What is a DWN (Decentralized Web Node)?

A DWN is your personal data store. Instead of your posts and photos sitting in a company's database, they are written to your own node. Apps ask your permission to read or write specific records — you can grant or revoke access anytime.

What is a DID (Decentralized Identifier)?

A DID is a self-owned digital identity — a unique identifier backed by cryptographic keys that you hold. Unlike an email login owned by a company, nobody can suspend, sell or impersonate your DID.

Web5 is a technology where your data and identity stay with you. Your data lives in your own private Decentralized Web Node (DWN), and your identity is a DID controlled by cryptographic keys that only you hold. MILAN is India's social network built on this technology.

WEB5 · DID · DWN · USER-OWNED DATA

What is Web5?

Q: What is Web5 in simple words?

Web5 is a way to build apps where users keep their own data and identity. Your data lives in your personal Decentralized Web Node (DWN), and your identity is a Decentralized Identifier (DID) that you control with cryptographic keys — no company account required.

A more user-centered way to build apps, identity and data.

Web5 brings decentralized identity and decentralized data infrastructure into everyday applications. In the MILAN model, DID represents identity and DWN provides the data layer.

Explore MILAN → See the social network

Identity DID Data DWN Architecture Web5

MILAN Web5 social experience

ID DID Identity

D DWN Data layer

◎ Apps Experiences

Decentralized Identity

A DID is a decentralized identifier designed to give an entity an identity that is less dependent on one centralized account provider.

See identity in MILAN →

Decentralized Web Nodes

A DWN provides a data layer where applications can work with records according to the permissions and architecture of the system.

Explore decentralized social media →

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Permission-first sharing

Web5-oriented architectures can make identity, records and access permissions explicit instead of hiding everything behind one centralized platform.

Explore privacy →

HOW IT FITS TOGETHER

Web5, explained as a simple system

Instead of thinking about Web5 as one website or one product, think of it as an application architecture built around identity, data and permissions.

01 You

Your identity starts with an identifier rather than a single platform account.

02 DID

A decentralized identifier represents the identity layer.

03 DWN

A decentralized data layer handles records and application data.

04 Apps

Applications use identity and data according to their architecture and permissions.

CONCEPTUAL COMPARISON

Web2 vs Web3 vs Web5

WEB2

Platform-centered

Applications typically hold the account and data relationship.

WEB3

Blockchain-centered

Applications can use blockchains, wallets, tokens and smart contracts.

WEB5

User-centered

Combines familiar web applications with decentralized identity and data concepts such as DID and DWN.

MILAN × WEB5

How MILAN uses Web5 concepts

A Decentralized Web Node social network can separate personal data from a central platform by giving each person a dedicated data layer and greater control over access.

Web5 connects decentralized identity, Decentralized Web Nodes, and user-controlled data. These concepts can support a DID social network and a DWN social network where people control their digital context.

MILAN is designed as a social experience around decentralized identity, DWN-based data architecture and permission-aware sharing. The goal is to make the relationship between people, identity and data more explicit.

DIDIdentity layer

DWNData layer

SocialApplication layer

Open MILAN →

QUESTIONS

Web5 questions, answered

What is Web5 in simple words?

Web5 is a way to build apps where users can keep greater control over identity and data using decentralized identity and data infrastructure such as DID and DWN.

What is a DWN?

A Decentralized Web Node is a data infrastructure component that can store and expose records according to an application's identity and permission model.

What is a DID?

A Decentralized Identifier is an identifier designed for decentralized identity systems and can be controlled through cryptographic mechanisms.

How does MILAN relate to Web5?

MILAN uses Web5-oriented concepts including DID and DWN in its model for a privacy-focused social application.

READY TO EXPLORE?

Your identity. Your data. Your social space.

Enter MILAN →