What is an ENS domain?
- Author
- CRYPTO PORT Editorial
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 4 min
In short
An ENS domain maps a human-readable name onto a long hexadecimal address, so you can send funds to a name instead of copying a string. But names expire if you forget to renew them, and lookalike spellings are actively used for fraud.
Key points
- A naming layer that resolves a name to an address
- Registrations are annual and lapse without renewal
- The mapping is on-chain and publicly verifiable
- Lookalike names are used to misdirect transfers
Definition
A naming system running on Ethereum. Contracts record the mapping between a name such as .eth and an address, and wallets or dApps resolve the name when sending.
An address is around forty hexadecimal characters and is hard to verify by eye. ENS attaches a name to it so you can send to something like name.eth instead. The mapping lives in a contract, so every wallet resolves it the same way.
A name is less a purchase than a timed registration: you pay to renew it periodically. Miss the renewal and, after a grace period, it expires and someone else can register it. Sending to a name you believe is still yours can deliver the funds to its new owner.
A name is not identity. Anyone can register something that reads like a company or a person, so a convincing name is not evidence that you are dealing with the real party. Before sending, check the address the name resolves to, not just the name.
Watch out for
- · Expired names can be taken by anyone — always check the resolved address before sending
- · Names differing by one character, or mixing scripts, are used to impersonate
- · Owning a name proves nothing about who the holder really is