X1 now has an official name service. X1 Identity at id.x1.xyz lets anyone register a .x1 name for their wallet, and a five-letter name costs 1 XNT. Jason, the founder of XDEX at X1 Labs, announced it in the X1 World Telegram group on October 19:
"You can now reserve your .x1 name at id.x1.xyz. This will work in the wallet and is represented by an NFT. You can use the default NFT or swap it out for custom art. Keep in mind, you cannot change the NFT once its registered."
Three things in that message matter. The name is an NFT. It is built for the X1 Wallet, and support is coming in the newest version of the wallet. And whatever artwork you choose at registration stays with the name for good.
What a name costs
Price depends only on length. Shorter names cost more:
- 1 letter: 100 XNT
- 2 letters: 50 XNT
- 3 letters: 25 XNT
- 4 letters: 10 XNT
- 5 letters or more: 1 XNT
Ownership is permanent. The name page says "Permanent, no renewal", so there is no yearly fee. On top of the registration fee you pay a 0.01 XNT Metaplex mint fee and normal network costs. A six-letter name we checked came to 1.037 XNT in total.
Single letters are still available, but not all of them. On launch evening a.x1, w.x1, x.x1 and z.x1 were taken, while q.x1, c.x1, d.x1 and s.x1 were still open at 100 XNT. Popular words went fast too: jack.x1 and xdex.x1 are already registered.
Your name is an NFT
Every name is minted as a Metaplex NFT that you can trade. By default it carries an X1-themed card: a blue gradient, the X1 logo and your name. Before you register you can upload your own artwork instead.
Choose carefully. As Jason said, the artwork cannot be changed after registration. If you want custom art, have it ready before you pay.
A marketplace on day one
The X1 Names marketplace opened with the registry. On the evening of October 19 it counted 508 names, with 39 listed for sale by 7 sellers. The floor was 25 XNT and the asks went up to 100,000 XNT. You can filter by length (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ characters), search listings, sort by price, and see holders and activity in separate tabs.
Subdomains you can sell on their own
The marketplace has a subdomain section too. A name owner can create subdomains one level deep, such as pay.alice.x1. Each one is an independent NFT. It can be sold separately without giving up the main name. The listing describes it as "Independent subdomain NFT. One purchase. Yours without renewal fees." Connected wallets get a My names page and a Subdomains page to manage both.
This is useful for projects. A community can hold one name and hand out or sell names under it, so every member gets a readable address like name.project.x1.
Built into X1 Labs' own apps
X1 Identity is part of a new set of X1 Labs apps that share one app menu: Warp Bridge, Identity, Delegation, Vesting and Validators. XDEX also links to it from its sidebar. Wallet support means you will be able to send to a name instead of a long address once the new X1 Wallet version is out.
How it relates to X1NS
X1 already had a name service. X1NS, built by the community, has sold .x1, .xnt and .xen names for months. On October 19 it held 2,009 .x1 names out of 2,922 in total. Its prices are 80, 60, 40, 12 and 4 XNT for one to five or more characters. So X1 Identity is cheaper for longer names and more expensive for single letters.
The two are separate registries that use the same .x1 ending. Owning a name in one does not reserve it in the other. For example, xenium.x1 belongs to one wallet on X1NS while another wallet has it listed on X1 Identity. The app you use decides which registry it reads. The X1 Wallet will use X1 Identity.
How to register
- Go to id.x1.xyz and type the name you want. The search shows the price and whether it is free, and suggests similar names.
- Open the name and connect your wallet.
- Keep the default X1 artwork or upload your own. You cannot change it later.
- Approve the transaction. The name is minted to your wallet as an NFT.
Short names are going quickly. Anyone who wants a short handle that works in the X1 Wallet should check soon.