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 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.