FLOW Token
The default currency on Flow
Introduction
This section contains information about the FLOW token for individual backers, wallet providers, custodians and node operators.
FLOW as a Native Token
FLOW is the default token for the Flow protocol, meaning it is used for all protocol-level fee payments, rewards and staking transactions. FLOW implements the standard Flow Fungible Token interface, which all other on-chain fungible tokens also conform to. This interface is defined in Cadence, Flow's native smart-contract programming language, which makes it easy to write applications that interact with FLOW.
How to Get FLOW
There are currently several ways to acquire FLOW tokens:
- Claim FLOW as a Backer: Existing Flow backers can claim their FLOW.
- Earn FLOW as a Validator: Receive newly-minted FLOW as a reward for running a node.
- Earn FLOW as a Platform Contributor: Receive newly-minted FLOW as a reward for building on Flow.
How to Use FLOW
With FLOW, you can:
- Spend
- Stake
- Delegate
- Hold
- Vote
- Send and share
- Create, develop, and grow your dapp
Spending FLOW
All you need to spend Flow is an account and a tool for signing transactions (a wallet, custodian, or other signing service). The Flow Client Library (FCL) makes it super duper easy to go to any dapp, login with your account, have a great time, and then sign with the wallet of your choice only once you decide to make a purchase.
Staking FLOW
You can use FLOW to operate a staked node. Node operators receive newly-minted FLOW as a reward for helping to secure the network.
Delegating FLOW
You can use FLOW for stake delegation. Delegators receive newly-minted FLOW as a reward for helping to secure the network.
Holding FLOW
If you have already purchased FLOW and wish to hold it, you have a couple options:
For relatively small, short term holdings - most people use a wallet. Wallets are used to help you sign transactions (verify your actions) when using your FLOW tokens.
For larger, long term holdings - you may want to use a custody provider to keep your funds safe.
You can find wallets and custodians supporting Flow in the Flow Port
Voting with FLOW
Participating in the Flow community is more than just running a node or building a dapp. It's also about engaging in discussion, debate, and decision making about the protocol, the content on it, and the people impacted by it. You can use your Flow account to submit votes to community polls and other governance related activities.
Sending and Sharing FLOW
If you simply want to share the love and bring your friends to Flow, it's easier than an edible arrangement.
It is possible to use the Flow blockchain without holding any FLOW tokens yourself. Free to play games, trials, community polls, and other community activities can all take place with only an account (which may be created on a person's behalf) and a small fixed fee which may paid by a user agent.
The protocol requires some FLOW tokens to process these transactions, but (and this is the cool part!) a product can support users who do not themselves hold FLOW while still providing that user with all the underlying security guarantees the Flow protocol provides.
Transferring FLOW, creating accounts, and updating keys are all actions made easy on Flow Port
How to Build with FLOW
FLOW for Development
The Flow Faucet is a tool for Flow developers to make requests to create accounts and fund existing accounts with FLOW tokens on the Flow Development Network (Testnet).
Getting Started on Testnet
Use the Flow Faucet to create an account and receive FLOW for testing. You can request additional FLOW for testing at any time through the faucet.
Shipping on Mainnet
On Mainnet, you'll need to go to your Flow Port
and select Create Account under the transactions option.
You will only be able to use this option if you currently hold an account on the network with the ability to pay for the account creation fees.
If you do not, and would like to create an accout, please contact us at dev@onflow.org.
Deploying a contract on mainnet will require that you submit your contract for review by a member of the core Cadence team to ensure safety for users. Please submit contract address to dev@onflow.org.
Submitting Transactions and Updating Users
Transactions are submitted using a Flow SDK via the Access API.
On Flow, a transaction is identified by its hash - the hash that exists as soon as that transaction is signed and submitted to an Access or Collection node. Results of transactions can be queried by transaction hash through the Access API. A user can check the status of a transaction at any time via the Flow Block Explorer.
To expose these results natively in your app, you can use a Flow SDK to fetch transaction results, for example using the Flow Go SDK.
Using a Flow SDK you can also fetch account state by address from a Flow Access API, for example using the Flow Go SDK.
Once the transaction is sealed, an event is emitted and you will be able to read transaction events and update the user.
The Flow SDKs also allow polling for events using the Flow Access API, for example using the Flow Go SDK.