What is ENS?
ENS (Ethereum Name Service) is the decentralized naming system built on Ethereum. It lets you replace long, unreadable wallet addresses like 0x1234...abcd with human-readable names like alice.eth.
Think of ENS as the DNS (Domain Name System) of the blockchain — but decentralized, censorship-resistant, and owned entirely by you.
How ENS Names Work
ENS names are NFTs (ERC-721 tokens) on Ethereum. When you register yourname.eth, you receive a token that proves ownership. You can:
- Point it to your wallet — so people can send ETH/tokens to yourname.eth instead of a 42-character hex address
- Use it as a Web3 username — many dApps display your ENS name instead of your address
- Set records — link your Twitter, website, email, and other data to your ENS name
- Sell or transfer it — like any NFT, ENS names can be traded
ENS Name Pricing
ENS name registration costs vary by character length:
| Characters | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| 3 chars | ~$640/year |
| 4 chars | ~$160/year |
| 5+ chars | ~$5/year |
Prices are denominated in ETH but priced in USD via a Chainlink oracle.
Checking ENS Availability
Use the OnchainNamespace bulk checker to search for available ENS names in seconds. Paste your list, and instantly see which names are free, taken, or expiring soon.