What is Ethereum Name Service (ENS)? What is its purpose?

What is Ethereum Name Service (ENS)?

Simply put, ENS is the "Domain Name System" for the Ethereum blockchain.

A Simple Analogy: The "Website Address" or "Alipay Nickname" of the Web3 World

When we browse the internet, we visit google.com, not a long string of numbers like 172.217.16.110, right? That's because domain names are easy to remember, while IP addresses are utterly impractical for humans.

In the blockchain world, your Ethereum wallet address is also a long string of seemingly random characters, for example, 0xAb5801a7D398351b8bE11C439e05C5B3259aeC9B.

Every time you make a transfer, you have to copy and paste this long string. Not only is it inconvenient, but there's also the fear of making a single character mistake, which could lead to your funds being lost forever.

The purpose of ENS is to let you give this long and hard-to-remember address an easy-to-recall name, such as yourname.eth.

Therefore, ENS = turning hard-to-remember blockchain addresses into easy-to-remember .eth domain names. It is the Web3 version of DNS (Domain Name System).

What Are the Specific Uses of ENS?

Owning an ENS domain (e.g., yourname.eth) primarily offers the following cool benefits:

1. Conveniently Receive Cryptocurrencies

This is its most core and frequently used function. If someone wants to send you ETH or other tokens, they no longer need to copy and paste your long 0x... address. They can simply enter yourname.eth in the recipient field of their wallet to make the transfer.

• Advantages:
  • Easy to remember: Your address is easy to recall and convenient to share with others.
  • Secure: Significantly reduces the risk of sending funds to the wrong address due to copy-paste errors or misreading characters.
  • Universal: Major wallets (e.g., MetaMask, Trust Wallet) and exchanges support ENS domain transfers.

2. Serve as Your Web3 Identity

yourname.eth is more than just a receiving address; it's like your "username" or "digital business card" in the Web3 world.

Many decentralized applications (DApps) and platforms, such as the NFT marketplace OpenSea and social platform Lens, support using ENS domains as your profile and login name. When you connect your wallet on these platforms, your yourname.eth might be displayed instead of that cold 0x... address. This makes your identity more recognizable and personal.

3. Host Decentralized Websites

This is a more advanced use case. You can point your ENS domain to a website hosted on IPFS (a decentralized storage network).

This way, users can access your personal website by simply typing yourname.eth/ into the address bar of a supported browser (like Brave) or with a plugin. This enables a truly censorship-resistant, decentralized website that you fully control.

4. Unified Management of Multiple Addresses and Information

ENS isn't limited to just binding one Ethereum address. Under a single ENS domain, you can also set up your Bitcoin address, Litecoin address, or even your email, Twitter handle, profile picture, and other information.

It acts like an "information indexer," linking all your various digital identity details to one easy-to-remember domain, making it convenient for others to find and interact with you.

In Summary

Overall, ENS is a crucial piece of "infrastructure" for the Web3 world. It transforms complex and obscure blockchain addresses into human-friendly names that are easy to remember and share. This not only makes cryptocurrency transfers simpler and more secure but also lays the foundation for establishing a unified digital identity in the Web3 space.