The Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is an Ethereum-based naming system that maps a readable name such as alice.eth to machine-readable data: a wallet address, addresses for other cryptocurrencies, profile details, content hashes for decentralized websites, and a primary name that can be shown when an address is displayed. It is built from Ethereum smart contracts rather than DNS infrastructure, although it fills a similar naming role. ENS describes itself in its documentation as “a distributed, open, and extensible naming system based on the Ethereum blockchain” (ENS Docs, “What is the Ethereum Name Service?”).
How an ENS lookup works
ENS resolution runs through three parts, and each has a separate job. The registry is the starting point: for every name it records the owner, the resolver, and the TTL (time-to-live setting). The resolver is a contract that holds the records attached to a name and returns the one a client asks for. The registrar governs how names in a top-level domain are allocated; the ETH Registrar handles .eth registrations.
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In practice, an app asking for the address behind alice.eth first checks the registry to find which resolver is responsible for that name, then queries that resolver for the record. The registry answers “who is responsible,” and the resolver answers “what is the data.” The registry and registrar mechanics are documented in the ENS registry documentation, and the underlying specification discussion is in Ethereum Improvement Proposals, “Ethereum Domain Name Service – Specification”.
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What a name can point to
An ENS name is a container for records. The main record types are:
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- An ETH address, the most common use for a name.
- Addresses for other cryptocurrencies.
- Profile information such as an avatar or social handles.
- Content hashes that point to decentralized website content.
Which of these a given wallet, explorer, or website will read depends on that software. A record that exists on the name is not automatically displayed everywhere. The ENS support article “What is ENS?” describes the record types, and the ENS support article on resolvers explains how the resolver holds them.
Forward lookups and reverse resolution
ENS works in two directions:
- Forward lookup goes from a name to its record, for example from
alice.ethto a wallet address. - Reverse resolution goes from an address to a name or other metadata associated with it. A primary name is the name an address chooses to display. Where an app supports it, the raw address appears as a readable ENS name instead.
Reverse resolution is the reason an address may show a readable name in one app but not another: the app has to read the primary name for display to change.
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Registering a .eth name
ENS documentation says a .eth name is registered through the ENS app. The documented payment model is:
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- A fee per year, paid in ETH on Ethereum Mainnet.
- Network gas, the Ethereum transaction fee, paid on top of the registration fee.
- Ongoing control: owners can edit records, transfer the name, and renew it before it expires.
The ENS support material does not state a current US-dollar price, and fees and gas both change over time. Check the price shown in the live registration flow before you commit funds. The payment model is described in the ENS support article “What is ENS?”.
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Which network and version applies
ENS has more than one deployment, and the official support pages describe them differently. As of the ENS support articles reviewed in October 2026, the picture was:
| Version | Network described by ENS support | Status stated in the source |
|---|---|---|
| ENSv1 | Ethereum Mainnet | Described as the running version of ENS names in the support article “How do ENSv1 names work?” |
| ENSv2 | Sepolia testnet apps | One support page says ENSv2 is optional and not yet available on Ethereum Mainnet |
Because deployment details change, confirm the version and network in the ENS app before relying on a specific behavior. The version explanation is in the ENS support article “How do ENSv1 names work?”.
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How ENS differs from DNS
ENS and the Domain Name System share a goal: turning a human-readable name into something software can use. They differ in how they are built and run.
| Question | ENS | DNS |
|---|---|---|
| Who operates the records | Ethereum smart contracts, with registrars allocating names | DNS infrastructure and the registries and hosts that run it |
| Record types | Addresses for cryptocurrencies, profile data, and content hashes, per the ENS documentation | Not compared in the ENS sources reviewed; DNS record types are a separate standard |
| How records are updated | Owner edits records through the ENS app or contracts | Changed through the domain’s DNS management interface |
| What resolves the name | Only clients that read ENS records | Ordinary browsers and internet software using DNS |
The key practical point is the last row. An ENS name is not a drop-in replacement for an ordinary web domain, and it does not work in every browser out of the box. Its usefulness depends on the apps that read its records.
Limits to keep in mind
- A name only shows its records in software that reads ENS.
- Gas and the annual fee are paid in ETH, so costs move with the ETH price and network conditions.
- Deployment status differs by version and network, so check the current ENS support pages before acting.
For most readers, ENS is best understood as a directory for Ethereum addresses and related data, with a readable name as the front end.
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