Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.07.30
What is Web3, and how is it framed against Web1 and Web2?
Web3 is the idea that blockchains and smart contracts form the next era of the web — permissionless and decentralized, where users own their data and the protocols, rather than centralized companies controlling both.
The framing tells a three-stage story of the web:
| Era | Character |
|---|---|
| Web1 | Permissionless and open, but mostly static content you could only read |
| Web2 | Dynamic and interactive, but permissioned — your data and the logic live on centralized company servers that control them |
| Web3 | Dynamic and permissionless again — decentralized networks run the logic, creating censorship-resistant agreements, and users can own the protocols they use |
The core shift Web3 promises is ownership: instead of a handful of companies controlling your information and dictating the rules, decentralized networks execute the logic transparently, and participants can hold a stake in the protocols they interact with. It is less a specific technology than a vision for who controls the web — a move back toward openness, now with the programmability that smart contracts add.
Go deeper:
Web3 — Wikipedia — the decentralization-and-ownership framing of a next web iteration, and the debate around it.