ENS Founder Proposes Upgrade to Ethereum's .eth Naming System
ENS seeks DAO approval for next-generation naming protocol
The Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is seeking permission from its decentralized autonomous organization (DAO — a group of token holders who vote on project decisions) to activate ENSv2, an upgraded version of the naming system that lets people use readable names like "user.eth" instead of long wallet addresses.
ENS founder Nick Johnson submitted an executable draft proposal for the upgrade. If the DAO approves it, new domain registrations on the original system would pause temporarily, while existing owners could keep renewing their names as before.
Key details of the proposal
- The upgrade redesigns the registry architecture to allow more flexible domain management and permissions.
- New .eth registrations would be unavailable for several hours during the transition period.
- Existing domain holders do not need to migrate. Their names will continue working normally.
- ENS Labs has reserved current .eth names for their existing owners on the upgraded system, so users can migrate whenever they choose.
- After activation, ENS Labs plans to hand over its remaining administrative control of the contracts to the DAO.
Governance requirements for activation
The proposal is still in draft stage and must move to an on-chain DAO vote before anything can change. Under ENS governance rules, executable proposals need at least 1% voter participation — roughly 1 million ENS votes — and a majority approval during a seven-day voting window.
If the vote passes, the upgrade would still be subject to a minimum two-day timelock before execution. No voting date has been announced as of the time of reporting.
What is confirmed
Nick Johnson submitted an executable draft proposal to activate ENSv2. Existing .eth holders are not required to migrate. The proposal remains in draft and has not yet been put to a DAO vote. No timeline for voting has been set.
What remains uncertain
There is no confirmation yet that the DAO will hold a vote or approve the upgrade. The proposal is still in draft form, and the voting date has not been announced.
Sources
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