4

Why was the 12 character limit chosen for account names? Why can't I make a 4 letter account name?

Where can one see all the account names being squatted?

3 Answers 3

2

Why was the 12 character limit chosen for account names? Why can't I make a 4 letter account name?

As explained by Dan here:

Currently EOSIO prohibits the creation of new account names that are less than 12 characters long and/or contain a ".". The purpose of this restriction is to discourage name squatting.

Note, however, that name bidding changes the rules a bit as explained in the link above in Dan's proposal:

[I]t is desirable to enable shorter names for usability and because they are a marketable commodity.

It is also desirable for organizations to have the ability to create a "trusted" namespace where everyone can trust an account suffix like ".edu" or ".com". Shorter suffix enable longer names pre-suffix and therefore have a larger namespace and are more valuable.

The most economically efficient and fair method to allocate shorter names and/or namespaces is to sell the names at market price. To get the most value for the premium names they should not be sold all at once, but over time.

0

According to this, the 12 char limit is chosed to have better performances (i don't know how, for instance, using a 24 char name can inpact on performances...). To check the accounts already created you can refer to this answer.

1
  • The "how" is that a 12-character name is stored internally just as a 64-bit integer.
    – Gassa
    Oct 10, 2018 at 21:30
0

You can view the short names auction here: https://eosflare.io/bidname

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.