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Newsletter Roundup (tl;dr)
ENS Labs Update: ENS Stats, Repository Updates
Community Updates: Small Grants Results, frENS stories
Meta-Governance: Proposal to transfer the root key to the DAO
Public Goods: Large grants recepients announced
Ecosystem: EVMgateway, Grantees announced, ENS DAO Archive
Note: for the full list of Repository Updates, please visit the forum.
Welcome to the ENS DAO Newsletter:
New editions — published bi-weekly (Tuesday)
📑 Previous editions are archived on the ENS DAO Governance Forum.
🗳 New proposals are broadcasted to Telegram.
💬 Submit feedback — tell us what to feature!
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Refer to ENS DAO Calendar for ENS DAO working group calls and other events.
Calendar: Public Access
Calendar: Access with Gmail
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ETHIstanbul: November 17-19;
Note: @alextnetto.eth is putting together an impromptu ENS Happy Hour. Reach out if you have plans to be at Devconnect and wish to attend.
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Announcement: The November 3rd voting window for October DAO is now active, with significant proposals on the table including Endowment diversification and Working Group Funding for October 2023. Stakeholders are encouraged to participate within the seven-day window for executable proposals and five-day for social proposals, as your contributions shape the future of our governance.
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Note: A minimum of 100k $ENS is required to submit an executable proposal. Once a proposal gains momentum, the stewards will prioritize it for a vote during the designated voting window. See our Governance Docs for more information.
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The ENS DAO has tabled budget proposals for Q4 2023/Q1 2024:
ENS Ecosystem Working Group: Requests 409,000 USDC for enhancing the ENS Ecosystem.
MetaGovernance Working Group 1: Requests 376,000 USDC, 40 ETH, and 52,300 $ENS for strengthening ENS DAO’s governance processes and infrastructure.
Public Goods Working Group: Requests 218,204 USDC and 35 ETH to support web3 public goods in line with the ENS DAO Constitution.
For a comprehensive view and detailed breakdown of each proposal, including their specific objectives and use of funds, please click here.
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In October 2023, ENS experienced significant growth; the service witnessed 56,000 new .eth domain registrations, bringing the total number of names to 2.4 million. This generated $1.2 million in protocol revenue, which was fully allocated to the ENS DAO. Additionally, the ENS ecosystem grew with 49,000 new Ethereum accounts that hold at least one ENS name, culminating in a total of 790,000 such accounts. The month also saw 47,000 primary ENS names being set, amounting to a cumulative total of 677,000. Furthermore, there was an increase in the personalization of ENS profiles with 11,600 new avatar records set, reaching a new high of 135,000 in total. — 11.02.23
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ENS Radio: Fluidkey — 10.25.23
ENS Radio: EthSign — 10.31.23
Interview: Sovreingty and Future of Money with Nick.eth — 10.24.23
Community Space: ENS and Digital Identity — 10.30.23
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The Small Grants round, which began on October 25th and concluded on October 31st, successfully attracted a diverse array of submissions aimed at enhancing the ENS ecosystem and supporting public goods within the Web3 space. The grants round saw a total distribution of 27 ETH, equivalent to roughly $50,000 USD, across 20 projects.
In an interesting development this year, the voting mechanism was overhauled from $ENS token-weighted voting to a one-person-one-vote system, facilitated by the issuance of a non-transferrable Working Group Grants Card. Between 300 and 600 of these cards were distributed to small grants participants, large delegates, active community members, and other stakeholders within the ENS community.
