Background

Ethereum Name Service

The Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is a distributed, open, and extensible naming system based on the Ethereum blockchain.

ENS’s job is to map human-readable names like ‘alice.eth’ to machine-readable identifiers such as Ethereum addresses, other cryptocurrency addresses, content hashes, and metadata. ENS also supports ‘reverse resolution’, making it possible to associate metadata such as canonical names or interface descriptions with Ethereum addresses.

ENS has similar goals to DNS, the Internet’s Domain Name Service, but has significantly different architecture due to the capabilities and constraints provided by the Ethereum blockchain. Like DNS, ENS operates on a system of dot-separated hierarchical names called domains, with the owner of a domain having full control over subdomains.

Top-level domains, like ‘.eth’ and ‘.test’, are owned by smart contracts called registrars, which specify rules governing the allocation of their subdomains. Anyone may, by following the rules imposed by these registrar contracts, obtain ownership of a domain for their own use. ENS also supports importing in DNS names already owned by the user for use on ENS.

Integrationstwitter

ENS Prepares for v2 Launch with Universal Resolver Updates

Mon 15th Dec 2025
**ENS is gearing up for its v2 launch** by requiring developers to update their libraries and applications. Key requirements for ENSv2 readiness: - Update ENS libraries to latest versions - Ensure apps resolve names via **CCIP-Read protocol** - Verify **L2 compatibility** for name resolution - Implement Universal Resolver support The Universal Resolver serves as the foundation for ENSv2, enabling cross-chain name resolution and improved functionality. **Why this matters:** ENSv2 represents a significant upgrade to Ethereum's naming infrastructure, expanding beyond simple address mapping to comprehensive web3 identity management. Developers should review the [ENSv2 readiness documentation](https://docs.ens.domains/web/ensv2-readiness/) and test their applications now to ensure seamless transition. *Action needed: Update your ENS integrations before the v2 launch to avoid service disruptions.*

ENS Expands Beyond Personal Names to Smart Contract Identification

Mon 15th Dec 2025
**ENS is evolving beyond personal naming** to include smart contract identification, making decentralized organizations safer and more user-friendly. **Key developments:** - DAOs can now name their smart contracts using ENS - Makes contracts more **legible and easier to integrate** - Enhances both **user experience and security** for Ethereum users **Leading the charge:** - @nounsdao pioneering contract naming adoption - @enscribe_ developing tools for easy contract naming - ENS_DAO supporting "Contract Naming Season" initiative This expansion transforms how users interact with smart contracts by replacing complex addresses with human-readable names, similar to how ENS already works for wallet addresses.
Community article

ENS Emerges as Essential Identity Infrastructure After Devcon Argentina

Mon 15th Dec 2025
**ENS becomes core Ethereum infrastructure** following Devcon Argentina 2025. Key developments: - **Onchain identity now essential** for Ethereum ecosystem - Builders adopting ENS across **agents, L2s, and dApps** - ENS serving as **primary naming layer** for real-world events - Meeting growing demand for **decentralized identities** and websites The consensus from Buenos Aires is clear: ENS has evolved from optional to **fundamental infrastructure** for Ethereum's next phase of growth.

🏗️ ENS Community Builders Gather

Mon 15th Dec 2025
ENS showcased its **community-driven ecosystem** at a recent event, with multiple working groups hosting office hours at their booth. Key participants included: - ENS DAO working groups - zkEmail and Unruggable projects - Namespace and Enscribe platforms - Filecoin and Namehash Labs - Blockful and JustAName services - ENS Labs DevRel team The **bustling booth** highlighted ENS's strength through its diverse builder community, demonstrating the collaborative nature of the Ethereum naming ecosystem. *ENS continues to prove that decentralized infrastructure thrives on community participation and developer engagement.*
Community article

ENS Labs Partners with Nethermind for Namechain ZK Rollup Development

Mon 15th Dec 2025
**ENS Labs has partnered with Nethermind** to build Namechain, their upcoming ZK rollup solution for scaling Ethereum naming services. **Key Partnership Details:** - Namechain will run on **Nethermind Surge**, built on Taiko's infrastructure - Teams aligned on performance optimization and developer experience - Focus on future collaboration around **onchain identity** solutions **Technical Foundation:** - Namechain will launch as a **based rollup** using Ethereum's own sequencing - Designed to provide affordable subname registrations with thousands of TPS - Will inherit Ethereum's security model while reducing gas costs **Strategic Vision:** - ENS is joining FABRIC to standardize rollup interoperability - Working toward shared liquidity across L2s (1 ETH = 1 ETH across chains) - Planning transition to native rollup when Ethereum infrastructure matures This partnership positions ENS to scale naming services efficiently while maintaining decentralization and security standards.
Community article

