ENS

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) was launched to address one of the key user-experience issues in blockchain: long, unreadable wallet addresses. Since its inception, ENS has empowered over 798,000 users to register more than 1.6 million names, with integrations into over 750 platforms—from Coinbase Wallet and Rainbow to Etherscan and Uniswap.

ENS operates as a public good governed by its DAO. The ENS community collectively manages the protocol via $ENS tokens, which serve as governance tokens enabling users to vote on proposals that shape ENS’s future. Through its proposal and voting system, ENS has funded numerous ecosystem projects, distributed grants, and enhanced protocol security with a robust bug bounty program.

With the announcement of ENSv2, the platform is advancing into a multi-chain identity solution. This update introduces Namechain, an Ethereum L2 based on Linea’s zkEVM, which brings near-zero gas fees, instant finality, and native cross-chain support. In ENSv2, each .eth name becomes its own smart contract registry, providing greater customization and utility for users, teams, and organizations.

As Web3 expands, ENS continues to lead the charge in on-chain identity, replacing outdated DNS systems with blockchain-native solutions. Competitors like Unstoppable Domains and FIO Protocol offer similar services, but ENS’s deep integration with the Ethereum ecosystem and community-first governance model give it a distinctive edge.

ENS provides numerous benefits and features that solidify its role as a leader in the Web3 identity space:

• Human-Readable Naming: Replace complex wallet addresses with easy-to-remember .eth names, improving accessibility and usability.
• Cross-Platform Consistency: Your ENS name works seamlessly across wallets, dApps, DAOs, and DeFi platforms.
• True Ownership: Names are stored on-chain and owned by the user, offering full decentralization with no intermediaries.
• Integration with Key Partners: ENS is integrated with Coinbase Wallet, Brave Browser, GoDaddy, Uniswap, and many more.
• DAO Governance: Holders of the $ENS token can propose and vote on protocol upgrades and community grants.
• Namechain via ENSv2: Launching a scalable L2 to enable cheaper, faster, and more flexible usage of ENS names across chains.

ENS makes it simple to establish your Web3 identity with just a few steps:

• Step 1: Visit the ENS App: Go to ens.app and connect your wallet.
• Step 2: Search and Register: Use the search bar to find your desired .eth name. If it's available, you can register it immediately by paying a small ETH fee.
• Step 3: Set Your Records: Add records to your ENS name, including wallet addresses, website links, avatars, and other identifiers.
• Step 4: Manage in Your Wallet: ENS names can be managed in popular wallets like Metamask, Rainbow, or Coinbase Wallet.
• Step 5: Participate in the DAO: If you hold $ENS tokens, visit the ENS DAO Forum and Tally to vote on proposals and help shape the protocol’s future.
• Resources: Developers can explore the ENS documentation and join the developer community to build on ENS.