In this article, the basics of how to use ENS are explained. The characteristics of the ENS service are also described here.
The Ethereum name service (ENS) allows users to conduct transactions without directly needing to use the recipient’s public address or key since it links it to a readable name similar to that of a web page.
A typical Ethereum address consists of 42 alphanumeric characters that are case sensitive. However, trying to memorize this entire sequence of characters would require a prodigious memory. Therefore, when sending transactions, users usually copy and paste the address or scan its abstraction in QR code.
The ENS service uses Ethereum smart contracts to link names readable by humans, such as hector.eth, to machine-readable cryptographic identifiers such as hashes, cryptocurrency addresses or metadata. All this is done through a decentralized network like that of the Ethereum network.
ENS Aims to Simplify Processes
This service allows Ether holders to buy a single domain and assign it to a wallet address. The service allows acquiring the name of an .eth domain, such as miguel.eth, and sending payments both in ETH and in any other token in the Ethereum network from wallets compatible with this system, by simply sharing it.
The rental of a domain name in ENS starts on a yearly basis and allows buying names of three or more characters. In addition, these domains can be transferred to a new owner, as provided by its proprietor.
Likewise, ENS allows creating subdomains, in which different wallet addresses or any other type of information can be managed, according to the user’s demands. For example, it is possible to own the cryptoworldjournal.eth domain and have sub-domains next to it such as payments.cryptoworldjournal.eth, help.cryptoworldjournal.eth, or those defined by the user.
DNS and ENS are Relatives
Perhaps DNS (domain name system) is little known, but this service has been used since the beginning of Internet as it is known today.
Visiting a web page is a simple task since users simply place the address that they want to access, such as in the case of www.cryptoworldjournal.com. However, at the level of network architecture, it is not so simple.
First, the web portal is hosted on a server which can be accessed through an IP address like this: 200.84.168.218. Since it is much more complicated to memorize an IP address than the name of a website, it is here that DNS comes into play as they have a record of all web addresses along with their associated IP addresses. Therefore, when accessing a web portal, the DNS will be responsible for resolving the IP address where the web page is hosted and redirecting the user there.
Obviously, the above is just a very general view of the operation of a DNS in the network. However, it serves as a reference point to establish similarities between both services. In the first place, both services are responsible for solving addresses, but ENS has a much larger application since it also allows indexing in the same domain different types of information such as plain texts, e-mails, cryptocurrency addresses, and even web addresses. It should be noted that this last proposal is under development.
ENS Architecture
ENS is a system that works directly in the Ethereum network through smart contracts that allow executing its protocol, which is divided into 2 parts: the ENS registry and the resolvers.
The ENS registry is a smart contract that stores individual records with the following data: public address that owns the domain (the same to which the domain redirects), address of the domain resolver, and life of the domain.
Regarding the resolver, this is responsible for much of the work, since the ENS record is only for storage. Its function is to “translate” the domain name in the destination public address, since the address or information that is linked to a particular domain is registered in the resolver. This is because, when buying a domain, the owner’s address is not necessarily linked to the domain but the link is made after its acquisition.
Similarly, resolvers are smart contracts developed by third parties with ENS system standards. Public resolvers, suggested at the time of domain registration, or private ones, developed by third parties, can be used.
In the first step, the wallet (user code) asks the ENS registry what the public address of the foo.eth domain resolver is, and it returns the request. Next, the wallet asks the resolver for the address indexed to the foo.eth domain and it returns it to the destination address.
In this way, the resolver can find the public address associated with a domain. However, the information that is directly associated with the domain can be very extensive. It may be domain names, plain texts, other wallet addresses, even cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, and web addresses, with the resolver being in charge of finding the information required by the user.
By Willmen Blanco