The top five projects in the ecosystem category, namely ENS Wayback Machine, 1W3, Namespace, NYCMobile.eth, and NameSys, shared a prize pool of 15 ETH, with awards ranging from 5 ETH to 0.7 ETH based on their ranking. The public goods category allocated a total of 13 ETH among its leading projects (Giveth, Ethereum News, dm3, Rotki, and Pairwise), also with a tiered prize structure. — 10.31.23
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Console, the Web3 community application, has rolled out its beta feature integrating ENS with user profiles. Known for over 100 Web3 integrations and facilitating secure, private communication akin to Discord but with a focus on user ownership, Console enables users to showcase their NFTs and partake in token-gated communities. This step forwards in beta testing reflects Console’s ongoing effort to provide a versatile and secure platform for the privacy-conscious Web3 user, streamlining collaboration and interaction within the digital asset space. — 10.24.23
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Box Domains has revealed its inaugural launch partner, s.box which is positioned as a Decentralized Onchain URL Shortener. “Slugs” is their main offering, touted as a straightforward and efficient tool bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3 claiming to surpass current market options in performance. — 10.26.23
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Mirror’s Web3 publishing platform recently highlighted Layer3’s educational piece on ENS, which functions like a phonebook for Ethereum addresses, providing user-friendly domain names like “vitalik.eth” as opposed to complex alphanumeric strings. With over 2.5 million ENS domains, it’s the leading crypto domain name system. The guide detailed a straightforward process for acquiring an ENS domain, emphasizing the streamlined and improved user experience on the decentralized web. — 10.24.23
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Equinox Forge has been launched on Galaxis, allowing users to collect 12 unique ENS Equinox NFTs. Successful collectors of the full set will have the chance to create a special 13th NFT. The event began at 13:00 UTC on October 23, 2023, and will remain active indefinitely. Details are available on the Galaxis website. — 10.23.25
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Zapper, a leading cryptocurrency portfolio management platform, has expanded its permissionless integration features in a compelling direction. In addition to allowing users to type in an ENS domain to populate their profile information automatically from Farcaster, Zapper has launched Chainchat. This innovative communication tool enables users to interact using their ENS names, further intertwining financial and social aspects of digital identity within the Web3 ecosystem. Chainchat’s launch signifies a deeper commitment by Zapper to streamline user experience and promote interoperability. With this, Zapper is not only facilitating a seamless display of decentralized social media profiles but also enhancing user interaction, emphasizing the convergence of financial tools and social connectivity on the platform. — 10.26.23
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At ETHRome, 43% of the projects created by the 132 developers in attendance integrated ENS. This shows a significant use of ENS in Ethereum-based projects, indicating its importance in the Ethereum infrastructure. The data suggests that ENS is becoming increasingly popular for developers who aim to improve the user experience of blockchain applications. The high adoption rate of ENS among developers at ETHRome also points to the ongoing growth and innovation within the Ethereum ecosystem. — 10.27.23
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The Ethereum Follow Protocol (EFP) has broadened its ecosystem, announcing a collaboration with @0xNimi and four additional launch partners: @skiffprivacy, @NamehashLabs, @Nifty_Island, and @LlamaFolio. This protocol, aimed at enabling users to follow Ethereum accounts and manage lists of contacts within the network, is set to enhance the .eth profiles on @eth_limo by displaying follower statistics. Designed to be simple and flexible, EFP intends to function as a foundational component in the Ethereum infrastructure, potentially as a transferable NFT for list portability. As a new layer in Ethereum’s identity framework, EFP is positioned to support various applications, from social networking to DeFi monitoring. The proposal is in the feedback stage, with aspirations to evolve into an EIP standard supported by a dedicated development team. — 10.27.23
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Beacon Chain, an open-source Ethereum blockchain explorer, has recently upgraded its platform to integrate ENS domain support for validator deposits and transaction pages. This feature enhancement allows users to search for domains registered via ENS and includes predictive search capabilities for ENS domain names. The update aims to simplify the address lookup process, addressing a significant user pain point, and is a step forward in user experience. — 10.30.23
