A quick reference guide to common terms used throughout ENS documentation and the ENS App.
Core Concepts
ENS (Ethereum Name Service)
A decentralised naming system on Ethereum that converts human-readable names (like alice.eth) into wallet addresses, website links, and other data your apps can use.
Name / ENS Name
A human-readable identifier registered on ENS. Most commonly .eth names (e.g., myname.eth), but also includes DNS names imported into ENS (e.g., example.com).
Subname
A name created under a parent name. For example, pay.alice.eth is a subname of alice.eth. The parent name's manager creates subnames, each with its own records and permissions.
Label
A single segment of a name, separated by dots. In pay.alice.eth, the labels are pay, alice, and eth.
Registration & Ownership
Owner
The wallet address that controls a name: can transfer ownership, update records, and change permissions.
Manager
A wallet address that can update records and manage a name's day-to-day operations, but cannot transfer ownership. Useful for delegating control without giving up the name.
Grace Period
A 90-day window after a .eth name expires during which only the previous owner can renew it. The name continues to function during this period but shows as expired.
Temporary Premium
A 21-day declining-price auction after the Grace Period ends. The price starts at $100 million and drops exponentially to $0, letting the market determine what desirable names are worth.
Resolution & Records
Resolution / Forward Resolution
Looking up data linked to an ENS name—for example, finding the Ethereum address for alice.eth.
Reverse Resolution
Looking up the ENS name linked to a wallet address (the opposite of forward resolution). This is what enables apps to display alice.eth instead of 0x1234....
Primary Name
The ENS name a wallet address has chosen to represent itself. When apps display a name instead of an address, they're showing the Primary Name. Each address can have one Primary Name per network.
Records
Data stored against an ENS name, including:
ETH Address: The Ethereum wallet address the name points to
Other Addresses: Addresses for other blockchains (BTC, SOL, etc.)
Content Hash: IPFS or other decentralised storage links for websites
Text Records: Arbitrary key-value data (avatar, email, social handles)
Resolver
A smart contract that stores and returns records for ENS names. Most names use the Public Resolver. Custom resolvers let you add specialized behavior.
Public Resolver
The default resolver contract provided by ENS Labs. Current address: 0xF29100983E058B709F3D539b0c765937B804AC15
Name Wrapper
Name Wrapper
A smart contract that converts ENS names into ERC-1155 NFTs, letting you set advanced permissions with fuses. You can permanently lock down permissions on wrapped names.
Wrapped Name
A name you've deposited into the Name Wrapper contract. Wrapped names are represented as ERC-1155 tokens and can have fuses burned.
Unwrapped Name
A name in its original state, not deposited in the Name Wrapper. .eth names are ERC-721 NFTs when unwrapped.
Emancipated Name
A wrapped subname released from its parent's control. The parent can no longer modify or revoke the subname.
Locked Name
A wrapped name with the "Cannot Unwrap" fuse burned, making wrapping permanent. Locked names cannot be returned to their unwrapped state.
Fuses
Permission flags in the Name Wrapper you can "burn" (permanently set) to restrict what others can do with a name. Once burned, fuses cannot be unburned.
Parent-Controlled Fuses
Fuses that a parent name can burn on its subnames, restricting the subname's capabilities.
Owner-Controlled Fuses
Fuses that a name's owner can burn on their own name.
DNS Integration
DNS (Domain Name System)
The traditional internet naming system (e.g., example.com). ENS supports importing DNS names to use onchain.
DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions)
A security protocol that cryptographically signs DNS records. Required to claim a DNS name in ENS because it proves you control the domain.
Onchain DNS Name
A DNS name claimed and recorded on Ethereum. Updates require gas fees.
Offchain DNS Name (Gasless)
A DNS name that uses DNSSEC proofs to resolve ENS records from DNS TXT records—no onchain transactions needed. Free to set up and update.
Technical Terms
Registrar
The smart contract that manages registration and renewal of names. The .eth Registrar handles all .eth name operations.
Registry
The core ENS smart contract that stores ownership information and links names to their resolvers.
Namehash
A cryptographic hash function that converts human-readable names into a fixed-length identifier used internally by ENS contracts.
Node
The namehash of a name—the unique identifier used in ENS smart contracts.
Multichain & L2
L1 (Layer 1)
The Ethereum mainnet blockchain where ENS names are registered and the source of truth for ownership.
L2 (Layer 2)
Scaling networks built on top of Ethereum (e.g., Optimism, Arbitrum, Base). ENS names can resolve to addresses on L2s and have L2-specific Primary Names.