NEAR isn't in the Zypto App yet. Post the request to your followers, chains with the most demand get prioritized. All network data below stays live regardless.
Built for people, not addresses.
NEAR is a proof-of-stake Layer 1 that aims to feel usable. Validators are chosen by stake to produce blocks, work is split across shards so the network can scale, and accounts use names you can read. Four ideas make that work.
Human-readable accounts
Instead of long hexadecimal addresses, NEAR accounts use names like alice.near. Access keys let you grant scoped permissions, and meta-transactions let apps cover fees on a user's behalf.
Sharding for scale
NEAR's sharding design, often called Nightshade, splits the network so transactions process in parallel across shards. Capacity can be added as demand grows rather than every node redoing all the work.
Proof of Stake
Validators are selected by stake to produce and validate blocks. NEAR holders can delegate stake to validators and earn rewards, and blocks finalize quickly, on the order of a second or two.
Low fees in NEAR
Transaction fees are low and paid in NEAR. A portion of fees is burned, and contracts can earn a rebate on the fees their usage generates, which rewards active applications.
Broadcast
You sign a transaction with an access key on your named account and broadcast it. The network routes it to the shard responsible for the accounts involved.
Validate
Validators chosen by stake produce and validate blocks. Each shard processes its share of transactions in parallel, so the network can handle more as it grows.
Finalize
Blocks finalize in about a second or two. Once finalized the result is settled, and fees, paid in NEAR with a portion burned, are accounted for.
- Named accounts, readable names and scoped access keys
- Staking & delegation, earn rewards by backing validators
- Smart contracts, written in Rust and other languages
- Meta-transactions, apps can cover fees for users
NEAR puts usability at the center, readable accounts, low fees, and quick finality, with sharding to add capacity and a contract platform for DeFi and consumer apps.
How the network is secured.
A qualitative read on NEAR's scale and how it stays safe, the staking, sharding and finality behind it, rather than the price. Live figures sit on the explorer.
Built to add capacity. Because work is split across shards, NEAR can process transactions in parallel and grow as demand rises, rather than every node redoing all the work. For live counts, see the explorer.
Human-readable account names and access keys make onboarding clearer, a defining feature of the network.
What NEAR is used for.
NEAR supports smart contracts, DeFi and consumer apps, with a long focus on user-friendly onboarding and, more recently, AI-related infrastructure. Here is where it is actually used.
DeFi
Lending, trading and stablecoin apps run as smart contracts on NEAR, settling quickly for low fees in NEAR.
Consumer apps
Readable accounts and meta-transactions make NEAR a common choice for apps that want crypto in the background, with smoother onboarding for new users.
Smart contracts
Developers write contracts in Rust and other languages, deploying logic for DeFi, tokens, marketplaces and more directly on the network.
AI infrastructure
More recently, NEAR has invested in AI-related infrastructure alongside its onboarding work, building tooling that connects AI systems with on-chain accounts.
A chain built around usability
Where many chains lead with raw throughput, NEAR leads with readable accounts and onboarding, then scales through sharding. Learn the basics in our crypto basics guides.
Be the reason NEAR ships next.
NEAR isn't in the Zypto App yet. We prioritize the chains our community asks for most, so post the request and rally your followers. Every network detail above stays fully live in the meantime.
Be the reason NEAR ships next.
NEAR isn't in the Zypto App yet. Post the request to your followers and ask them to add their voice, we prioritize the chains with the most demand. Everything above stays fully live either way. For live prices, see the NEAR price page.
Available in the Zypto App · native asset & tokens
NEAR's native asset is NEAR. Tokens issued by contracts live on the network and would be held in self-custody, your keys, your coins.
Get NEAR in Zypto AppAccepted as Payment
When NEAR ships, you would be able to pay bills, top-ups and 24,000+ products with it through Zypto Pay, settling in seconds for a low network fee. Request it to move it up the list.
Swap & convert
Once integrated, Zypto would route the best swap path automatically across these providers. Request NEAR to help it ship sooner.
A usability-first Layer 1, plainly told.
What is NEAR Protocol in one sentence?
What is the difference between NEAR Protocol and NEAR?
How does NEAR scale?
What are human-readable accounts?
Is NEAR available in the Zypto App?
Other major networks.
Learn more.
Zypto App
Hold crypto in self-custody.
Buy, send and swap supported assets in seconds, and use your crypto for real-world spending with a real Visa card, wherever Visa is accepted, all in one self-custodial app. Request NEAR to help it ship next.
Self-custodial · non-custodial · your keys, your coins.
