ENSv2 Goes Live on Ethereum Mainnet With a Rebuilt Naming Protocol

ENSv2, the rebuilt version of the Ethereum Name Service (ENS), went live on Ethereum mainnet on October 27. The release brings a new ENS App, a new ENS Explorer and a rewritten protocol with hierarchical registries and finer permissions.

A Rebuilt Protocol and Two New Interfaces

The new ENS App at app.ens.domains is designed for everyday users. Registration is now a single action, and renewals, profile customisation and notifications sit inside the main experience. The new ENS Explorer at explorer.ens.domains is aimed at builders. It shows a name's history, who controls it, how it resolves and how it is configured.

Underneath, ENSv2 introduces hierarchical registries. An individual name can now serve as its own onchain registry, so a community can decide how it issues names to members and a company can organise names around teams and products. The permissions model lets them authorise someone to manage one part of a namespace without handing over control of the rest. Names can also share records through linking.

From ENSv1 to ENSv2

ENS launched in 2017, when a name like alice.eth gave people a readable alternative to long wallet addresses. The Name Wrapper later added richer ownership and permissions on top of ENSv1, which also made the original architecture more complex to manage. ENSv2 folds those lessons into the protocol foundation. The release went through public Alpha and Beta testing, with the final phase focused on refinement and security fixes.

Names across the Ecosystem

ENS supports over 36 million names across .eth and ecosystem namespaces on the Ethereum ecosystem, and more than 600 applications resolve them, from DeFi apps like 1inch and Lighter to wallets like MetaMask and Safe. Wallets and infrastructure providers have prepared ENSv2 integrations covering offchain names, primary names, profiles and smart accounts.

What Else Shipped

The mainnet release arrived with a commemorative NFT collectible that eligible users can reveal and claim. A separate update published October 22 sets new .eth pricing with multi-year discounts and shortens the grace period for expiring names from 90 to 28 days. Token markets can be followed on the Ethereum Name Service price chart.