Your wallet address on Base is a string of 42 characters that begins with 0x. It works perfectly, but it is impossible to remember and easy to mistype. A Basename fixes the readability problem. Instead of sharing a long hexadecimal string, you can share something like yourname.base.eth, and wallets that support it will resolve that name back to your real address.
This guide explains what a Basename is, how it works under the hood, what it costs, and the trade-offs to weigh before you register one.
What a Basename actually is
A Basename is a human-readable name linked to a wallet address on the Base network. It is fully onchain, which means the record lives on Base itself rather than on a company server. You can think of it as a nickname for your address that anyone can look up.
Basenames are built on the Ethereum Name Service, usually shortened to ENS. ENS is the established standard for naming crypto addresses, and Base uses that same technology deployed on its own network. In practice, a Basename is an ENS style name that ends in .base.eth. Because it uses the ENS standard, apps that already know how to read ENS names can often read Basenames too.
How it works under the hood
When someone types yourname.base.eth into a wallet or an onchain app, the app does not send funds to that text. It performs a lookup, finds the 0x address the name points to, and uses that address for the transaction. This lookup is called resolution.
The important detail is that the name is a pointer, not the account itself. Your funds always live at the underlying 0x address. The Basename simply makes that address easier for humans to handle. If a wallet does not support name resolution, it will still work with your plain 0x address, so nothing about your account depends on the name existing.
This is also why one of the main benefits of readable names is fewer mistakes. A common and painful error in crypto is sending to a slightly wrong address. A readable name that resolves automatically removes one of the places where a typo can creep in.
What it costs
Registration is priced per year, and the fee depends on how many letters the name has. Shorter names are more expensive because they are scarcer. At the time of writing, the annual fees published by Base are:
- 3 letters: 0.1 ETH per year
- 4 letters: 0.01 ETH per year
- 5 to 9 letters: 0.001 ETH per year
- 10 or more letters: 0.0001 ETH per year
You register for a minimum of one year. On top of the registration fee you pay the usual Base network fee for the transaction, which is small. Because most everyday names are five letters or longer, the common case is a very low annual cost.
You rent it, you do not own it forever
This is the single most important thing to understand. A Basename is not a one time purchase. It renews annually, the same way a web domain does. If you stop renewing, you can lose it.
Base publishes a grace period of 90 days after expiry, during which you can still renew and keep your name. If you miss that window, the name becomes available again through a public auction and someone else can take it. So if you register a Basename, treat the renewal like any other subscription and keep a reminder. Losing the name does not put your funds at risk, because your funds live at the 0x address, but you would lose the readable label and someone else could register it.
What you can use it for
Once you hold a Basename, you can use it in a few practical ways:
- Share it instead of your 0x address when someone needs to send you funds on Base.
- Use it to sign in to onchain apps that support ENS style names.
- Use it as a recognizable identity across the Base ecosystem.
Support is not universal. An app or wallet has to implement name resolution for the name to work there. Where it is not supported, you simply fall back to your plain address, which always works.
A few honest cautions
A Basename is a convenience feature, not a security feature. It is worth being clear about what it does not do.
It does not replace the habit of checking an address before you send. If you are pasting a raw 0x address, still verify the first and last few characters. A readable name reduces typos, but you should confirm you have the correct name in the first place, because a scammer can register a name that looks similar to a well known one.
It also does not change custody. You still hold your own recovery phrase, and the safety rules do not change. If you want a refresher, our guides on keeping your recovery phrase safe and sending and receiving on Base cover the fundamentals.
Finally, a Basename is optional. Your wallet works completely without one. Many people never register a name and are perfectly fine using their 0x address. A Basename is simply a small quality of life upgrade if you find yourself sharing your address often.
The short version
A Basename is a readable name for your Base address, built on the ENS standard, that resolves to your real 0x address when supported. It costs a small annual fee based on length, it renews each year rather than being owned forever, and it makes your address easier to share while cutting down on typos. It is a convenience, not a substitute for the basic habits of verifying addresses and protecting your recovery phrase.