Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is a public utility that provides a decentralized naming system for the web3 ecosystem. Its primary function is to map human-readable names, such as "vitalik.eth", to machine-readable identifiers like Ethereum addresses, content hashes, and metadata. This simplifies the user experience by replacing long, complex cryptographic addresses with easy-to-remember names, functioning much like the internet's Domain Name System (DNS). Originally developed at the Ethereum Foundation, the project is now stewarded by the non-profit organization True Names LTD and is governed by a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), with holders of the $ENS token voting on protocol upgrades and treasury management.