin openalias entries" src="/pix/openalias-04.png" link="/pix/openalias-04.png" >}}
+
+And we can then check that it\'s working by trying to send money to
+`chad.thesiah.xyz` in Electrum. See that it automatically appends the
+address!
+
+{{< img alt="electrum resolves an openalias" src="/pix/openalias-05.png" link="/pix/openalias-05.png" >}}
+
+And that\'s it. Now users can easily send your website or email address
+Bitcoin or Monero without having to worry about hard to read addresses
+and QR codes.