The newly launched Ethereum standard, ERC-4804, allows internet users to access decentralized applications (DApps) and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) without fear of centralized censorship. The standard, called “Web3 URL to EVM Call Message Translation,” was proposed in February 2022 and co-authored by Qi Zhou, Sam Wilson, and Chao Pi. It provides an “HTTP-style” URL to directly access on-chain Web3 content, including DApps and NFTs.
Traditionally, the majority of users access the internet via Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). With ERC-4804, internet users can type in web3:// instead of http:// in their browsers to bring up DApps such as Uniswap or on-chain NFTs directly, allowing users to run a query to an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).
Theoretically, entire websites can be accessed via these means as long as their content is stored on the Ethereum blockchain or a compatible layer-2 protocol. However, the costs of doing this remain very prohibitive. ETHStorage founder Qi Zhou described the costs as a barrier to entry for the majority of users.