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Vitalik.eth recently published a thought piece that delves into the dynamic landscape of Ethereum’s layer 2 solutions. He highlights the rapid expansion of the layer 2 ecosystem, featuring projects like Arbitrum, Optimism, Scroll, Kakarot, Taiko, Celo, Linea, and Zeth, among others. This evolution has led to increasing heterogeneity within the ecosystem, driven by a variety of factors, including the gradual transition of independent layer 1 projects toward closer integration with Ethereum, the quest for enhanced security by certain centralized projects, and the unique needs of non-financial applications like games and social media. Additionally, the article emphasizes the importance of user fee considerations in the decision-making process, and it provides insights into the trade-offs between rollups, validiums, and other systems. Trustlessly reading Ethereum and ensuring asset security remain central challenges in this evolving landscape, where adaptability and flexibility are key to future success. — 10.31.23
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Tanrikulu.eth, a full-stack developer at ENS, will be the keynote speaker at OFR Istanbul - Autonomous Arcade & Mass Adoption on November 14. His presentation, titled “Unlocking the Future: Web3 Profiles with ENS,” will provide valuable insights into ENS and its potential impact. For more info on this event, visit here. — 11.01.23
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Matoken.eth will be hosting a technical workshop at the University of Westminster, setting the stage for the Constellation: a Chainlink Hackathon (November 8th). This preparatory session will provide attendees resources to learn about ENS and its smart contracts, equipping them with the knowledge and skills required for the forthcoming global online event. As part of a group of speakers, including experts from Chainlink Labs, Makoto will play a pivotal role in guiding participants through the intricacies of blockchain technology. Learn more here. — 10.30.23
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NameGuard is set to launch as a tool designed to detect and prevent the misuse of ENS identities across web3 platforms. It will offer a critical review of ENS names, flagging potential risks such as lookalike characters and unsupported fonts that could indicate fraudulent activity. The tool aims to address the growing issue of ENS scams, where scammers create ENS names that mimic those of public figures or trusted entities to deceive users. NameGuard will provide an open-source library, an API, and a user interface kit to facilitate its adoption by web3 applications. This preemptive solution is critical for NFT marketplaces and social platforms integrating ENS, where deceptive listings have become prevalent. — 10.30.23
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Skiff.com is a platform that provides privacy-focused collaboration tools, including secure email and document sharing services. The recent update mentioned allows users to select their ENS Domains as an alias directly from the Skiff Mail mobile application. This integration enables users to utilize their blockchain-based domain names as part of their email identity, enhancing both the personalization and the use of decentralized web features within the Skiff ecosystem. — 10.24.23
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The team behind ENS Vision has crafted a comprehensive guide to navigate the complexities of the Ethereum Name Service (ENS), a decentralized alternative to traditional DNS on the Ethereum blockchain, which is revolutionizing the way we interact with web3. This guide clarifies that instead of memorizing cumbersome alphanumeric strings, users can now utilize straightforward .eth domains. It explains the auction-based acquisition process, the roles of Registrants and Controllers, and the significance of Resolvers in linking human-friendly names to machine-readable addresses. The guide emphasizes the marketplace dynamics, where ENS domains, akin to digital real estate, can be traded. It also touches on the vital concepts of domain renewal and ownership transfer, aligning with the decentralized, user-empowered narrative of web3. ENS.Vision’s team is dedicated to demystifying the ENS space, ensuring that their platform remains intuitive for a broad audience, from blockchain aficionados to novices, and is steadfast in its mission to provide a seamless and democratic web experience. — 10.24.23
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Yuga Labs Gaming has updated their Shattered leaderboard to now display ENS domains when available, replacing the previous method of showing user wallet addresses. - 11.01.23
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The frENS Studio project unveiled a short story detailing the launch of the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) on May 4, 2017, by the Ethereum Foundation. Spearheaded by developers Nick Johnson and Alex Van de Sande, the service initially allowed bidding on domains with seven or more characters, where bid amounts were held as deposits. Highlighting the spirited early market for ENS, within a week, domain names like ‘exchange.eth’ garnered 6,660 ETH, with ‘foundation.eth’ and ‘weather.eth’ fetching 300 ETH and 101 ETH, respectively. — 10.29.23
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Q3/Q4 Lead Working Group Stewards + Secretary Appointment
Appointments:
Meta-Governance – @katherine.eth
ENS Ecosystem – @slobo.eth
Public Goods – @Coltron.eth
DAO Secretary - @limes
The responsibilities of the Lead Stewards & Secretary are set out in Rule 9.8 and Rule 9.9 of the Working Group Rules.
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Meta-Governance @ 3PM UTC Tuesday — Google Meet
Public Goods @ 4pm UTC Tuesday — Google Meet
🌱 ENS Ecosystem @ 4pm UTC Thursday — Google Meet
Note: Working Group Budgets for Q3/Q4 are linked within each respective row.
