ENSv2 goes live on Ethereum with optional name migration

Ethereum Name Service activated ENSv2 on Ethereum mainnet on October 27, moving new `.eth` registrations and name resolution onto a redesigned registry system while keeping existing names usable. The change matters because ENS is widely embedded in wallets and applications: this is a migration of naming infrastructure, not merely a new interface or a promised future upgrade.

ENS Labs announced the mainnet release alongside a rebuilt ENS App and a new ENS Explorer. The project said existing holders do not need to register their names again, and migration to the new contracts has no deadline. Owners can continue resolving and renewing an unmigrated name through compatibility contracts, then opt into ENSv2 when they want its new controls.

A registry for each namespace

ENS maps readable names to blockchain addresses and other records. Its original registry, deployed in 2017, used one flat mapping. Later features such as wrapped names and granular permissions were added around that base design.

ENSv2 instead uses a hierarchy of registries. A name can operate its own registry for subnames, and administrators can assign narrowly defined roles. In practical terms, an organization could let one operator update payment-address records without also giving that operator authority to transfer the parent name. Multiple names can also link records rather than duplicating them.

The architecture is more flexible, but the launch does not establish that every wallet or application supports every new feature. ENS Labs said in its October 27 announcement that ENS covered more than 36 million names across `.eth` and other ecosystem namespaces and worked with more than 600 applications. Those are project-reported launch-day counts, not independently audited measures of active users, successful resolutions or ENSv2 adoption.

Existing names keep working

The migration framework reserved active and in-grace ENSv1 names in the new system before launch. An unmigrated name continues to resolve through an ENSv1 fallback resolver and can be renewed through a dedicated contract that synchronizes its expiry with the reservation in ENSv2.

Migration is optional, but it is not reversible for a name that moves. The ENS documentation says the old token is transferred to a “Graveyard” contract with no mechanism to return or upgrade the token. Owners should therefore distinguish continuity from migration: doing nothing preserves current resolution and renewal, while moving unlocks ENSv2 features such as per-record permissions and record linking.

The grace-period mechanics also change. ENSv1 used a 90-day post-expiry grace period, while ENSv2 uses 28 days. The migration design adds approximately 62 days to a reserved name’s ENSv2 expiry so its final availability aligns with the end of the old grace period. These periods govern renewal and release mechanics; they are not a performance or security guarantee.

Governance execution is not the same as full decentralization

The ENS governance page marks the activation proposal as executed. Its plan froze new registrations through the old registrar, authorized continuity contracts and shifted new registrations and resolution to ENSv2. The proposal also called for ENS Labs to transfer remaining administrative roles to the DAO and publish transaction records plus a script checking that the deployer retained no role.

The reviewed launch announcement confirms that ENSv2 is live, but it does not provide a transaction-by-transaction accounting of every final role transfer. The governance plan also retains an upgradeable resolver proxy administered by the security council, while giving the DAO authority to repoint that proxy. Those controls are relevant when evaluating claims that the migration is already fully trustless.

ENSv2 is therefore a completed mainnet launch with an available user migration path, not proof of universal integration, increased usage or flawless operation. Adoption, compatibility and the final administrative handover remain the measurements to watch after launch.