Also called Web3 domain · crypto domain · NFT domain
Blockchain domain, explained
A .eth name is a token owned by a wallet address, and it can point to cryptocurrency addresses, content and other records. Ordinary browsers cannot open such names: ICANN notes that users need a special browser, a plug-in or changed resolver settings. ENS charges a yearly fee, from $5 for names of five or more characters to $640 for three-character names. Nothing coordinates these naming systems, so ICANN's Office of the CTO warns that name collisions must be expected: one extension can exist in several systems.
A blockchain extension is not a DNS extension. Unstoppable Domains planned to apply to ICANN for nine extensions it already offered on-chain, among them .crypto, .wallet and .nft, and applied for none after a draft ICANN working-group report proposed that every name in an integrated namespace be registered in the DNS and paid for (Domain Name Wire, August 2026).
For investors this is a separate, speculative market. A name's value depends on its naming system surviving and staying supported by wallets and browsers. Treat these names as a niche bet, never as a substitute for a DNS domain that a business can use for its website and email.
Example. A crypto user registers a .eth name so friends can send payments to a readable name instead of a long wallet address.
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- ICANN Office of the CTO — Challenges with Alternative Name Systems, OCTO-034 (April 27, 2022)
- ICANN Blogs — Buyer Beware: Not All Names Are Created Equal (November 24, 2021)
- ENS Docs — ETH Registrar: ownership, renewal and yearly prices (accessed Oct 1, 2026)
- Domain Name Wire — Unstoppable Domains nixes TLD plans after web3 integration decision (August 26, 2026)
Education, not financial, legal or tax advice. Domain investing is speculative and most domain names never sell. Read the disclaimer.