🤖 AI Agents Get Blockchain Identity Standards

Mon 15th Dec 2025
**ERC-8004 and x402** are emerging as key standards for AI agent identity and payments on blockchain networks. - **Autonomous agents** need onchain identity, attribution, and payment systems to operate trustlessly - **ENS positioning** itself as the natural fit for agent identity infrastructure - **Industry panel** featured MetaMaskAI, Nethermind, Flashbots, and Ethereum Foundation discussing trust mechanisms The standards extend Google's Agent2Agent protocol with **blockchain-based identity, reputation, and validation** capabilities. **Key challenge**: How do AI agents discover each other and establish trust in decentralized environments? **Solution approach**: Onchain identity systems that enable coordinated intelligence on Ethereum rails. This represents a significant step toward **trustless AI coordination** where agents can interact autonomously while maintaining verifiable identities and secure payment channels.
Community article

🌩️ Cloudflare chaos sparks decentralized demo

Mon 15th Dec 2025
**Cloudflare outage hits Devconnect** A major Cloudflare outage disrupted Day 2 of this year's Devconnect conference, highlighting the web's centralization risks. **Decentralized solution showcased** @schmidsi used the disruption as a teaching moment, live-demoing how to build resilient infrastructure using: - **ENS** for domain management - **Filecoin Onchain Cloud** for storage - **Safe** for security The demo showed how these tools create a **simple deployment pipeline** for publishing websites and apps without relying on centralized services. **Web3's centralization challenge** The incident underscores that even Web3 projects remain vulnerable to centralized service failures, making decentralized alternatives increasingly important for true resilience.

🎪 Devconnect Attendees Get worldfair.eth Subnames

Mon 15th Dec 2025
**Devconnect Buenos Aires** introduced a new feature for attendees - **worldfair.eth subnames** distributed through the official event app. **Key Features:** - Personalized avatars and addresses - Social metadata integration - Available to all event participants **Future Plans:** The Ethereum Foundation plans to **iterate and expand** this naming system for upcoming Ethereum events. This marks the first implementation of event-specific ENS subnames at a major Ethereum conference, potentially setting a **new standard** for digital identity at blockchain gatherings. *Learn more about the initiative on the [EF Devcon Twitter](https://x.com/EFDevcon/status/1989475906604454047)*
Community article

🔒 ENS Dodges Supply Chain Attack

Thu 27th Nov 2025
**ENS Labs successfully contained a supply chain attack** that targeted npm packages starting with @ensdomains on November 24. **Key findings:** - All compromised package versions were removed with **zero downloads** - Malicious script came from external PostHog dependency, not ENS core code - Attack was part of larger Shai Hulud malware campaign affecting 400+ npm libraries **Impact assessment:** - ENS websites including [app.ens.domains](http://app.ens.domains) remained unaffected - No evidence of compromised ENS names - Development environment was isolated immediately **Response measures:** - All publishing credentials rotated - Repository and deployment security strengthened - Affected packages unpublished and latest versions restored Developers who installed ENS packages after 5:49am UTC on November 24 should check the [affected packages list](https://go.ens.xyz/npm-attack) and update to latest versions.

🌐 ENS Prepares for ICANN's April 2026 gTLD Expansion

Thu 13th Nov 2025
**ICANN's new generic Top-Level Domain round opens April 2026**, marking a significant expansion of internet naming infrastructure. **ENS is actively preparing** for this development through three key strategies: - **Brand protection** initiatives to safeguard ENS identity - **Registry partnerships** to expand integration opportunities - **Feature enhancement** to bring more ENS capabilities to traditional domains This preparation builds on ENS's existing work bridging Web2 and Web3 naming systems. The service already allows traditional DNS domains (.com, .org) to function as ENS names through integrations like GoDaddy. **The expansion represents** a major evolution in internet naming infrastructure, potentially creating new opportunities for blockchain-based naming services. Read ENS's full preparation strategy: [ens.domains/blog/post/icann-84-gtld](https://ens.domains/blog/post/icann-84-gtld)
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