# Registering an ENS name: why registration has separate steps

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.

Evidence: [ENS ETH registrar](https://docs.ens.domains/registry/eth/); [Ethereum gas and fees](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/gas/)

Canonical: https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/ens-name-registration/
Published: 2026-10-02
Substantively modified: 2026-10-02
Independently verified by an automated reviewer: 2026-10-02T19:27:58.939Z
Data current through: 2026-10-02

AI-assisted research and drafting with a separate automated source-verification pass; no external expert or named human review is implied.

## Key facts

- **Two steps:** ENSv1 .eth uses commit and reveal through its registrar controller. ([ENS ETH registrar](https://docs.ens.domains/registry/eth/))
- **Duration:** Registration has an expiry rather than permanent ownership. ([ENS ETH registrar](https://docs.ens.domains/registry/eth/))
- **Records:** Choosing an owner and setting address records serve different purposes. ([ENS ETH registrar](https://docs.ens.domains/registry/eth/); [ENS terminology](https://docs.ens.domains/terminology/))

## 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.

Evidence: [ENS ETH registrar](https://docs.ens.domains/registry/eth/)

## 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.

Evidence: [ENS ETH registrar](https://docs.ens.domains/registry/eth/); [Ethereum gas and fees](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/gas/)

## 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.

Evidence: [ENS ETH registrar](https://docs.ens.domains/registry/eth/); [ENS terminology](https://docs.ens.domains/terminology/)

## Questions

### 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.

Evidence: [ENS ETH registrar](https://docs.ens.domains/registry/eth/)

### 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.

Evidence: [ENS ETH registrar](https://docs.ens.domains/registry/eth/)

## Claims and scope

### ens-name-registration-quick-answer

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: {"collection":"ethereum","dataAsOf":"2026-10-02","blockHeight":null}

### ens-name-registration-fact-two-steps

Two steps: ENSv1 .eth uses commit and reveal through its registrar controller.

Scope: {"collection":"ethereum","dataAsOf":"2026-10-02","blockHeight":null}

### ens-name-registration-fact-duration

Duration: Registration has an expiry rather than permanent ownership.

Scope: {"collection":"ethereum","dataAsOf":"2026-10-02","blockHeight":null}

### ens-name-registration-fact-records

Records: Choosing an owner and setting address records serve different purposes.

Scope: {"collection":"ethereum","dataAsOf":"2026-10-02","blockHeight":null}

## Sources

- [ENS ETH registrar](https://docs.ens.domains/registry/eth/) — ENS 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. Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:55:25.210Z.
- [Ethereum gas and fees](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/gas/) — ethereum.org contributors. Gas budgeting, actual use, burnt base fee and proposer priority fees. Locator: Gas limit; fee calculation; base fee; priority fee. Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:55:24.873Z.
- [ENS terminology](https://docs.ens.domains/terminology/) — ENS Labs. Roles in ENS naming, resolution and management. Locator: Owner; controller; resolver; registrant. Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:55:25.181Z.

## Revision history

- 2026-10-02: First publication after primary-source research and separate automated verification.

## Cite this entry

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/