Did you know that Dash has a built-in name registry? đź“ś
The first data contract on the Evolution platform is called DPNS: the Dash Platform Name Service. It enables anyone to register a human-readable username to associate with their identity for easy payments and other applications.
For longer and more complicated usernames (for example “silentbob2022”), the process is simple: you pay a fee to execute the DPNS contract, and your username is registered and associated to your identity.
Ready to use right away! Other users can now look you up by your username.
But Dash also supports exclusive premium usernames đź’Ž
How Premium Usernames Work
Shorter and more unique ones (like “evan” or “fernando”) can be registered. In addition to being much more attractive and easier to remember, they're also scammer-resistant! These premium usernames also automatically prevent others from registering similar deceptive names, so if you get "john" or "emily" someone else can't register "j0hn" or "emiiy/emlly/emi1y" etc.
They can be contested, so that the right person is much more likely to get their name.
When you register one of these names, you have a one-week period where someone else can also attempt to claim it. During that time and one week after (two weeks from first registration attempt), a voting process takes place.
Masternodes can vote on which person gets to be the rightful owner of the contested username. After the voting period is over, the username is awarded to the winner. Both parties contesting for the name pay a higher fee than for non-premium names, and the loser in the contest doesn’t get back their fee.
By doing things this way, Dash maintains a free, open, and decentralized marketplace for usernames, while at the same time fighting against username camping and scamming, ensuring that you can get the best, most useful name for yourself.
Future Username Features
Usernames will be able to be transferred to new identities (so if you want to switch wallets, sell your name, or transfer ownership of a company or other public name, you can), and you'll be able to buy multiple usernames and associate them with the same identity, so friends and family who may know you under a different handle can still find you.
Where usernames come the most in handy is where they’re paired with DashPay, a data contract allowing peer-to-peer connections between users, so you can add your contacts to a “friends list” on the blockchain. But more of that in another post.
Dash is innovating ease of use for decentralized cryptocurrencies at the blockchain level in ways that no other project is.