The Name Wrapper is an ENSv1 contract that holds your name and gives you an ERC-1155 NFT (a token standard) as proof of ownership. It adds fuses: permission locks you can switch off for good. You don't need to wrap a name to use ENS, and we don't recommend it: ENSv2 is coming with a simpler model.
Important: do not lock names or burn fuses. A locked name may have restrictions when it upgrades to ENSv2. More on ENSv2
Wrapped and unwrapped names
An unwrapped .eth name is an ERC-721 NFT (another token standard) issued by the registrar, the contract that registers .eth names. Its Owner (who holds the name) and Manager (who edits its records) are recorded separately, and its subnames have no token of their own.
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A wrapped name is held by the Name Wrapper, which gives you an ERC-1155 NFT instead. Owner and Manager become one account, and the name's subnames are wrapped and get tokens of their own. Any .eth name, subname or imported DNS name can be wrapped. Both forms belong to ENSv1; ENSv2 names use neither. See What are wrapped, emancipated and locked names?
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What a fuse is
A fuse is a permanent, one-way restriction on a wrapped name. Burning a fuse switches a permission off for the rest of the current registration: "cannot transfer", "cannot unwrap", "cannot set resolver". The point is commitment: a burnt fuse proves, on the blockchain, that an action will never be taken. The cost is that there is no undo until the name expires and is registered again.
There are two kinds:
Parent-controlled fuses can only be burnt by the parent name's owner. They are perks the parent gives a subname's owner. Burning
CAN_EXTEND_EXPIRY, for example, lets a subname owner renew their own name.Owner-controlled fuses can be burnt by the owner or the parent owner. They take a permission away. Burning
CANNOT_TRANSFERmeans the wrapped NFT can never be transferred or sold.
A parent can burn fuses when it creates a subname, deciding what the subname's owner gets. See Name Wrapper: what are fuses? and Issue subnames.
How wrapping and unwrapping work
Wrapping hands the name to the Name Wrapper contract, which then holds its Owner and Manager and issues you the ERC-1155 NFT. Unwrapping does the reverse and returns the ERC-721 name to you. You can unwrap at any time unless the "cannot unwrap" fuse has been burnt. The steps are in Unwrap your name; the contract functions are documented at github.com/ensdomains/ens-contracts.
Common questions
Should I wrap my name?
No. You don't need to wrap a name to use ENS, and a burnt fuse can't be undone. ENSv2 is coming with a simpler model, so we recommend waiting.
Do ENSv2 names have fuses?
No. Fuses belong to the Name Wrapper, which only wraps ENSv1 names. ENSv2 has its own, simpler permission model.
What happens to my wrapped name when I upgrade to ENSv2?
Upgrading to ENSv2 isn't available on Ethereum Mainnet yet. Until it is, don't lock the name or burn fuses: a locked name may have restrictions when it upgrades.
Is wrapping permanent?
No. A wrapped name can be unwrapped back to an ERC-721 name, unless the "cannot unwrap" fuse has been burnt. If it has, unwrapping is off for the current registration and returns after expiry and re-registration. See Name Wrapper: how does expiry work?
Where do I see a name's fuses?
In the ENS App on Ethereum Mainnet, on the name's Permissions tab.