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The recent voting round for Small Grants has concluded, witnessing significant participation from the community. There was a collective expression of thanks to @gregskril for their valuable input. @vegayp has suggested that there should be a reflective review of the process and the outcomes, as well as an enhancement in promoting future grant rounds. A meeting is proposed for the following week to discuss how to improve and evolve the Small Grants process. These grant rounds are recognized for their role in boosting community involvement beyond just domain purchases and interactions on forums. The suggestion to implement feedback mechanisms for these grants has also been raised for consideration. — 11.03.23
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The vote on Permission Update #3 is live. Karpatkey has released a self-audit for public review. The firm is refining its on-chain proposal process after community feedback sessions. Financially, Karpatkey has reduced its stETH holdings to 20% for better asset diversification. The October treasury report is underway, with stakeholders urged to review last month’s report. — 11.03.23
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Meta-Governance stewards have preliminarily agreed to fund enhancements to the proposal process, concentrating on delegate engagement and contribution facilitation. Efforts will also aim to streamline proposals and deter spam. Yitong has highlighted challenges for new delegates in vote access, proposing re-delegation of tokens as a solution. Agora plans to introduce a proposal soon that would allow former delegates to re-delegate their tokens, effectively creating a registry for additional vote sourcing for the governor contract. — 11.02.23
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Nick.eth has proposed transferring the control of the ENS root-key to the ENS DAO for enhanced decentralization, in an action that strives to grant greater power to the DAO and its community. The ENS DAO already controls the .eth registrar and related functionalities but not the core ENS root, which is governed by a multi-signature system capable of creating and managing TLDs, except for .eth which is fixed. The transfer would also facilitate updates to reverse resolutions and support for domain names on Layer 2 solutions. — 11.02.23
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Avsa.eth’s reports that the ENS DAO has accrued close to $100 million, majorly from ETH/USDC transactions, with a steady income from the registrar controller amounting to roughly $30,000 daily. Expenditures amount to about $70 million, leaving $16 million in reserves, excluding ENS tokens. Significant payouts include contributions to Endaoment and a $11,500 daily allocation to ENS Labs, as per DAO proposals. Working groups’ budgets are substantial, yet they maintain considerable unspent funds, with the Ecosystem group sitting on over $600,000. The report underscores the importance of robust auditing and transparent accounting for the DAO’s funds, emphasizing the need for better tools to monitor spending and manage unspent funds effectively. — 10.24.23
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The Meta-Governance Working Group has developed a steward compensation structure. This new framework seeks to establish fair and transparent payment for stewards and lead stewards, addressing previous inconsistencies in compensation. A collective proposal mechanism dictates compensation norms, with no payment permitted outside of this structure.
The proposed compensation table recommends $3,000 monthly for each steward, totaling $18,000 per term, and $4,500 for leads, amounting to $13,500 per term. Additional discretionary funds are allotted based on the working group’s majority decision. Secretaries are set to receive $5,500 monthly, while scribes receive $3,000. In total, the term compensation sums up to $294,000. The group suggests all stewards accept the stipend, retaining the option to redirect it, ensuring transparency and fairness moving forward. This structure will guide current and future compensation, without retroactive changes. — 11.02.23
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In the fourth quarter of 2023, two innovative projects, GasHawk and Ethereum Follow Protocol (EFP), were announced as grant recipients. GasHawk, known for its non-custodial service that reduces transaction costs and enhances security on the Ethereum network, has been awarded a 40k USDC grant, adjusted from an initial request of 50k USDC due to budgeting constraints. The grant is milestone-contingent, promising an additional 10k USDC upon successful completion of set goals, including a browser extension and webhook functionality, both expected by Q1 2024.
Similarly, EFP, aiming to establish a social graph protocol for Ethereum accounts to enhance the web3 identity stack, received a matching grant of 40k USDC under the same conditional terms. Their deliverables include the development of EFP smart contracts and an off-chain Indexer, with progress updates scheduled for the working group calls over the next six months. Both projects demonstrate significant potential in advancing the Ethereum and Web3 ecosystems, reflected in the confidence and financial backing of the working group. — 11.03.23
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The latest Public Goods Small Grants Round has successfully wrapped up, marking a significant milestone with a 134.78% increase in voter participation, as 108 unique voters made their voices heard. This round was particularly notable for the community and stewards who took the time to acknowledge the contributions of @gregskril, praising the development of the grants round’s front-end interface. Looking forward, stewards are considering an innovative approach to reflect on the round’s outcomes by employing data storytelling techniques enhanced by visualizations. Special accolades were extended to the top five winners of the round, which included Giveth, Ethereum News Daily, DM3, Rotki, and Pairwise, celebrating their achievements in this competitive event. — 10.31.23
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Note: The ENS Ecosystem Working Group offers rolling grants, and applicants can apply anytime. The evaluation process takes around four weeks, and unsuccessful applicants are welcome to reapply in the future.
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ENS Labs provided an update on the integration of Gasless DNS names ENS, outlining a new, cost-efficient method for DNS name owners to partake in the web3 space. By enabling DNSSEC on their domains and setting a specific DNS TXT record, users can link their traditional domain names directly to the Ethereum blockchain, allowing these domains to be resolved in web3 applications without the need for costly DNSSEC proofs on Ethereum. For an in-depth look at how you can use your existing domains seamlessly within the Ethereum ecosystem, visit ENS Labs’ detailed guide. — 11.03.23
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Development is in progress for a token contract that allows holders of governance tokens, like those from ENS, to assign their delegation rights to multiple individuals from a single wallet. — 11.02.23
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The ENS Ecosystem Small Grants Round has recently concluded, showcasing an impressive 134.78% growth in voter engagement, with 108 distinct voters casting their ballots. This event was a standout moment for both the community and the stewards. As the Working Group deliberate on future plans, they are keen on adopting data storytelling with enhanced visual aids to recount the progress and results of this round. Noteworthy commendations go to the top five victors of this round, namely ENS Wayback Machine, 1W3, NameSpace, NYCMobile.eth, and NameSys, whose pioneering contributions earned them their rightful spots at the forefront of this challenging competition.
