Feedback on ENS Documentation to Improve Developer Experience

[easonchai]

Hello ENS team!

I've been using you guys for the past 4 years, and it has been an absolute joy. This year, I decided to put a twist to my usual hackathon experience and decided to sponsor and mentor a bunch of new Web3 developers as a way for them to grow. Working closely with new developers during this hackathon, I've gathered substantial feedback regarding the ENS documentation. Many newcomers faced challenges while integrating ENS into their projects due to gaps and inconsistencies in the documentation. Below, I've detailed specific areas where the documentation could be improved to enhance the developer experience, especially for those who are new to blockchain development.

1. Clarify Multi-Chain ENS Resolution

Relevant Pages:

• Deployments
• CCIP-Read
• Multichain

Issues:

• Lack of Clarity on ENS Resolution Across Chains: The documentation does not explicitly state that ENS names can be resolved on Ethereum mainnet or testnets regardless of the chain a developer is building on. Since ENS is deployed only on Ethereum mainnet, Sepolia, and Holesky, developers working on other chains (e.g., Base) might be confused about how to resolve ENS names. This is not clear for new developers jumping into Web3!
• Configuration Challenges with Libraries: Libraries like viem require separate configurations for interacting with ENS on Ethereum while performing other actions on a different chain. This separation is not clearly documented, leading to confusion. Example below:

import { useAccount, useEnsName, useEnsAvatar } from "wagmi";

const Name = () => {
  const { data: ensName } = useEnsAddress({
    address: "luc.eth",
    chainId: 1, // As a new developer, I might try to use my own chain I am building on, and not either Mainnet, Sepolia, or Holesky.
  });

  return <div>{ensName || address}</div>;
};

Suggestions:

• Explicitly Mention Cross-Chain Resolution: Update the documentation to clearly state that ENS names are resolved on Ethereum mainnet or testnets, regardless of the chain used for development. It should be made explicit in all the links above wherever possible.

• Provide Configuration Examples: Include code snippets showing how to configure libraries like viem to interact with ENS on Ethereum while working on another chain.

• Add a Chain Support Table: Incorporate a table in the Multichain page that lists supported chains, similar to how other projects present this information (e.g., Magic Link, Privy).

Example:

Network	Chain ID
Ethereum	1
Sepolia	11155111
Holesky	17000

While you do have information on the deployments & their relevant addresses, this is not "beginner friendly" since they don't even know which chains can they use ENS on yet:
https://docs.ens.domains/learn/deployments

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2. Enhance Subdomain Documentation with Code Examples

Relevant Pages:

• Subdomains
• Name Wrapper
• Contracts

Issues:

• No Guidance on Creating Subdomains: The Subdomains page does not provide instructions or code examples on how to create subdomains programmatically.

• Difficulty Finding Relevant Information: Critical information about the NameWrapper contract and how to use it is buried deep in the documentation, making it hard for developers to find. Let me walk through the navigation flow:
  Start from Intro -> Looks at Subdomains -> Click the section & redirected to Subdomains page. However, this doesn't actually tell me how to create a subdomain. It provides no code to write, and not much information upfront that a fresh user can use, which is disorienting. Looking around, I see "Prebuilt Tooling", indicating existing tools or SDKs I can perhaps use, but it brings me to the NameWrapper Overview page instead, which again doesn't have any code, but high level information. Considering its a developer doc, this can be frustrating for users. Same thing for Legacy Subdomains section

• Missing References: The NameWrapper contract is not referenced in the Contracts page, leading to further confusion.

Suggestions:

• Include Step-by-Step Guides: Add clear instructions and code examples on creating subdomains using the NameWrapper contract directly on the Subdomains page.

• Provide Sample Code:

  import { writeContract, parseAbi } from "viem";
  
  const NAMEWRAPPER_ADDRESS = "0x0635513f179D50A207757E05759CbD106d7dFcE8"; // Sepolia address
  
  const nameWrapperABI = parseAbi([
    "function setSubnodeRecord(bytes32 node, string calldata label, address owner, address resolver, uint64 ttl, uint32 fuses, uint64 expiry) public",
  ]);
  
  await writeContract({
    address: NAMEWRAPPER_ADDRESS,
    abi: nameWrapperABI,
    functionName: "setSubnodeRecord",
    args: [
      parentNode,
      label,
      owner,
      "0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000", // Use default resolver
      0n, // TTL
      0, // No fuses
      0n, // No expiry
    ],
  });

• Reference Contracts Appropriately: Update the Contracts page to include the NameWrapper contract and link to relevant sections.

• Add Code Block Language Switcher: Implement a dropdown on code blocks (as seen in other documentation pages) to allow developers to switch between different libraries like ethers.js, viem, or wagmi. Example in the image below:

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3. Improve Documentation Structure and Navigation

Relevant Pages:

• Quickstart
• Tools & Libraries
• Subdomains

Issues:

• Order of Sections: The Quickstart guide appears after the Tools & Libraries section, which can confuse new developers who are unsure where to begin.

• Inconsistent Inclusion of Code Examples: While many pages provide helpful code examples, some crucial sections like Subdomains lack them.

Suggestions:

• Reorder Sections: Place the Quickstart guide before the Tools & Libraries section to guide new developers through the setup process before introducing additional tools.

• Ensure Consistency in Code Examples: Review all developer-focused pages to include relevant code examples, ensuring that newcomers have practical references.

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4. Address Technical Issues with the Documentation Site

Issue:

• Site Rendering Problems: The documentation site sometimes stops rendering content after being inactive, requiring a manual refresh. This disrupts the workflow of developers who switch between coding and reading docs.

Suggestion:

• Fix Rendering Bugs: Investigate and resolve the rerendering issues to ensure the site remains responsive, even after periods of inactivity.

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Conclusion:

Improving these aspects of the ENS documentation will significantly enhance the developer experience, particularly for those new to blockchain and ENS. Clear, consistent, and comprehensive documentation empowers developers to integrate ENS smoothly into their projects.

I'm more than willing to contribute further by providing code examples or assisting with documentation updates. Please let me know how I can help.

Thank you for your consideration.

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Additional Notes:

• Mentoring Experience: My involvement with new developers during the hackathon highlighted these pain points, emphasizing the need for clearer guidance in the documentation.

• Offer to Contribute: If the team is open to it, I can submit pull requests with the suggested changes and code examples to help expedite the improvements.

Please feel free to reach out if any clarification is needed on the feedback provided.

Best regards,
Eason