blockworks.co
Ethereum Name Service (ENS), a domain naming system on the Ethereum blockchain, has partnered with GoDaddy, a domain registrar, to enable users to easily link their wallets to web pages.
ENS can be considered the blockchain-based counterpart to the Domain Name System (DNS) that is widely utilized in Web2.
DNS services assign unique IP addresses to devices, facilitating the translation of these addresses into user-friendly domain names for accessing internet web pages. Similarly, ENS services convert intricate wallet addresses into easily readable names.
This latest integration with GoDaddy, one of the world’s largest web hosting providers, will allow users to connect their simplified ENS wallet addresses with their DNS.
Bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3 comes with its own set of problems, however, like concerns around censorship.
Most recently, Kubi Mensah, the co-founder of Gattaca, noted in a post on X that its domain was suspended indefinitely without any prior notice.
Although the issue was resolved after escalating concerns to the senior management of the domain provider, the reason for the suspension was never made apparent.
“We see this incident as a reminder that the fight against censorship is hard but worth every bit of our effort,” Mensah wrote.
Generally speaking, due to the decentralized nature of Web3 domains, entities themselves can not suspend, take or control an ENS .eth domain, Nick Johnson, the founder and lead developer of ENS, told Blockworks.
“ENS .eth domains are censorship-resistant and tamper-proof by design; even the ENS DAO has no power to revoke or restrict a .eth domain,” Johnson said.
However, this latest collaboration is a gateway for Web2 domain users to access blockchain technologies via their domains, and ownership of a DNS domain ultimately remains with the registrar.
“Names that are imported from DNS — using our new integration with GoDaddy or our legacy integration — remain subject to the registrar they are held with, and the rules imposed by the registrar and ICANN,” Johnson said.