AENS Names

The Aeternity Name System (AENS) allows you to register human-readable .chain names that point to accounts, contracts, oracles, or channels.

Overview

AENS name registration follows a commit-reveal scheme to prevent front-running:

1. Preclaim — commit a hash of the desired name (hidden from others)
2. Claim — reveal and register the name
3. Update — set pointers (account, contract, oracle, etc.)
4. Transfer — transfer ownership to another account
5. Revoke — give up the name

Preclaim a Name

import { preclaimName } from '@growae/reactive/actions'

const preclaim = await preclaimName(config, {
  name: 'alice.chain',
})

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
name	string	—	Required. The name to preclaim (must end in .chain).
ttl	number	300	Transaction TTL in blocks relative to current height. Set to 0 for no expiration.
fee	bigint	auto	Transaction fee.

Default TTL

All transactions default to a TTL of 300 blocks (~15 hours). This prevents stale transactions from lingering indefinitely. Override with ttl: 0 for no expiration.

Claim a Name

After preclaiming, wait at least 1 key block, then claim:

import { claimName } from '@growae/reactive/actions'

const claim = await claimName(config, {
  name: 'alice.chain',
  salt: preclaim.salt,
})

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
name	string	—	Required. The name to claim.
salt	number	—	Required. Salt from the preclaim step.
nameFee	bigint	auto	Name fee (auction price for short names).
ttl	number	300	Transaction TTL in blocks relative to current height. Set to 0 for no expiration.

Update Name Pointers

import { updateName } from '@growae/reactive/actions'

await updateName(config, {
  name: 'alice.chain',
  pointers: {
    account_pubkey: 'ak_2dA...',
  },
})

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
name	string	—	Required. The name to update.
pointers	Record<string, string>	—	Required. Pointer key-value map.
nameTtl	number	180000	Name TTL in blocks (~375 days max).
clientTtl	number	3600	Client cache TTL in seconds.
ttl	number	300	Transaction TTL in blocks relative to current height. Set to 0 for no expiration.

Transfer a Name

import { transferName } from '@growae/reactive/actions'

await transferName(config, {
  name: 'alice.chain',
  recipient: 'ak_newOwner...',
})

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
name	string	—	Required. The name to transfer.
recipient	string	—	Required. New owner address.
ttl	number	300	Transaction TTL in blocks relative to current height. Set to 0 for no expiration.

Resolve a Name

import { resolveName } from '@growae/reactive/actions'

const address = await resolveName(config, {
  name: 'alice.chain',
  key: 'account_pubkey',
})
// 'ak_2dA...'

This is a read-only operation (no transaction, no TTL).

Name Auctions

Names shorter than 13 characters go through an auction process. The auction lasts for a duration proportional to name length:

Name Length	Auction Duration
1–4 chars	~62 days
5–8 chars	~31 days
9–12 chars	~1 day
13+ chars	No auction (instant claim)

Use bidName to participate:

import { bidName } from '@growae/reactive/actions'

await bidName(config, {
  name: 'ae.chain',
  nameFee: 51000000000000000000n, // must exceed current highest bid
})