A Beginner’s Guide to StarkNet
Build safer smart contracts with 20+ Web3 DevTools from ConsenSys’ security tooling guide. 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 🙏 Together with ⚡️FUEL⚡️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
Tactic TuesdayBankless Writer: William M. Peaster, Bankless contributor and Metaversal writer A Beginner’s Guide to StarkNet
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!
An introduction to the StarkNet L2
What is StarkNet?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. 
StarkNet is the most advanced smart contract platform ever committed to prod. No, rather, it will be. This is Alpha for a reason: at the very bleeding edge of blockchain tech. There’ll be missing features, centralized training wheels, bugs etc. But we’re making a giant leap.
StarkWare @StarkWareLtd
StarkNet Alpha✨ First step on Mainnet ✅ https://t.co/wMKS3QrfqQ https://t.co/s0mr3Tr72R 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! How to create a StarkNet wallet
How to get started on #StarkNet: The most promising solution to make Ethereum faster and cheaper. In this thread, we’ll hold your hand through your first NFT journey on #StarkNet – a layer-2 rollup on top of Ethereum. 👇🧵 @mottylen @Starknet_Intern @BertBlancheton @odin_free
Braavos is a smart contract-based wallet explicitly designed for the StarkNet ecosystem. To download a Braavos wallet, you could follow these steps:
4/ And ta-da! You now have a Wallet on #StarkNet! Here’s the main tab, where you’ll check out your main Account Balance and your different tokens. The “Activity” tab is where you’ll find your transaction history.
Finding StarkNet apps with DapplandThe 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:
The STRK token 101
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. Key StarkNet resourceWant 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. 
I just published #StarkNet Roundup #42✨🐺 Every week, I publish a comprehensive summary of everything that’s happening in the StarkNet protocol and ecosystem. Here’s this week’s roundup. Don’t forget to subscribe, it’s free! swagtimus.substack.com/p/starknet-rou…
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! The future is bright for StarkNetStarkNet 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.
StarkNet magic, the long term vision: You get far greater throughput than any current solution, running on expensive dedicated servers. But you can verify it all with an Ethereum light client (or stateless client for full security) on your smartphone. Paradigm shift!
Liron Hayman ✨ @HaymanLiron
#StarkNet in one sentence: As blockchain throughput scales up, most of the effect will be shouldered by the prover nodes (which could run on dedicated hardware, like miners), whereas the verifiers, which would constitute most of the nodes in the network, would hardly be affected. 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! Action steps
Author BioWilliam 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! Subscribe to Bankless. $22 per mo. Includes archive access, Inner Circle & Badge. 🙏 Thanks to our sponsor FUEL👉 Explore the FuelVM and discover its superior developer experience! Want to get featured on Bankless? Send your article to submissions@banklesshq.com 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.
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