Use any domain as your cryptocurrency wallet

Last month, Ethereum Name Service (ENS) announced that people can now connect any second level domain to ENS. This gives cryptocurrency wallet holders an easier way to remember wallet addresses needed to send and receive payments.

ENS what?

ENS was created to make cryptocurrency wallet addresses easier to remember. It’s the same concept as domain names. Domain names were created so people wouldn’t have to remember the long numeric IP addresses that websites use. Instead, you can remember words in a domain name, and that domain points to the IP address.

Likewise, cryptocurrency wallet addresses are usually a random selection of digits and uppercase and lowercase letters. These are hard to remember.

That’s where the idea of ENS comes in. ENS allows wallet holders to substitute words for wallet addresses.

ENS started by offering pseudo-domains in the format example.eth. These .ETH addresses map to a wallet address. Unlike domains you register at Namecheap, .ETH domains can’t be accessed like a website unless users had a special browser configuration.

Later, ENS created an integration with .XYZ domains, so people could register a “real” domain ending in .XYZ and tie it to their wallet. 

Now, you can register just about any second level domain and connect it to ENS.

A world of possibilities

Cryptocurrency wallet addresses just became fun. 

With the full DNS integration, you can now use any of hundreds of second level domains with ENS. A second level domain is the example part of example.com. Now, you can use your existing business domain name with ENS or register a new, memorable name that connects to your wallet.

Some extensions that might make for fun wallet addresses include names ending in .MONEY, .CASH, .DIGITAL and .EXCHANGE.

Or use something unique to you, like your hometown (.NYC, .MIAMI), a hobby (.HOCKEY, .BIKE, .YOGA), or an industry (.MARKETING, .LAWYER).

You can have lots of fun choosing a TLD for your wallet address. 

Setting it up

ENS created a handy guide with step-by-step instructions for importing your domain to ENS to use as your wallet address.

After registering a domain at Namecheap, you’ll need to enable DNSSEC, which is fairly easy. You’ll also need to set up a TXT record for your domain. While this might seem technical, most people who have cryptocurrency wallets are fairly adept at handling technical integrations like this.

ENS doesn’t charge anything for connecting your domain, but you will have to pay Ethereum gas fees during the process. These are the fees you pay for using the Ethereum platform. Ethereum gas fees fluctuate, and ENS is working on a way to make this cheaper.

Ready to get a memorable wallet address? Find a cool domain today.