What is Ethereum Name Service (ENS)?
Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is a blockchain-based address book that maps long Ethereum wallet addresses to readable names ending in ".eth." Launched in 2017 by Nick Johnson and Alex Van de Sande from the Ethereum Foundation, the project aims to prevent copy-paste errors during crypto transfers. The ENS token gives its holders voting power over the protocol's direction.
What can you attach to an ENS name?
An ENS name does more than point to a wallet. A single ".eth" domain can bundle together a crypto address, an email, a website link, an IPFS-hosted decentralized site, and social media handles. This turns the name into a portable Web3 identity that the owner controls without relying on a third party. Users update their own records directly on the blockchain, so no central service can alter or remove the information.
Why are ENS domains minted as NFTs?
Every ENS domain is issued as an ERC-721 token, which means the name lives in its owner's wallet and can be traded on open NFT marketplaces. Short or rare names often attract high prices in secondary sales. Names are rented annually; if the registration lapses without renewal, the domain becomes available for anyone else to claim. Ownership and expiration are tracked entirely by smart contracts on Ethereum, not by a central registry.
How the community governs ENS
The ENS protocol is managed by a DAO composed of ENS token holders. They vote on pricing, treasury allocations, and technical upgrades, with voting weight proportional to the amount of tokens held. This structure distributes control beyond the founding team and allows decisions to be proposed and executed transparently on-chain, keeping the naming system resistant to centralized pressure.