An ENS domain is a .eth name that you own as an NFT in your wallet, and registering one takes about three minutes through a two-transaction process at the official ENS app. The name then acts as a single readable address for receiving funds, logging into apps, and pointing to a decentralized website. This guide walks through how the system works and exactly how to claim a name, building on the broader Ethereum Name Service overview.
What an ENS Domain Actually Is
A .eth name is an ERC-721 token, the same NFT standard used for digital collectibles, which means ownership is recorded on Ethereum and enforced by the blockchain rather than by a registrar that can revoke it. When you register "yourname.eth," a smart contract mints that token to your wallet, and you control it the way you control any other asset.
The name becomes useful through a resolver, the contract that answers lookups. A resolver maps your name to an Ethereum address, addresses on other chains, a content hash for a website, and text records like an avatar image or social handles. One name can therefore point to many resources at once, and you can update any of them whenever you like. You also automatically control every subdomain, so owning "yourname.eth" lets you create "pay.yourname.eth" or "blog.yourname.eth" and assign each a different destination.
How to Register a .eth Name
Registration uses a commit-reveal scheme that hides your chosen name for sixty seconds so no one can watch the mempool and grab it ahead of you. The steps are consistent across the official interface:
- Connect a Web3 wallet holding enough ETH to cover the registration fee plus gas at the ENS app.
- Search for the name you want and confirm it is available.
- Choose a registration length in years. Longer registrations save on repeated gas costs.
- Submit the first transaction, the commitment, which records a hashed version of your request.
- Wait roughly sixty seconds for the protection window to pass.
- Submit the second transaction to complete registration and mint the name to your wallet.
- Set the name as your primary name so apps display it in place of your raw address.
Once registered, the name appears in your wallet as an NFT and resolves immediately across any service that reads ENS. The two-transaction flow is the part newcomers find unfamiliar, but the sixty-second wait exists purely to protect your registration from front-running.
What a .eth Name Costs
ENS prices names by character length, which is how the protocol keeps short, memorable names scarce without running a constant auction. Fees are charged annually and paid in ETH, with network gas on top.
| Name length | Annual fee (paid in ETH) |
|---|---|
| 5+ characters | $5 per year |
| 4 characters | $160 per year |
| 3 characters | $640 per year |
The recurring fee is a lease rather than a one-time purchase, and those fees flow to the ENS DAO treasury, a dynamic covered in detail in the ENS tokenomics breakdown. According to the ENS pricing documentation, the structure has stayed stable, and ENSv2 aimed to lower the effective gas component by deploying improvements directly on Ethereum mainnet.
The Name Lifecycle and Renewals
Because names are leased, every .eth name moves through a defined lifecycle if the owner stops renewing it. Knowing the stages protects you from losing a name and helps when buying expired names on the secondary market.
A name that lapses first enters a 90-day grace period during which only the prior owner can renew at the standard price. After the grace period, the name enters a 21-day Temporary Premium auction where the price starts at a notional $100 million and decays to zero, letting the market price a freshly released name. Once the premium reaches zero, anyone can register the name at the normal annual rate. The ENS name lifecycle documentation lays out the full order: Registered, Expired, Grace Period, Temporary Premium, then Available.
Setting renewals so you never lose a name
The simplest protection is to register for multiple years up front or to renew well before expiry. Renewals can be made at any time and extend the lease, and because the grace period gives a 90-day cushion, a name is rarely lost by accident unless it goes untouched for months past its expiry date.
ENS Domains Versus the ENS Token
A common point of confusion is the difference between a .eth name and the ENS token. The name is the product you register and use as an identity, while the token is a separate governance asset for voting in the ENS DAO. You do not need the token to register or use a name, and owning the token gives you no special rights over names. For traders weighing the token specifically, the ENS price outlook covers the separate question of where the asset might head.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to register an ENS name?
Registration takes about three minutes in total. The process requires two wallet transactions with a mandatory wait of roughly sixty seconds between them, a delay built in to prevent anyone from front-running your chosen name.
Do I have to renew my ENS name every year?
You can renew for one year or many years at once, and renewing in advance is recommended. If a name expires, a 90-day grace period lets only the previous owner reclaim it at the standard price before it becomes available to others.
Can I create subdomains for free?
Yes. Once you own a .eth name, you control all of its subdomains and can create names like "pay.yourname.eth" yourself, paying only the gas to set them up. Each subdomain can point to a different address or service.
Making Your .eth Name Work for You
Registering an ENS domain converts a hostile string of hex characters into a name you can actually use and share, backed by NFT ownership that no company can revoke. The process is short, the costs are predictable, and the lifecycle is forgiving as long as you renew before the grace period ends. From a single name you can route payments, sign into decentralized apps, and host a censorship-resistant site.
The main thing to track is renewal timing, since a name only becomes vulnerable after months of neglect past expiry. Register for a comfortable length, set your name as primary, and the .eth identity becomes a permanent fixture of your on-chain presence.
You can trade ENS on the spot market or open a leveraged position through ENS perpetual futures on LeveX. Browse the Crypto in a Minute series for more guides like this one.