A Beginner’s Guide to StarkNet

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Dear Bankless nation,

It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of rollup chains.

They accelerate modular scaling without sacrificing on decentralization.

We’ve looked at Arbitrum, zksync and Optimism in the past but today, we’re turning our attention to the last of the “Big Four” rollups: StarkNet.

StarkNet is StarkWare’s permissionless rollup chain.

The chain is still in alpha, but there’s an awful lot going on. Today, we’re showing you how to get started in this burgeoning ecosystem and where you should be looking for opportunities.

– Bankless team

Modular blockchains are the future. L2s alone won’t solve the scaling problem; for this, we need to move toward a modular architecture. Fuel is the fastest execution layer for the modular blockchain stack, enabling maximum security and the highest flexible throughput.

Go beyond the limitations of the EVM: explore the FuelVM

Bankless Writer: William M. Peaster, Bankless contributor and Metaversal writer

Rollups represent the foundation of Ethereum’s scaling plans going forward.

StarkNet is a permissionless layer 2 (L2) scaling network that is one of the “Big Four” major early rollups. This Bankless tactic will show you how to navigate the StarkNet ecosystem as a novice!

Goal: Learn your way around StarkNet
Skill: Intermediate
Effort: A couple of hours for exploring
ROI: Experience with one of the best L2s

*A “StarkWare L2 chain” output I created with Stable Diffusion*

Today, zero-knowledge (zk) and optimistic rollups are the two dominant Ethereum scaling styles.

Created by StarkWare, StarkNet is a zk-rollup L2 that uses zk proofs to create an off-chain execution layer for Ethereum.

This off-chain execution mechanism is a way to make Ethereum-based transactions extremely affordable and fast. Simply put, StarkNet batches many transactions together and then efficiently posts this data to Ethereum.

Since the Ethereum verification fee is spread out among all users, StarkNet is more affordable as it becomes more popular. Yes, the more transactions there are, the cheaper they become!

Braavos is a smart contract-based wallet explicitly designed for the StarkNet ecosystem.

To download a Braavos wallet, you could follow these steps:

Go to braavos.app
Press Download and download the wallet software to your desktop or mobile device
Set up a new wallet and record your 12-word recovery phrase for posterity
Choose the Mainnet Alpha network to deploy on
That’s it! You now have your own StarkNet wallet:
You can now transfer funds into your StarkNet account using a credit-card service like Banxa or a bridge like Layerswap

The best way to find and explore apps on StarkNet today is through Dappland, a community resource hub that tracks notable app deployments on this Big Four L2.

Dappland currently tracks projects across the Onramps, Bridges, DeFi, Games, NFTs, Social, Infrastructure, and DAOs categories. Some notable projects in these categories include the following efforts:

Ramp — A simple UI for getting funds onto StarkNet
Layerswap — A CEX to L2 gateway
Orbiter.Finance — A cross-rollup bridge
JediSwap — A community-led automated market maker (AMM) exchange
briq — An NFT building protocol, a la Minecraft
Realms — An onchain game situated in the Loot universe
Mint Square — An NFT marketplace
StarkBoard — An analytics data hub
Voyager — A StarkNet block explorer service
Cartridge — A StarkNet gaming console

“If you are an end user, use StarkNet — but only as it serves your needs today. Use it for those transactions and applications that you value, not in expectation of any future reward of StarkNet Tokens. When Community Provisions are announced, they will refer only to snapshots that have occurred previous to the announcement date, and will filter and exclude usage that is deemed by it to be an abuse and gamification of the network, based on the information available at that point in time.” — StarkNet Token Design

StarkNet isn’t going to have a gameable airdrop.

If you used the L2 in the past, you may be in line. But if you’re trying to cram in late, that’s likely going to be counterproductive as the StarkWare team is looking to defend against people who are just trying to game the protocol in the “final hours,” so to speak.

That said, the STRK token is a real thing. While the token isn’t transferable or purchasable yet, STRK has been deployed on the Ethereum mainnet ahead of an official token plan implementation. One tentative plan seeks to distribute 9% of the STRK token supply to StarkNet community members.

Want to keep up with all things StarkNet without having to spend a ton of time doing weekly research?

One must-have resource you need to work into your info diet is the Swagtimus.eth L2’22 newsletter.

This newsletter is the premier destination for learning about all things new with StarkNet. Published every week, this column will help you maintain a firsthand view of the StarkNet ecosystem’s evolutions as it progresses, so double down here if you want to stay current with everything StarkNet!

StarkNet is extremely promising and will likely be a dominant L2 for years to come.

The network is particularly well-positioned to scale. It’s uniquely suited for a ubiquitous light client-centric future, where people manage all of their Ethereum affairs with nodes on smartphones.

For now, though, learning about how to use early StarkNet apps will position you to quickly become a veteran in an L2 space that stands to grow tremendously from here!

Create a StarkNet wallet with Braavos
Surf Dappland for StarkNet apps
Also check out our previous tactic How to Double Down on DeFi

William M. Peaster is a professional writer and creator of Metaversal—a new Bankless newsletter focused on the emergence of NFTs in the cryptoeconomy. He’s also recently been contributing content to Bankless, JPG, and beyond!

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Not financial or tax advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This newsletter is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.

Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here.