# æternity Naming System (AENS)

The æternity Naming System (AENS) provides human-readable names for blockchain entities like accounts, oracles, and contracts, making the system more user-friendly than working with raw cryptographic addresses. AENS implements an auction-based registration system for shorter, more desirable names, while allowing instant registration for longer names, with all names having the .chain extension in the current implementation.

The [AENS documentation](/developer-documentation/protocol/aens.md) provides comprehensive coverage of the naming system's technical specifications, including name registration mechanisms, auction procedures, protocol fees, and namespace governance. It details the commitment scheme that prevents front-running, explains name management operations (claiming, updating, transferring, revoking), and outlines important protocol upgrades like Lima and Ceres that introduced key features such as auctions and optional pre-claims. The documentation also discusses potential future extensions like decentralized name exchange and interoperability with other naming systems.

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="files"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>AENS in SDK Documenation</td><td><a href="/spaces/yxhRUAwn7tH8JUboTur7/pages/MnAStkGMvy1RXkbGgcNr">/spaces/yxhRUAwn7tH8JUboTur7/pages/MnAStkGMvy1RXkbGgcNr</a></td><td><a href="/files/Mn0raWPCGdVF9LgIRfVj">/files/Mn0raWPCGdVF9LgIRfVj</a></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>


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