Requirements & frequently asked questions

The vOracle is an automated agent that nominates legitimate websites of companies, associations and institutions for EsReal's public vDOMAIN register. It collects candidate domains from public sources, builds an evidence file for each domain and queues them for human approval.

In the IT and blockchain world, an oracle is a component that brings reliable real-world data into a digital system. A register "knows" nothing about the outside world on its own; the oracle is the bridge that brings verified, real-world information in. Exactly what the vOracle does: it brings official, vetted data into the vDOMAIN register.

An oracle has also, since antiquity, been a source of truth. A wink for the fans: in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42. It is no coincidence that our underlying protocol is called 42 ETIP - our way of recording trust and truth about domains.

• A working, real website - not a parking page or a "for sale" page.
• A registered, active company or organisation - listed in the KBO (Belgian business register) with status "active".
• Your company/VAT number on your website - in Belgium this is in fact legally required. It lets us unambiguously link your site to your official registration.
• A recognisable name - the name on your site or in your domain matches your official name.
• Optional, but strengthens your file: a valid EU VAT number (verifiable through VIES) and/or an "official website" entry on Wikidata.

The agent relies on authoritative, independent registers - not self-made lists:

• KBO - Crossroads Bank for Enterprises. The official register of the Belgian government (FPS Economy) in which every company, association and institution is legally required to be listed, with its official name, address and status. This is specifically Belgian: for another country the agent uses that country's business register (in the Netherlands, for example, the KvK, the Chamber of Commerce).
• VIES. The official European Commission service that validates the VAT numbers of EU companies. European, not manipulable.
• Wikidata. The free, structured knowledge base behind Wikipedia, maintained by a worldwide community and the Wikimedia Foundation. The "official website" link is added and checked by people. International.
• Tranco. A research-grade ranking of frequently visited websites, built by academics to be resistant to manipulation (combining several rankings over a longer period). International.
• Safeonweb (CCB). The service of the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium, the national government cybersecurity agency. We consult their service to see whether a domain is flagged as malicious or suspicious; such domains are not included. Belgian.

Because these sources are independent of each other and of us, and not easily manipulated, an entry in them is a strong, hard-to-fake sign of authenticity.

A domain does not simply end up in our list. Candidates are discovered through independent, official sources - the KBO, Wikidata and Tranco - which no outsider can manipulate. A fake phishing website appears in none of those registers and has no history or visitor traffic to show up in Tranco. Merely copying data is therefore not enough.

On top of that, the agent is not an autonomous decision-maker: it prepares a "pre-listing" so legitimate websites can reach the public list faster, but a human reviews and supervises every candidate before inclusion. A site must pass both the independent sources and a human check.

Finally, for every domain we consult the Safeonweb service of the CCB (the Belgian government cybersecurity agency): if a domain is flagged there as malicious or suspicious, we do not include it.

Either the agent has not discovered your domain yet (we keep expanding), or it did not meet the requirements above. The most common reason is that your company number is not shown on your website, so we cannot link your site to your registration.

Tranco is a research-oriented ranking of frequently visited websites, designed to be hardened against manipulation. It is an academic project by researchers from imec-DistriNet (KU Leuven), TU Delft and Stony Brook University (published at NDSS 2019). More info: tranco-list.eu.

The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB) is the national government cybersecurity agency, operating under the Prime Minister. It coordinates the country's cybersecurity policy, runs the national CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) and warns citizens and businesses about digital threats.

Safeonweb is the CCB's public platform for online safety: it informs people, offers a browser extension that checks websites, and runs a reporting point for suspicious messages and sites (suspicious@safeonweb.be). Organisations can register their domain there to confirm their identity.

We use Safeonweb as an extra safety layer: before a domain qualifies, we consult the CCB service; domains flagged there as malicious or suspicious stay out of the register. More info: safeonweb.be.

No worries: the agent will get around to it. Above all, make sure your website works, that your company number is clearly shown and that your name is recognisable. Soon you will also be able to submit your domain yourself through this website.

Yes. The vOracle you see here is the Belgian instance. Over time, every country gets its own EsReal vOracle, each tied to that country's official sources (in the Netherlands, for example, the KvK instead of the KBO). Together, all those national instances feed the same worldwide vDOMAIN register - hence the globe on our home page. One network: locally anchored, globally connected.