NEAR Protocol
A layer-one blockchain secured by proof-of-stake. Validators stake NEAR to participate in producing and validating blocks.
NEAR / NETWORK EXPLAINED
The network beneathevery action.
What NEAR Protocol is, how accounts and fees work, and what that means each time you approve something.
Decentralised validation. Transparent execution. User-authorised actions.NEAR PROTOCOL
Open infrastructure. Connected accounts. A world of applications.
FROM YOUR SCREEN TO THE NETWORKOne action.
One action.
Different responsibilities.
Your wallet prepares. Your account authorises. The network processes. The application updates its state.
Wallet & account
Prepare the request, then authorise it with the account’s access keys.
NEAR Network
Validators process the transaction and its resulting receipts.
Application
The receiving contract or account updates its state.
THE FOUNDATIONA shared network.
A shared network.
Your own account.
The network maintains shared state. Your account holds the balances and permissions that determine what you can do.
Accounts
Named (alice.near) or implicit (64-char hex). Accounts can create sub-accounts (pay.alice.near) and hold multiple access keys with different permissions.
THE ROLE OF NEARValue, computation
Value, computation
and storage.
A token balance has context. Network activity and the space an account uses have different costs.
The NEAR token
The native asset. It pays transaction fees, backs on-chain storage through storage staking, and is staked by validators and delegators.
Transaction fees
Measured in gas and paid in NEAR. A share of fees from contract calls goes to the contract account — a built-in developer incentive.
HOW THE PARTS CONNECTWork distributed.
Work distributed.
One network to use.
Applications run through contracts. Shards distribute the underlying work while the chain behaves as one.
Applications & contracts
Smart contracts compile to WebAssembly and live on accounts. An application is usually a contract plus an interface you interact with.
Nightshade sharding
NEAR splits network state and processing into shards. Nightshade’s design lets capacity grow by adding shards while the chain behaves as one.
YOUR PART IN THE PROCESSUnderstanding the network
Understanding the network
makes the next step clearer.
Confirm the network
Mainnet and testnet can share account names. Read the network before you act.
Read the full account ID
Check every character before .near; for implicit accounts compare the first and last six characters at minimum.
Check the action
A transfer moves tokens. A function call runs code. Adding a key grants access.
Expect finality
Once finalised, transfers cannot be reversed by the wallet, network or support.
Network questions
Next: NEAR IntentsWhy is part of my NEAR balance unavailable?
NEAR uses storage staking. Accounts and contracts lock a portion of NEAR proportional to the data they store on-chain. It's released if that data is removed.
Is a named account safer than an implicit one?
It's easier to read, which helps you spot mistakes, but it's not inherently safer. Look-alike names exist; always check every character.
What's the difference between a full-access key and a function-call key?
A full-access key can do anything with an account, including transferring all funds. A function-call key can only call specific methods on a specific contract, within a gas allowance.
Where do performance figures come from?
This site doesn't quote throughput or finality figures. For current network metrics, consult NEAR Protocol's own documentation and status sources, noting their date.