==== EIP 137: Ethereum Domain Name Service - Specification   ====
[[dido:public:ra:xapend:xapend.b_stds:defact:ethereum:eip| Return to Ethereum ERCs ]]

  : **Note**: The following is an excerpt from the official Ethereum site. It is provided here as a convenience and is not authoritative. Refer to the original document as the authoritative reference.

<table>
<caption>Data sheet for Ethereum Domain Name Service - Specification </caption>
| Title                      | Ethereum Domain Name Service - Specification  |
| Author                     | Nick Johnson |
| Status                     | Final |
| Created                    | 2016-04-04  |
| Description                | [[http://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-137]] |
| Specification              | [[http://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-137#Specification]] |
| Category                   | ERC |
</table>

=== Abstract ===

  : //This draft EIP describes the details of the Ethereum Name Service, a proposed protocol and ABI definition that provides flexible resolution of short, human-readable names to service and resource identifiers. This permits users and developers to refer to human-readable and easy to remember names, and permits those names to be updated as necessary when the underlying resource (contract, content-addressed data, etc) changes.//

  : //The [[dido:public:ra:xapend:xapend.a_glossary:g:goal|goal]] of domain names is to provide stable, human-readable identifiers that can be used to specify network resources. In this way, users can enter a memorable string, such as ‘vitalik.wallet’ or ‘www.mysite.swarm’, and be directed to the appropriate resource. The mapping between names and resources may change over time, so a user may change [[dido:public:ra:xapend:xapend.a_glossary:w:wallet|wallets]], a website may change hosts, or a swarm document may be updated to a new version, without the domain name changing. Further, a domain need not specify a single resource; different record types allow the same domain to reference different resources. For instance, a browser may resolve ‘mysite.swarm’ to the IP address of its [[dido:public:ra:xapend:xapend.a_glossary:s:server|server]] by fetching its A (address) record, while a mail [[dido:public:ra:xapend:xapend.a_glossary:c:client|client]] may resolve the same address to a mail server by fetching its MX (mail exchanger) record.//