Namecoin (NMC): how it works, supply and reviews
In short
- Type
- Key/value name registration and transfer system based on Bitcoin technology
- Maximum supply
- 21 million NMC, minus lost coins
- Risks and caveats
- Namecoin describes itself as experimental technology.
- Checked
- 31 October 2026
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Key facts
- Ticker
- NMC
- Official site
- namecoin.org
Key facts checked on 31 October 2026 against official sources.
What is Namecoin
Namecoin is an open-source blockchain, forked from Bitcoin, that registers and transfers names with attached data, such as .bit domains and identities. Its coin NMC pays for name registrations and transactions, and the chain is merge-mined with Bitcoin.
Network and consensus
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Key/value name registration and transfer system based on Bitcoin technology |
| Consensus | Proof of work, merge-mined with Bitcoin (or another SHA-256d parent chain) |
| Launched | Mainnet launched in 2011 |
| Block time | About 10 minutes on average |
| Programming language | Namecoin Core is a fork of Bitcoin Core with minimal changes (merged mining and three name opcodes) |
Supply and issuance
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Maximum supply | 21 million NMC, minus lost coins |
| Halving | 50 NMC per block at launch, halving every 210,000 blocks (about 4 years) |
| Fee burn | The 0.01 NMC name registration fee is destroyed; miners receive only the transaction fee |
What NMC is used for
- NMC is the coin of the Namecoin chain and is used to pay transaction fees to miners.
- Registering a name costs a 0.01 NMC registration fee plus a transaction fee.
- Names semi-expire if not renewed or updated for 31,968 blocks (about 222 days) and expire about 28 days later.
Who develops and governs Namecoin
- Developer
- An international team of academics and volunteers; Daniel Kraft leads Namecoin Core development
- Founders
- A pseudonymous founder, Vince, who never revealed his identity
- Foundation
- No company or foundation; funded by crowdfunding, donations, contracting and grants (e.g. NLnet)
- Open source
- Free / open-source software, developed on GitHub
History
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2010 | The BitDNS proposal (by Appamatto) suggests a Bitcoin-like system for DNS; it was later implemented as Namecoin. |
| 2011 | Namecoin mainnet launches, as the first fork of Bitcoin. |
| October 2011 | Namecoin becomes the first sidechain in production through merged mining with Bitcoin. |
| 17 June 2018 | A mining-code bug stops most mining pools for about three days; Namecoin Core is fixed in the master and 0.16 branches. |
Security and audits
- Namecoin's merged mining means a 51% attack would be almost as hard as attacking Bitcoin, according to its security model page (written in March 2014).
- In June 2018 a bug in Namecoin Core's mining code stopped most pools for about three days; the project published a postmortem and a fix.
- Namecoin asks researchers to report vulnerabilities privately and also to upstream projects such as Bitcoin Core or Electrum.
Security incidents
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 17 June 2018 | Outage: Mining halted at most pools from 17 to 20 June 2018 after a pair of name transactions broadcast together triggered a bug in Namecoin Core's mining code; confirmations slowed to 2.1 blocks per hour while two pools kept mining. Namecoin says it knows of no double-spends; the bug was fixed. | namecoin.org |
Risks and caveats
- Namecoin describes itself as experimental technology.
- Names stop resolving if not renewed or updated for about 222 days and can be re-registered by anyone about 28 days after that.
- Mining disruptions slow confirmations and raise exposure to 51% attacks, as the 2018 postmortem notes.
Official links
- Website: www.namecoin.org
- Docs: www.namecoin.org/docs/faq
- Source code: github.com/namecoin
- Blog: www.namecoin.org/news
- Governance forum: forum.namecoin.org
Questions and answers
What is Namecoin?
An open-source blockchain forked from Bitcoin that registers names with attached data, used for .bit domains and identities; its coin is NMC.
What is the maximum supply of Namecoin?
21 million NMC, minus lost coins; the block reward started at 50 NMC and halves every 210,000 blocks.
How much does it cost to register a .bit name?
A 0.01 NMC registration fee, which is destroyed, plus a transaction fee set by miners; names must be renewed within about 222 days.
Who created Namecoin?
A pseudonymous founder, Vince, launched it in 2011 from the earlier BitDNS idea; today it is maintained by volunteers and academics.
Is Namecoin secure?
It is merge-mined with Bitcoin, so a 51% attack is hard; in June 2018 a mining bug stopped most pools for about three days and was fixed.
Sources
- Namecoin - Home
- Namecoin - FAQ
- Namecoin - Team
- Namecoin - Security (vulnerability reporting)
- Namecoin - Dot-Bit security model
- Namecoin - The Great Namecoin Mining Brownout of June 17-20, 2018: Postmortem (8 July 2018)
- Namecoin - Download
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- Lombard (BARD)
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- Powerledger (POWR)
- All Crypto projects →
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