On July 30th, ENS domains launched on Linea, allowing users to begin switching their 42 character Ethereum wallet addresses to a human-readable domain. In this web3 industry-first, Linea became the first zkEVM Layer 2 to adopt the EIP-3668 standard in production. So far, 350K Lineans have registered and adopted ENS domains, with the majority of users coming from Linea’s PoH audience.

Ethereum Name Services (ENS) is a decentralized protocol, governed by ENS DAO and relying on immutable and transparent smart contracts to translate names to addresses. ENS improves user experience, reduces the likelihood of transaction errors, increases accessibility, and establishes a new forum for decentralized digital identities.

While the Linea ENS repository was created to bring ENS to Linea, its component libraries can be applied in other contexts. The functionality of these associated components enables any L1 application to query L2 data using CCIP Read (ERC-3668), equipping developers for cross-chain retrieval.

As vocalized by Vitalik Buterin, standardization across chain-specific addresses, chain-specific ENS, and CCIP Read light clients is a next frontier for the ecosystem. Combined, these solutions can address difficulties that arrise when moving funds between chains, whether due to inconsistent address formats, limited interoperability, or manual processes.

As one of the drivers of this new paradigm, we take a look at ERC-3668 and potential use cases for dapps and developers on Linea.

CCIP Read (Cross-chain Interoperability Protocol) is a protocol that allows applications to access cross-chain or offchain data via a gateway server.

ENS uses CCIP Read to resolve domains on Ethereum, even if the relevant data and records are stored on an L2 chain, through an off-chain resolver framework. This process is trust-minimal, as the gateway provides a storage proof that can be verified on L1, ensuring protection against intervention or tampering.

Linea adapted the functionality of the relevant ENS contract so that it would function correctly with Linea. The Linea ENS repository, therefore, adds support for CCIP Read to Linea. The repository contains a frontend and associated contracts for ENS to work on Linea, including functionality that enables any L1 application to query L2 data using CCIP Read.

The two main components are the Linea CCIP Gateway, which implements the gateway required for L1 protocols to query data on Linea, and the Linea State Verifier, which verifies the state proofs generated by the gateway. Learn more about how CCIP Read works on Linea Docs.

Linea ENS domains are just one use case stemming from the Linea ENS repository. CCIP Read is beneficial in any scenario where it's advantageous to store data on L2. This opens up applications and use cases aligned with parallel innovations across the Ethereum ecosystem.

These proposals across Ethereum are gearing the ecosystem up for new standards for data retrieval. ERC-7683, proposed by Uniswap Labs and Across Protocol, aims to create a unified framework for cross-chain intents, improving interoperability between networks. ERC-3770, meanwhile, introduces a standardized address format with a chain identifier, clarifying the specific blockchain network an address belongs to and minimizing the risk of sending funds to the incorrect chain.

Combined with CCIP Read (ERC-3668), these protocols would effectively automatically support light clients for compliant L2 blockchains, without wallets having to make any additional configurations.

As one (important) step toward this convergence of protocols, CCIP Read already brings a range of potential use cases and integrations for dapps on Linea. Users on L1 can read data from Linea and "outsource" costly operations to Linea, retrieving only the results, with Linea functioning effectively like a coprocessor, but fully onchain:

• Determine eligibility for NFT mints or governance voting: The library enables L1 applications to create allowlists using cross-chain Verax attestations to determine eligibility for NFT mints, governance voting, or other permissioned actions like accessing a regulated DEX pool based on Proof of KYC or receiving special offers for specific user groups.

• Execute L1 transactions based on DAO votes stored on Linea: This mechanism allows L1 transactions to be executed depending on the outcomes of DAO votes stored on Linea.

• Enable ENS subname transfers with NFT sales: This would allow for the attachment of an ENS identifier to an NFT and the association of an onchain subname with your PFP. When the NFT is sold, the associated ENS subname would also be transferred.

• Enable self-service subname creation on Linea: This would allow anyone to launch their own subnames on Linea, with forthcoming documentation to standardize the process, eliminating the need for bespoke handling.

Head to Linea Docs to learn more about CCIP Read and the Linea ENS repository.