Frequently Asked Questions

About the Defichain Domain Registry

Why are names registered as hashes?

Hashes provide a fixed length identifier that can easily be passed around between contracts with fixed overhead and no issues passing around variable-length strings.

Which wallets and dapps support Defichain Domain so far?

We are currently working on integrating Defichain Domains with the wallet infrastructure provider of Defichain.

Once I own a name, can I create my own subdomains?

Yes. You can create whatever subdomains you wish and assign ownership of them to other people if you desire. You can even set up your own registrar for your domain.

Can I change the address my name points to after I’ve bought it?

Yes, you can update the addresses and other resources pointed to by your name at any time.

Can I register a TLD of my own in the Defichain Domain?

No. We consider Defichain Domain to be part of the 'global namespace' inhabited by DNS, and so we do our best not to pollute that namespace. Defichain Domain-specific TLDs are restricted to only .dfi.

Who owns the Defichain Domain rootnode? What powers does that grant them?

The root node is presently owned by the Defichain Domains team.

Since the owner of a node can change ownership of a subnode (unless they have otherwise locked it from their control), the owner of the root can change any node in the Defichain Domain tree. This means that the keyholders can replace the contracts that govern issuing and managing domains, giving them ultimate control over the structure of the Defichain Domain system and the names registered in it. However, the root key holders have locked control of the .dfi registrar contract, which means that even keyholders cannot affect the ownership of .dfi domains.

The keyholders are still capable of doing the followings:

• Enable and disable controllers for the .dfi registrar, which affect registration and renewal policies for .dfi names.

• Update the pricing for .dfi names.

• Receive and manage registration revenue.

What about foreign characters? What about upper case letters? Is any unicode character valid?

Since the Defichain Domain contracts only deal with hashes, they have no direct way to enforce limits on what can be registered; character length restrictions are implemented by allowing users to challenge a short name by providing its preimage to prove it’s too short.

This means that you can in theory register both ‘foo.dfi’ and ‘FOO.dfi’, or even <picture of my cat>.dfi. However, resolvers such as browsers and wallets should apply the nameprep algorithm to any names users enter before resolving; as a result, names that are not valid outputs of nameprep will not be resolvable by standard resolvers, making them effectively useless. Dapps that assist users with registering names should prevent users from registering unresolvable names by using nameprep to preprocess names being requested for registration.

Nameprep isn’t enforced in the Defichain Domain system. Is this a security/spoofing/phishing concern?

It’s not enforced by the Defichain Domain contracts, but, as described above, resolvers are expected to use it before resolving names. This means that non-nameprep names will not be resolvable.

What are the differences between Defichain Domains and other naming services such as Namecoin and Handshake?

Defichain Domain complements and extends the usefulness of DNS with decentralised, trustworthy name resolution for web3 resources such as blockchain addresses and distributed content, while Namecoin and Handshake are efforts to replace all or part of DNS with a blockchain-based alternative.

Defichain Domains is a fork of Ethereum Name Service.

About the .dfi Permanent Registrar

What does it cost to register a .dfi domain?

Currently, registration costs are set at the following prices:

• 5+ character .dfi names: 60 USD.

• 4 character .dfi names: 100 USD.

• 3 character .dfi names 300 USD.

3 and 4 characters names have higher pricing to reflect the small number of these names available.

2 and 1 characters names will be released at a later point in time.

Does my domain registration expire? Do I need to extend the registration of a name?

This is how Defichain Domains differentiate from ENS: when you buy a Defichain Domain, you don't need to renew it.

Register once, own it forever.