Following the conclusion of this round, there has been a thoughtful discourse regarding the allocation of voter cards. A new mechanism is being considered for upcoming grants rounds to refine the voting process. The potential for Sybil attacks is a concern that the community aims to mitigate, particularly with the prospect of opening up applications to a broader audience. The winners of the small grants can expect their payouts to be processed next week. — 11.02.23
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@estmcmxci.eth presented a product video introducing the ENS DAO Archive. This presentation showcased the Archive as a comprehensive repository, emphasizing its role in providing informative updates and preserving historical content for the ENS community. The Archive compiles bi-weekly newsletters that document the latest ENS developments, ensuring they remain accessible and searchable for future reference. The initiative reflects a commitment to maintain a detailed record of ENS DAO activities and discussions. — 11.02.23
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@Cap introduced the Namespace widget, a new feature designed to streamline ENS subname management. This tool can be easily embedded into personal websites, broadening the avenues through which ENS names can be registered. The demonstration highlighted the widget’s potential in expanding the registration space for users, with anticipation building for its public release. This development signifies mespace’s initiative to enhance user experience and accessibility within the ENS ecosystem. — 11.02.23
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Progress is being made on the EVM Gateway, which is a key component for enabling ENS to operate on layer 2 networks. It serves as a bridge that allows smart contracts on layer 1 to access data from contracts on layer 2, particularly those on the Optimism Stack Layer 2. The GitHub repository for the EVM Gateway is available at: GitHub - ensdomains/evmgateway: This repository implements a generic CCIP-Read gateway for fetching state proofs of data on other EVM chains. The intended use is for contracts on L1 to be able to fetch and verify data from contracts on L2 in a read context.. — 11.02.23
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Matoken.eth has issued an update on the Invalid Name Refund process. An error causing a negative refund amount was identified and corrected after a reassessment of the queries. The updated data shows changes in the number of refunds and the amounts, including six individuals who are no longer eligible for a refund and three new individuals who are. Five recipients’ refunds differ by more than 0.01 ETH. A notable correction includes an address previously showing a negative refund, which will now receive 0.04748966914 ETH. The original query failed to consider the ETHRegistrarController4 and transactions within a specific date range, affecting the results. A comprehensive list of affected addresses with old and new total refunds has been provided, with significant differences highlighted. For those interested in transaction details, the updated full dataset is available for download, and queries can be run using tools like jq to examine specific addresses. The refund address list is now revised in the Google Sheet. — 11.03.23
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Fluidkey is enhancing onchain privacy by allowing users to receive payments into stealth addresses linked to their ENS. They have developed an offchain resolver that generates a new private address each time it is queried, ensuring user custody of the addresses. Fluidkey’s interface consolidates these transactions, offering a familiar wallet management experience. The concept was successfully showcased at ETH Rome, where it garnered recognition from ENS and others. The team is currently preparing for a closed alpha release in Q4 of the current year and a public beta in Q1 of 2024, with considerable interest from the ENS community.In anticipation of its launch, interested users can join a waitlist on fluidkey.com for updates and early access. Additionally, Fluidkey has been granted 10,000 USDC by ENS Ecosystem stewards, who see Fluidkey’s innovation as a valuable addition to the privacy aspect of the ecosystem. — 10.23.23
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ENS Ideas has developed a fast API for resolving and reverse-resolving ENS names, addresses, and avatars, addressing the issue of slow standard queries and the high resource consumption associated with using Alchemy/Infura nodes. Leveraging Cloudflare’s edge caching, their solution boasts response times of 30-50ms with a warm cache.
The API has been documented and the code is available open source on GitHub. It’s currently being utilized by several projects, handling millions of ENS queries each month. In recognition of its contribution to the ENS ecosystem and its potential for saving resources, ENS Ecosystem stewards have awarded ENS Ideas with a 10,000 USDC grant to support their continued development. — 10.24.23
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Thank you very much for reading! Goodbye. 👋🏻
Collect this post as an NFT.
