FAQ
General
What is ZcashNames?
ZcashNames maps short names like alice.zcash to Zcash shielded addresses. ZNS (Zcash Name Service) is the protocol underneath. See What is ZcashNames?.
Is ZNS a separate blockchain?
No. ZNS lives entirely within Zcash’s existing memo field. Operations are standard Zcash transactions. See How it works.
What network does ZNS run on?
Testnet (active) and mainnet beta (experimental). Both are open to use.
Can I get a refund if my claim fails?
No automated refund — claims are standard Zcash payments. If your claim failed for a verifiable reason, get in touch via the community Signal group and we’ll handle it case-by-case.
Names
What characters are allowed in names?
Lowercase letters and digits (a-z, 0-9), 1–62 characters. No hyphens, no unicode. See Name Validation.
What’s the difference between .zcash and .zec?
Same name, two display formats. alice.zcash and alice.zec resolve identically. The suffix is never stored on-chain.
Can I register multiple names to one address?
Yes. One address can own any number of names.
How are conflicts resolved?
First-come-first-served. Whoever’s transaction lands in the earlier block wins.
Do names expire?
No. Registrations are permanent. No renewal fees, no grace periods.
Marketplace
How do I buy a name?
Search for the name, click Buy, enter your address, and send the transaction. See Buying & Selling.
Can I change the price of my listing?
Yes. List it again at a new price.
What happens when someone buys my name?
Ownership transfers to them immediately. You keep the payment. There is no withdrawal window.
Can I release a name I no longer want?
Yes. Release permanently deletes the registration. This is irreversible. See Managing Names.
What’s the minimum listing price?
The web UI enforces 0.001 ZEC. The protocol has no lower bound.
Reserved names
What is a reserved name?
A name set aside for a brand, project, or legally protected term. Shows as Reserved in the web UI and requires an unlock code to claim.
How do I get an unlock code?
Contact the maintainers via Discord or an issue on the directory repo . Brand holders, established projects, and well-known contributors are eligible.
Is the reservation enforced on-chain?
No. It’s a policy on the signing service. See Reserved Names (Protocol).
For developers
How do I add ZcashNames to my wallet?
Detect a name in the recipient field, call resolve, substitute the returned address. See Wallet: Resolve a Name.
Is there a Rust / Swift / Kotlin / Python SDK?
Yes. Eight first-party SDKs live at zcashme/ZNS/sdk. See SDKs.
Can users claim names from inside my wallet?
Not yet. Claiming is a web flow at zcashnames.com for now; wallets should deep-link or webview into it.
Can I run my own indexer?
Yes. The indexer is open-source Rust at zcashme/ZNS. See Running an Indexer.
Project
Is there a ZcashNames token?
No. No token, no DAO, no ICO, no presale.
Is the protocol open source?
Yes, MIT/Apache. Indexer, spec, and SDKs at zcashme/ZNS. Web app and docs at zcashme/zcashnames.
How do I contribute?
Open issues or PRs against either repo. For questions, use Discord or the community Signal group .