The Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is a decentralized naming system built on Ethereum that transforms complex hexadecimal addresses into human-readable names like "vitalik.eth".

ENS names are NFTs, meaning each name is uniquely owned by an Ethereum address. Beyond simple address mapping, ENS supports rich profile data like avatars, social links, email, and more, stored as text records on the blockchain.

This makes ENS a powerful identity layer for Web3, enabling users to build portable, decentralized profiles that work across applications.