Learn
Start building on Ink
Plain-word guides to using DeFi on Ink: wallets, bridges, DEXes and aggregators, with links to the real apps.
- NetworkInkEthereum layer 2, Optimism Superchain
- Chain ID57073Ink Mainnet
- Gas tokenETHFees are small
- Ink TVL–DefiLlama
Your first transaction
- Get a wallet and back up the recovery phrase offline.
- Bridge a small amount of ETH to Ink. ETH pays for gas.
- Make a small swap on a DEX or an aggregator.
- Check what happened on the Ink explorer.
Stay safe
Read first- Never share your recovery phrase. No support person, admin or airdrop needs it.
- Open apps from a link you trust and check the URL. Fake copies of real sites are common.
- Read what you sign. Be careful with approvals that ask for unlimited spending, and revoke old ones at revoke.cash.
- Test with a small amount before a large one.
- Nothing is guaranteed. If a deal sounds too good, it probably is.
DeFi basics
- Wallet
- An app that holds your keys and signs transactions. Lose the recovery phrase and you lose the funds.
- Gas
- The fee for a transaction. On Ink it is paid in ETH, and it is a small amount.
- Bridge
- A tool that moves value between networks.
- DEX
- A decentralized exchange. You swap from your own wallet with no account.
- Liquidity pool
- Tokens deposited by liquidity providers. The pool prices swaps and pays them the fees.
- Slippage
- The price change you accept before a swap fails.
- Aggregator
- A tool that compares many DEXs and picks a route.
- Approval
- Permission you give a contract to spend one of your tokens. You can revoke it.
No terms match.