Ethereum Name Service now lets you use most domain names
The Ethereum Name Service (ENS) has added support for most traditional domain names so that you can now send ether (ETH) to example.com, not just example.eth.
The ENS is an open-source protocol that associates domain names with Ethereum addresses (and addresses for other blockchains). Many Ethereum wallets have integrated this feature, meaning that you can use human-readable addresses, rather than pasting in complicated Ethereum addresses. It’s designed to make it easier to send ETH to one another.
The ENS only supported .eth addresses. Users could use their .eth domain names to create websites, but they couldn’t attach them to pre-existing .com websites.
Now the service supports most DNS names including .com, .org and .io. This means you can take a website you already own, connect it to your Ethereum address and set it up on the ENS. From that moment on, any cryptocurrency sent to yourwebsite.com will be sent to your Ethereum address.
When using the ENS, .com domain names will be distinct from .eth domain names — meaning that funds sent to example.com will not go to the Ethereum address associated with example.eth.
The ENS charges for .eth names to prevent domain name squatting. It won’t charge a fee when it comes to integrating the new domain names but doing so will involve making a complicated Ethereum transaction, which can cost a few hundred dollars worth of ETH at current prices.
Platforms that support ENS include crypto wallets Coinbase and Rainbow, browser extensions MetaMask and Brave, and apps Uniswap and Etherscan.
