What is Ethereum Naming Service (ENS)?

Ethereum Naming Service (ENS) is an extensible naming system based on the Ethereum blockchain.

This is a generalized definition of ENS that can be a bit hard for first-time users or non-tech savvy individuals to wrap their heads around. Keeping this in mind, we have tried to break this concept down into smaller, easy-to-understand chunks, covering what it is, why it is used, and how SlikSafe makes it easier to share files with ENS names?

SlikSafe solves one problem and so does ENS. Let’s understand what problem ENS solves for its users worldwide.

_{The Problem}

Before ENS wallet integration, doing a crypto transaction was cumbersome. This was primarily because to do a transaction, one was supposed to use a long string composed of digits and letters of the alphabet. An example of this string can be: 0xDC25EF3F5B8A186998338A2ADA83795FBA2D695E. This is known as Ethereum public address (we'll cover this later in the blog).

Imagine trying to find the one missing character if something goes wrong during the transaction.

_{The Inspiration}

ENS is very closely related to DNS (Domain Name System) as both are, in essence, a name and lookup services service. Let’s understand what this means in the context of DNS first.

Today you navigate to SlikSafe’s website simply by typing the domain name : sliksafe.com in the search bar and the browser takes you there. But this was not the case before.

Before, one was supposed to write the website's IP Address (e.g., 8.8.8.8) to visit it. This wasn’t user-friendly, and hence DNS was invented. It made it simple for users to navigate their favorite website by its domain name.

On the backend this simple process took place in a few steps:

1. You type in the name of the website you want to visit.
2. DNS looks up the name in its table of domain names and IP addresses.
3. It matches it with the corresponding IP address and requests the website for you (e.g. 8.8.8.8 for google.com).

This same concept was applied by the team at ENS to map ethereum wallet addresses to user friendly names.

Let’s dive in →

_{The solution}

ENS, beyond being your hub for your digital identity in web3, is just like DNS; a name and lookup service built on the Ethereum blockchain that allows crypto users to translate their machine-readable addresses to human-readable addresses. Think of it as a nickname generator for public Ethereum addresses (the long string), aiming to make crypto more accessible.

So instead of typing a long string (eg. 0x5c14E7A5e9D456Bb8B1ebEE2ceB2E32Faee1311), you can simply write the name of ENS name of the person slik.eth (just like the way you wrote Domain names) and complete your crypto transaction.

Below is an image of the Lookup system, technically a registry.

_{What is ENS sharing in web3?}

Besides Ethereum addresses, ENS also offers human-readable domains for other crypto wallets, websites, content hashes, and metadata — aiming to be your Web3 username, connecting all your addresses and websites under a single nickname that you can receive any type of cryptocurrency or NFTs via your ENS domain. (an excerpt from the forkast.news)

Having covered the What, Why, and How of ENS, we’ll now see how ENS makes it simple for users to share files with end-to-end encryption at SlikSafe.

_{How SlikSafe makes it easier for its users to share files using ENS?}

SlikSafe believes in the privacy of its users and is adamant about providing the best in class user experience. One of our latest features: ENS name-sharing, makes it very easy for our users to share files privately using end-to-end encryption away from the sight of data-selling companies or malicious entities.

(You may want to check out our thread on end-to-end encryption and how it is done at SlikSafe)

With this, you can now maintain a true native web3 identity across the Slik ecosystem of apps. ENS sharing includes:

_{Full Login Support}

1. You can use your MetaMask or Phantom wallet to do a passwordless login
2. Full lookup/searchability by ENS name, profile picture and email.

_{Full Sharing Support}

1. Now share with friends by simply typing their ENS names (like alisha.eth),
2. Validation of ENS names before sharing.

Below is a “how-to” guide on sharing files with ENS:

1. Navigate to the file you want to share.
2. Click on the share icon.

3. Now simply add your friend’s ENS name and click on Share.

Yes! it is that simple!

We are on a mission to give people a world class experience, without compromising on privacy and ownership of data. From the files that you share online to the photos they take on their phones — we believe your data is yours alone.

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