What are Basenames?
Basenames are the native naming system for Base, the Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain built by Coinbase. They follow the pattern yourname.base.eth and serve the same purpose as ENS names — giving you a human-readable onchain identity.
Basenames are built on top of ENS infrastructure but operate on Base L2, making registration significantly cheaper than Ethereum mainnet ENS names.
Why Basenames?
- Low cost: Registration is a fraction of ENS mainnet prices due to Base's low gas fees
- Coinbase integration: Basenames are natively supported in Coinbase Wallet and Coinbase products
- ENS compatible: Built on ENS architecture, so they're compatible with ENS-supporting dApps
- Fast: Base's fast block times mean near-instant registration confirmation
Basenames vs ENS
| Feature | ENS (.eth) | Basenames (.base.eth) |
|---|---|---|
| Network | Ethereum mainnet | Base L2 |
| Gas cost | Higher | Very low |
| Annual fee | $5-640/year | Much lower |
| Coinbase native | No | Yes |
| ENS compatible | Yes | Yes |
Finding Available Basenames
Use OnchainNamespace to check Basenames availability in bulk. Enter any list of names and see their status across both ENS and Basenames simultaneously.
Technical Details
Basenames use the same keccak256 tokenId derivation as ENS:
tokenId = BigInt(keccak256(toUtf8Bytes(name)))
The grace period for expired Basenames is 90 days — the same as ENS.