ENS Subnames Guide
A subname is a name that lives under a parent ENS name. You first need to register a .eth name before you can create subnames underneath it. If you own project.eth, you can create team.project.eth, founder.project.eth, or any number of subnames beneath it.
Why subnames matter
Subnames turn a single name into a system of identity. Instead of one flat name per person, a project can issue structured names to its team, its community, or its products, all under one recognizable parent.
Common uses
- Team identity -
sara.acme.eth,dev.acme.eth - Product namespaces -
app.project.eth,docs.project.eth - DAO roles -
treasury.dao.eth,multisig.dao.eth - Event badges - temporary names issued to attendees or participants
- Community membership - names issued to holders, customers, or members
Ownership and control
The parent name owner controls the subnames. Depending on how the parent is configured, subname owners may control their own records or be limited by the parent. For true independence, the parent must burn the PARENT_CANNOT_CONTROL fuse, which permanently removes the parent's ability to modify or take back the subname.
If a subname matters to you long-term, understand who controls it. Parent control can be burned to give a subname true independence.
ENSv2 and subnames
ENSv2 makes subnames significantly more practical: cheaper to create, easier to manage, and with hierarchical ownership built in. The use cases above that are niche today become mainstream on ENSv2.
Getting started
- Make sure you own the parent name.
- Decide on your naming structure before issuing subnames at scale.
- Set records on each subname: addresses, avatars, metadata.
- For permanent subnames, burn the parent control fuse and transfer ownership.