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description: What is the Bitcoin Name System?
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# What is BNS?



Bitcoin Name System (BNS) is a network system that binds Stacks usernames to off-chain state without relying on any central points of control. \
BNS-names form a human readably and secure alternative for hard to remember public keys (such as public Stacks addresses and/or Bitcoin addresses).&#x20;

Read more: [https://docs.stacks.co/docs/stacks-academy/bns](https://docs.stacks.co/docs/stacks-academy/bns)
