Set up an ENS domain in 10 minutes

Whether you’re already knee-deep in trading crypto or are just looking to dip a toe into the world of Web3, there’s one action that will help…

• Save vast amounts of your time
• Reduce the chance you send assets to the wrong crypto address
• Help you build a profile as someone who’s interested and available for collaboration in Web3

That simple act is setting up an ENS domain.  

An ENS domain gives you an easily recognisable and communicable address for your crypto wallets, making it incredibly easy for you to receive and transfer assets between wallets.  

For example, if you wanted to send me something, you’d simply send it to pjboyle.eth instead of my long, confusing wallet public address.   

So, let’s get into how to set up your own ENS domain.

‍

How to set up an ENS today

Registering your ENS domain is a super quick and easy process if you follow the below guide. 

However, before we get into it, let’s first cover what you’ll need to grab your own ENS domain.  

‍

What you’ll need to set up your ENS domain

To get your ENS domain you’ll need 2 things.  

1. A crypto wallet that can hold ETH
2. Some ETH (the amount will differ depending on a few variables we’ll cover later)

If you don’t yet have a wallet, we recommend using MetaMask. 

It’s quick, easy, and free to set up and also integrates natively with almost every ETH based service and asset out there.  

If you have one already, skip to step 2. 

‍

Step 1 - Set up yourMetaMask wallet

The MetaMask wallet is where you’re going to store your ETH. 

Don’t share your MetaMask passwords or any private keys in there with anyone.  

We’re going to set up MetaMask as a Chrome extension first as it makes this process seamless. 

However, be aware you can also later add the app to your phone by searching for MetaMask in the app store.  

Head to MetaMask.io and click “Download now”.

You’ll then see this screen. 

Click “Install MetaMask for Chrome”.  

Follow the set-up instructions until you hit this screen. 

If you have a wallet you want to link MetaMask to, choose the left option and enter the seed phrase (this is what you should never share with anyone). 

If you don’t, choose the right-hand option.  

Set up your password as you would with any other service.  

Then pause when you get to this screen.

Make a secure note somewhere of the backup phrase MetaMask give you. 

This will help you regain access to your account if you’re ever locked out.  

Continue with the setup of your MetaMask wallet and you’ll then have a working Chrome extension that links to your brand new crypto wallet.  

‍

Step 2 - Choose your ENS Domain

With your wallet set up, it’s now time to set up your ENS domain. 

Head to https://ens.domains. 

On the main screen, scroll down until you see the button to launch the app.   

On this next screen, type in the ENS domain you’re considering. 

A few pointers from someone who’s had multiple websites and brands over the years on choosing names.  

1. Keep it short and sweet
2. Make it easy to verbalise
3. Leave out any special characters
4. Simplicty will always win out

The way I always think about these is how easy would it be to get people to find your domain if you were on a podcast? 

Can you just say “My domain is XYZ” and people will get it?

If yes, great. 

If you have to explain with something like “My domain is Capital X, then a hyphen - you might call it a dash or em dash - then a lowercase Y followed by a capital Z”. 

It’s no good. 

ENS domains are limited to ASCII characters, but still make it as easy as possible to communicate for ease of use.  

Type in the domain name you’d like WITHOUT any extension (so no .eth). 

You’ll see a screen like the below telling you it’s available or not available. 

Play around with a few names to find one that’s…

1. Available for purchase
2. Easily communicable and understood
3. You’d be happy with as your display name for a huge variety of Web3 apps

‍

Step 3 - Confirm your ENS Domain price

Next up, we want to buy the ENS domain that’s available and will represent us moving forward.  

You’ll see a page like the below when you find an available name. 

Here’s a breakdown of the information on page.  

1. The amount of time you’re registering the domain name for (increments of 1 year)
2. The cost to register the domain for that period in ETH
3. The gas fees for this action
4. The total fee of registration cost and the gas fee in ETH
5. The total fee of registration and gas fee in USD

Here’s something to note.  

As you can see in the above, it will cost me 0.004 ETH to register pjboyle.eth for 3 years.

The gas fee for that is 0.013.  3X as high.

The total is estimated at 0.017 ETH.  

If I increase the number of years by 1, the registration fee goes up by 0.001 ETH, but the gas fee stays the same.  

The total for 4 years would be 0.018 ETH.  

In short, the gas fees are what bump up the cost. The registration fee is a marginal increase. 

IMAGE HERE

If you want to save money in gas fees in the long term, pay once now for a few years of registration.  

Paying 0.018 ETH now for 3 years is better than paying 0.015 per year for 3 years (total of 0.045).

‍

Step 4 - Fund your wallet with the right amount

If you already have a tonne of ETH, skip this step.  

