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Encyclopedia Ethereum · Entry 239

Registering an ENS name: why registration has separate steps

AI-assisted research · separate automated verificationCorrections

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Ethereum
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3 cited records
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About 3 minutes
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In this article

At a glance

Key facts

Key facts for Registering an ENS name: why registration has separate steps
FactDetailSource
Two stepsENSv1 .eth uses commit and reveal through its registrar controller.[1]
DurationRegistration has an expiry rather than permanent ownership.[1]
RecordsChoosing an owner and setting address records serve different purposes.[1][3]
01

The first transaction does not complete registration

The commitment encodes the intended name, owner, duration and other registration parameters behind a hash and secret. The later register call reveals the matching details within the controller’s allowed commitment window.

A confirmed commit is therefore progress, not a finished name purchase. Follow the current registrar flow rather than assuming one transaction is enough.

02

A two-year name needs both rent and execution fees

Suppose a registrar quotes rent for a two-year registration. The wallet must also budget gas for the required transactions. The rent is not the entire amount the account may spend, and a gas estimate is not a statement of the name’s annual rent.

The owner address in the registration controls ownership. An address record can be set for payments, but naming a payment recipient does not automatically give that recipient registration ownership.

03

Confirm the final registration state

After the registration transaction succeeds, inspect the registered owner and expiry, then check the records you intend to publish. Store renewal information with the name, because a successful registration does not make it perpetual.

This explanation is scoped to the ENSv1 .eth controller documentation retrieved on 2 October 2026. A different registrar or ENSv2 workflow must be checked against its own rules.

Direct answers

Questions people ask

Can I stop after the commitment transaction?

Stopping leaves the registration incomplete. The matching registration must be submitted within the controller’s permitted time window if you intend to obtain the name.

Can another person renew my .eth name?

ENSv1’s controller allows anyone to pay for a renewal. Paying renewal rent does not by itself transfer ownership of the name.

Inspect the evidence

The answer and key facts have stable claim links. These records retain the scope and qualification when reused.

In ENSv1’s .eth registrar, registration uses a commitment followed by a separate registration transaction after the required wait. The commitment hides the requested registration details to reduce front-running. Check availability, duration, the intended owner and the current quoted cost; registration rent and Ethereum transaction gas are separate costs. Other registrars or ENS versions can use different flows.

Scope: Ethereum · data through 2026-10-02. Verification: verified · 2026-10-02T19:27:58.939Z.

Link to this claim
Two steps: ENSv1 .eth uses commit and reveal through its registrar controller.

Scope: Ethereum · data through 2026-10-02. Verification: verified · 2026-10-02T19:27:58.939Z.

Link to this claim
Duration: Registration has an expiry rather than permanent ownership.

Scope: Ethereum · data through 2026-10-02. Verification: verified · 2026-10-02T19:27:58.939Z.

Link to this claim
Records: Choosing an owner and setting address records serve different purposes.

Scope: Ethereum · data through 2026-10-02. Verification: verified · 2026-10-02T19:27:58.939Z.

Link to this claim
Revision history
  1. — First publication after primary-source research and separate automated verification.

Source register

Sources and references

Retrieval dates and locators are recorded individually.
  1. ENS ETH registrarENS Labs

    ENSv1 .eth registration and renewal procedure; not an assertion that ENSv2 uses the same pricing or grace period.

    Locator: Registering a name; commit-reveal; renewals · Version / scope: ENSv1 registrar documentation · Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:55:25.210ZOpen source
  2. Ethereum gas and feesethereum.org contributors

    Gas budgeting, actual use, burnt base fee and proposer priority fees.

    Locator: Gas limit; fee calculation; base fee; priority fee · Version / scope: Documentation snapshot retrieved 2 October 2026; response hash recorded separately · Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:55:24.873ZOpen source
  3. ENS terminologyENS Labs

    Roles in ENS naming, resolution and management.

    Locator: Owner; controller; resolver; registrant · Version / scope: Documentation snapshot retrieved 2 October 2026; response hash recorded separately · Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:55:25.181ZOpen source
How this article was made

Research and drafting use AI assistance. A separate automated review checks claims against primary sources; no external expert or named human review is implied. Publication, substantive editing, source retrieval and verification are recorded separately. This version was independently checked by an automated reviewer on 2 October 2026.

Editorial method and corrections

Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “Registering an ENS name: why registration has separate steps.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/ens-name-registration/