diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 3436d3359e..f4c911a8b9 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@
     "ipld-raw": "^2.0.1",
     "ipld-zcash": "~0.1.6",
     "ipns": "~0.5.0",
+    "is-domain-name": "^1.0.1",
     "is-ipfs": "~0.6.0",
     "is-pull-stream": "~0.0.0",
     "is-stream": "^1.1.0",
diff --git a/src/core/components/name.js b/src/core/components/name.js
index aa43bd2a77..d16810ddd2 100644
--- a/src/core/components/name.js
+++ b/src/core/components/name.js
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ const parallel = require('async/parallel')
 const human = require('human-to-milliseconds')
 const crypto = require('libp2p-crypto')
 const errcode = require('err-code')
+const mergeOptions = require('merge-options')
+const mh = require('multihashes')
+const isDomain = require('is-domain-name')
 
 const log = debug('ipfs:name')
 log.error = debug('ipfs:name:error')
@@ -35,6 +38,16 @@ const keyLookup = (ipfsNode, kname, callback) => {
   })
 }
 
+/**
+ * @typedef { import("../index") } IPFS
+ */
+
+/**
+ * IPNS - Inter-Planetary Naming System
+ *
+ * @param {IPFS} self
+ * @returns {Function}
+ */
 module.exports = function name (self) {
   return {
     /**
@@ -125,22 +138,15 @@ module.exports = function name (self) {
         options = {}
       }
 
-      options = options || {}
-      const nocache = options.nocache && options.nocache.toString() === 'true'
-      const recursive = options.recursive && options.recursive.toString() === 'true'
+      options = mergeOptions({
+        nocache: false,
+        recursive: false
+      }, options)
 
       const offline = self._options.offline
 
-      if (!self.isOnline() && !offline) {
-        const errMsg = utils.OFFLINE_ERROR
-
-        log.error(errMsg)
-        return callback(errcode(errMsg, 'OFFLINE_ERROR'))
-      }
-
       // TODO: params related logic should be in the core implementation
-
-      if (offline && nocache) {
+      if (offline && options.nocache) {
         const error = 'cannot specify both offline and nocache'
 
         log.error(error)
@@ -156,12 +162,27 @@ module.exports = function name (self) {
         name = `/ipns/${name}`
       }
 
-      const resolveOptions = {
-        nocache,
-        recursive
-      }
+      const [ , hash ] = name.slice(1).split('/')
+      try {
+        mh.fromB58String(hash)
+
+        // ipns resolve needs a online daemon
+        if (!self.isOnline() && !offline) {
+          const errMsg = utils.OFFLINE_ERROR
 
-      self._ipns.resolve(name, resolveOptions, callback)
+          log.error(errMsg)
+          return callback(errcode(errMsg, 'OFFLINE_ERROR'))
+        }
+        self._ipns.resolve(name, options, callback)
+      } catch (err) {
+        // lets check if we have a domain ex. /ipns/ipfs.io and resolve with dns
+        if (isDomain(hash)) {
+          return self.dns(hash, options, callback)
+        }
+
+        log.error(err)
+        callback(errcode(new Error('Invalid IPNS name.'), 'ERR_IPNS_INVALID_NAME'))
+      }
     }),
     pubsub: namePubsub(self)
   }
diff --git a/src/core/index.js b/src/core/index.js
index d457cb6149..3245a6cb9a 100644
--- a/src/core/index.js
+++ b/src/core/index.js
@@ -26,7 +26,16 @@ const defaultRepo = require('./runtime/repo-nodejs')
 const preload = require('./preload')
 const mfsPreload = require('./mfs-preload')
 const ipldOptions = require('./runtime/ipld-nodejs')
-
+/**
+ * @typedef { import("./ipns/index") } IPNS
+ */
+
+/**
+ *
+ *
+ * @class IPFS
+ * @extends {EventEmitter}
+ */
 class IPFS extends EventEmitter {
   constructor (options) {
     super()
@@ -76,6 +85,7 @@ class IPFS extends EventEmitter {
     this._ipld = new Ipld(ipldOptions(this._blockService, this._options.ipld, this.log))
     this._preload = preload(this)
     this._mfsPreload = mfsPreload(this)
+    /** @type {IPNS} */
     this._ipns = undefined
     // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
     this._print = this._options.silent ? this.log : console.log
diff --git a/src/core/ipns/index.js b/src/core/ipns/index.js
index a064ece4d5..6a9d710fd7 100644
--- a/src/core/ipns/index.js
+++ b/src/core/ipns/index.js
@@ -104,5 +104,6 @@ class IPNS {
   }
 }
 
-exports = module.exports = IPNS
-exports.path = path
+IPNS.path = path
+
+module.exports = IPNS
diff --git a/test/core/name.js b/test/core/name.js
index 99b8257251..d9c1084ccf 100644
--- a/test/core/name.js
+++ b/test/core/name.js
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ describe('name', function () {
       })
     })
 
-    it('should not recursively resolve to an IPFS hash if the option recursive is not provided', function (done) {
+    it('should not recursively resolve to an IPFS hash', function (done) {
       this.timeout(90 * 1000)
       const keyName = hat()
 
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ describe('name', function () {
         series([
           (cb) => node.name.publish(ipfsRef, { resolve: false }, cb),
           (cb) => node.name.publish(`/ipns/${nodeId}`, { resolve: false, key: keyName }, cb),
-          (cb) => node.name.resolve(key.id, cb)
+          (cb) => node.name.resolve(key.id, { recursive: false }, cb)
         ], (err, res) => {
           expect(err).to.not.exist()
           expect(res[2]).to.exist()
@@ -618,4 +618,43 @@ describe('name', function () {
       done()
     })
   })
+
+  describe('working with dns', function () {
+    let node
+    let ipfsd
+
+    before(function (done) {
+      df.spawn({
+        exec: IPFS,
+        args: [`--pass ${hat()}`, '--offline'],
+        config: { Bootstrap: [] }
+      }, (err, _ipfsd) => {
+        expect(err).to.not.exist()
+        ipfsd = _ipfsd
+        node = _ipfsd.api
+        done()
+      })
+    })
+
+    after((done) => ipfsd.stop(done))
+
+    it('should resolve ipfs.io', async () => {
+      const r = await node.name.resolve('ipfs.io', { recursive: false })
+      return expect(r).to.eq('/ipns/website.ipfs.io')
+    })
+
+    it('should resolve /ipns/ipfs.io recursive', async () => {
+      const r = await node.name.resolve('ipfs.io', { recursive: true })
+
+      return expect(r.substr(0, 6)).to.eql('/ipfs/')
+    })
+
+    it('should fail to resolve /ipns/ipfs.a', async () => {
+      try {
+        await node.name.resolve('ipfs.a')
+      } catch (err) {
+        expect(err).to.exist()
+      }
+    })
+  })
 })