TON DNS is a decentralized naming service that maps human‑readable domain names to addresses of smart contracts, nodes, and other services on the TON blockchain. Domains are issued as NFTs, allowing owners to store, transfer, or sell them on NFT marketplaces.
TON DNS provides .ton (and t.me) domains as NFTs, enabling users to access decentralized services with familiar names. Domains are auctioned, can be renewed yearly for a small fee, and support subdomains through custom smart‑contract resolvers.
Overview#
TON DNS functions like the traditional DNS system but operates entirely on‑chain. A domain name must be between 4 and 126 UTF‑8 characters; shorter names are blocked to avoid confusion with conventional TLDs such as .com or .org. Although the underlying contract treats names as case‑sensitive, most TON applications automatically convert queries to lowercase, effectively making the system case‑insensitive.
Each domain is represented by a smart contract that stores a set of DNS records (A, CNAME, MX, etc.). These records can be updated by the domain owner, who may also delegate control to another contract to implement custom logic—for example, paid subdomains or hierarchical delegation.
Technical specifications#
- Length: 4‑126 characters (UTF‑8).
- Prohibited characters: null byte, control codes, and spaces (bytes 0‑32).
- NFT nature: Domains are standard NFTs and can be held in any TON wallet.
- Renewal fee: 0.015 TON per year
- SDK support: Interaction is available via TonWeb and TonLib JavaScript SDKs
Smart‑contract fields (selected)
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Domain Name | Unique identifier, must follow length and character rules. |
| Domain Owner | Wallet address with rights to manage the domain. |
| DNS Records | Collection of A, CNAME, MX, etc., defining routing information. |
| Certificate | Optional digital certificate confirming record authenticity. |
| Expiration Date | After this date the domain reverts to auction mode if not renewed. |
| Resolver | Address of a custom contract handling subdomains. |
| Price | Registration and renewal cost. |
| Status | Active, inactive, or deleted. |
Auction and pricing#
Auctions are conducted on dns.ton.org. To start an auction, a user must lock 1 Toncoin as a deposit. Each auction lasts 1 hour and is extended by an additional hour if a bid is placed within the final hour. Subsequent bids must be at least 5 % higher than the previous bid.
Price schedule by name length
| Characters | Starting price | Absolute minimum |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1,000 TON | 100 TON |
| 5 | 500 TON | 50 TON |
| 6 | 400 TON | 40 TON |
| 7 | 300 TON | 30 TON |
| 8 | 200 TON | 20 TON |
| 9 | 100 TON | 10 TON |
| 10 | 50 TON | 5 TON |
| 11+ | 10 TON | 1 TON |
If no bids are received, the current minimum price decreases by 10 % every 30 days until the absolute minimum is reached.
Domain acquisition#
Auction
Users enter a desired name on dns.ton.org and start the auction. The first auction (30 July 2022) recorded 7,957 bids, resulting in 2,184 domains sold for a total of 2,392,002 Toncoin. The most valuable domains were:
- wallet.ton – 215,250 TON
- casino.ton – 200,000 TON
- bank.ton – 157,500 TON
- video.ton – 105,000 TON
- swap.ton – 100,000 TON
Purchase offers
If a domain is already owned, interested buyers can submit a purchase offer through the domain’s page, which redirects to the Getgems marketplace. The offer specifies the amount in Toncoin and its validity period.
Secondary market
Because domains are NFTs, they appear on NFT marketplaces such as Getgems and can be bought outright or bid on secondary auctions.
Current status (as of 4 May 2024)#
- Registered domains: 22,515
- Active owners: 16,164 wallets hold at least one domain.
- Power users: 150 owners control more than 50 domains each.
- Daily activity: Approximately 1,000 domain purchases per day.
Traffic on TON DNS has not yet reached Web 2 levels, but the service underpins decentralized web projects like TON Sites and TON Proxy.
See also#
- The Open Network
- TON Connect
- TON Proxy
- Toncoin
- Smart Contracts