去中心化域名解析方案有很多，ENS只是其中之一，还有一些其他项目也值得关注

DataSource: Decentralized Domain Names

In November 2021, Ethereum Name Service (ENS), a decentralized domain name project, distributed its project token through an airdrop to the community. The airdrop covered nearly 138,000 addresses, and early contributors could receive up to 4.6 ENSToke tokens, worth about $5.52 million at the time. It became a myth among airdrops in 2021.

Apart from bringing unexpected wealth to community users, this grand airdrop also sparked a frenzy of domain name registrations for decentralized domains. Similar to the early rush for registering [.com] domains on the internet, many users rushed to register .eth domains in hopes of profiting from it.

Currently, the domain eth.eth is listed at a sky-high price on the NFT trading market Opensea.

Following the success of ENS, other domain name projects on public chains have also gained attention, with many people preparing to register early and wait for the next domain name project to take off.

What are Decentralized Domain Names?

DNS (Domain Name System) represents traditional domain names and is operated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in the United States. Their primary task is to manage the allocation of domain names and IP addresses.

Decentralized domain names are domain name service providers built on top of public chains. They can convert addresses on the chain into characters that are easy to remember and identify. For example, ENS is built on Ethereum and provides Ethereum domains with [.eth] endings.

We can check the usage of domain names on the ENS website. For instance, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin uses vitalik.eth instead of his original 42-character wallet address.

In addition to having the uniqueness, convenience, and tradability of traditional domain names, decentralized domain names also have the following characteristics:

Decentralization: Unlike the centralized operation of DNS, decentralized domain names operate on the chain and have the characteristics of immutability and non-deletion.

More convenient interaction with the chain: They can link with wallets, simplifying operations. As an important part of the account system, decentralized domain names are being integrated with other DApps. In the future, users will be able to log in to various types of DApps and wallets using their domain names, greatly enhancing user experience.

Security: Leveraging the security of the underlying public chain, decentralized domain names can minimize the risk of servers being hacked or domain names being stolen.

Identity and brand representation on the chain: Decentralized domain names replace wallet addresses and become representations of user identities on the chain. On October 8, 2021, ENS announced its support for setting NFT avatars in user profiles, which will be displayed in DApps, further enhancing personal branding on the chain.

Comparison and Summary of Mainstream Blockchain Domain Names

This article focuses on the comparison and analysis of mainstream decentralized domain name projects, including ENS, Handshake, DAS, and Unstoppable Domains.

From Footprint Analytics data, currently, the only projects with issued tokens are ENS and Handshake. Looking at price trends, the price of ENS has dropped from a peak of $70 to $23, while the price of HNS has fluctuated between $0.2 and $0.5 without a clear growth trend.

Blockchain domain names also have some drawbacks:

Lack of native integration with mainstream browsers: Although ENS and Unstoppable have integrated with privacy browsers like Opera and Brave, mainstream browsers (such as Chrome) have not yet integrated decentralized domain names. Users cannot directly enter the name in the browser and go to the corresponding website.

Limitations of relying on specific public chains: DAS is currently the only domain name project that supports cross-chain functionality, but most cross-chain needs remain unmet.

Unclear future development: Unlike traditional domain names, which serve important functions such as website hosting and content indexing, current domain name projects mainly focus on mapping wallet addresses.

Summary

Decentralized domain names not only possess the decentralization of blockchain but also the uniqueness and scarcity of internet domain names. This makes people full of imagination about the development of decentralized domain names.

The era of Web3.0 is approaching, and the account system is one of its important infrastructure.

The potential for project profits is enormous. Apart from the initial registration fees for domain names, the continuous income from domain names is the real potential. Whether it is through auction models or renewal models, uniqueness and scarcity give domain names more room for value.

Domain names represent value and brands. In addition to individuals, domain names of blockchain projects will gradually become decentralized.

However, de