If this is a new wallet and you’re just getting started, I would recommend buying enough to cover this transaction.

I’d also recommend funding with a little more to cover fluctuations in ETH price and also enable one of the later steps - setting your ENS domain as your primary ENS name.

Head to your MetaMask extension and log in.  

Then click the “Buy” button.  

You’ll have 2 options to buy ETH. 

1. Wyre
2. Transak

Choose whicher you’re most comfortable with and buy between 1.5 to 2X the ETH ENS.domains told you you’d need.  

So, if I need 0.015 ETH, I’d get between 0.022 and 0.30. 

Follow the steps and in a few minutes, that money should be in your wallet.  

‍

Step 5 - Buy your ENS domain

With the funds in your wallet you now just need to carry out the transaction. 

Back on the ENS domain info screen you’ll see a blue button in the bottom saying “request to register”.

If you click on it and nothing happens, make sure your wallet is linked.  

There’s an element in the left-hand nav bar that will tell you whether you’re connected. If not, click on it and connect your MetaMask wallet so it can see and access the funds.  

You’ll click the button and ENS domains will check if the name is still available. 

If it is, you’ll get a second confirmation to go ahead and register it. This should take about 60 seconds.  

Congrats, you now have a custom ENS domain to use on all ETH related apps and services!

‍

Step 6 - (Optional) Set as your primary ENS domain

Much like web domains, you’re able to own multiple ENS domains. 

However, you might want to set one as your primary ENS domain. The benefit of doing so is so any decentralised apps display your ENS name and not your Ethereum wallet address.  

Which then makes it easier for people to find, connect, and collaborate with you (and also see what assets you’re holding through services like Etherscan.io) 

If you want to do this, you’ll have the option immediately after registering your ENS domain.  

You’ll see a page like the below. 

If you’ve not yet registered, the highlighted box will ask if you want to register it as a primary domain.  

Click on it and you’ll be taken through a new 3 step registration which will cost a few more ETH (mainly gas fees). 

Follow that process and you’ll then set this as your primary ENS.  

And just like that, you now have an ENS domain that allows you to have a unified, easily communicable name across multiple decentralised apps and services.  

‍

What does ENS stand for? 

ENS stands for Ethereum Name Server.  

It’s very similar to DNS, or Domain Name Server, which you may be familiar with. 

While DNS is a centralised service, ENS is a decentralised service which brings with it more security and the safety of removing the single point of failure.  

‍

What is ENS? 

ENS stands for Ethereum Name Service. It aims to massively simplify the sending and receiving of cryptocurrencies and collaboration on dApps and blockchains by giving each user an easily understood and communicated name.  

The easiest comparison to make here is with DNS yu may or may not be used to from hosting websites.  

Back in the early days of Web1, you’d have to remember a staring of numbers to visit a webpage. Those numbers would look similar to the below.  

123.250.132.54

If you can’t remember that number, then you can’t visit the site.  

Domain name service (DNS) enabled users to assign an easily memorable name and connect it to that string of numbers.  

So someone could then type DeRev.co into their browser and visit the site instead of those numbers.  

ENS offers the same functionality but with wallets, hashes, and other machine-readable identifiers.  

For example, my own public address for my Ethereum wallet is…

​​0xde590D7ba25Ae2eCEAbbde7546D4Cbe94cc66961 

If share that and get even one character wrong, any ETH being sent to me would be lost forever.  

Or I wouldn’t be able to connect to the dApp I want.  

Or people wouldn’t be able to find me on Etherscan etc.  

And finding where the error is in that string is very difficult.  

But with an ENS, I can simply ask people to connect and send anything to…

pjboyle.eth 

‍

Why should you get an ENS? 

Because it saves you time, money, and stress.  

You’re massively reducing the chance that someone sends crypto to the wrong address (losing it permanently) by creating this easily communicated phrase.  

Not only that, but it also allows you to further your own personal brand. 

You can plaster your ENS on certain assets and elements like your Twitter profile.  

What’s the point of this? 

First, and in my opinion most importantly, it shows people you’re invested in Web3. 

Right now there is a tonne of confusion and hate around Web3 developments.  

Showing other people who are in the space that you’re also looking to the future and building for tomorrow is a great way to get off on the right foot and build better networks. 

Second, it allows people to easily look into your assets and actions within the crypto world. 

That might seem odd, but if someone is looking for an original hodler of crypto punks for a new initiative, they can easily find you and understand that you’re the person they’re looking for.  

‍

Get your ENS today

That’s it for this overview of ENS. 

If you’ve not yet got yours, be sure to follow the guide above and get your ENS today. 

app.ens.domains