This glossary defines terms used throughout Web3.bio to help you better understand the platform, concepts and features.
Identity
An identity is a unique digital representation of an individual or entity. It can be based on centralized accounts such as Twitter (X) and GitHub, or on Web3 decentralized protocols like ENS, Farcaster, Lens, and others. It can also include a collection of attributes, such as profiles, credentials, social graphs, and more.
Identity Graph
An Identity Graph is a collection of identities and their relationships, which can be used to represent complex identities in Web3 and Web2. It allows for the integration of various data sources, such as ENS names, social media profiles, and other identities, to create a comprehensive view of an individual's or entity's identity.
ENS
ENS Domain
An ENS identifier such as 'alice.eth'. Domains may consist of multiple parts, called labels, separated by dots. This also includes DNS names like name.xyz, or subnames like sub.name.eth.
Subname / Subdomain
A child name like sub.name.eth, whose parent is name.eth. Also referred to as a "subdomain". Every name (except for the root node) has a parent. For example, name.eth is a subname of eth.
Primary Name
The ENS name that you want a particular ETH account to be associated with. When set, it will be displayed instead of your 0x address on integrating websites/apps. This is also often referred to as the "reverse record".
Record
A piece of information that an ENS name "resolves" to (points to). The most common record is the ETH Address record, which determines what ETH 0x address an ENS name points to.
Expiry
The date and time at which an ENS name expires. The implications of expiration depend on the type of name it is. When a .eth 2LD expires (and its grace period elapses), then you lose ownership of the name. When a wrapped subname expires, you may or may not lose ownership, depending on whether the name was emancipated.
Grace Period
This is a short window of time after an ENS .eth name expires, in which the owner can still renew and retain the name. Currently this window is 90 days.