> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://legacy-docs.aragon.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://legacy-docs.aragon.org/aragon/about-dao/what-is-a-dao.md).

# What is a DAO?

{% hint style="info" %}
DAO (*acronym*) = **Decentralized Autonomous Organization**
{% endhint %}

## Defintions

### Short definition

A DAO is a **group of people** **without central management** that coordinates over the Internet around a **shared set of rules** to achieve a **common goal**.

### Technical definition

A DAO is an **internet-native entity** **without central management** which is regulated by a set of automatically enforceable rules on a **public blockchain**, and whose goal is to take on a life of its own and incentivize people to achieve a shared common mission.

### Aragon-specific technical definition

Aragon brings more than a general description of DAO - we provide an opinionated technical framework for developing DAOs. At present these technical opinions include

* Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and EVM compatible tools as our public blockchain of choice
* IPFS as our web3 network storage protocol of choice
* Multi-signature wallets as the default
* Freedom to customize the EVM Access Control Lists (ACLs) in a hierarchical and flexible way - software should aspire to reflect how people naturally interact.

## Key words

For our purposes, you can think of DAOs as **flexible, global**, and **uncensored online organizations**.

## **DAO use cases**

* Part-time projects with friends or strangers
* Future of work: people working part-time on multiple things for short periods of time
* Temporary pop-up companies
* Companies in authoritarian jurisdictions
* Global, distributed teams

## **Trends around the world accelerating DAO adoption**

* The rise of populist authoritarians
* The future of work (remote and distributed)
* The growing de-platforming problem
* The rise of decentralized finance
* The [increasing](https://medium.com/complex-systems-channel/teams-a-manifesto-7490eab144fa) [complexity](https://necsi.edu/complexity-rising-from-human-beings-to-human-civilization-a-complexity-profile) of human civilization
* Growing adoption of blockchain currencies in central banking institutions

> ***You can read more about DAOs at*** [***aragon.org/dao***](https://aragon.org/dao)***.***

### References

[Decentralised Autonomous Organisations and the Corporate Form](https://doi.org/10.26686/vuwlr.v51i2.6573) p. 316

[Comparison and Analysis of Governance Mechanisms Employed by Blockchain-Based Distributed Autonomous Organizations](https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8428782) p. 196