Flow is a decentralized layer one blockchain that was specifically designed for onboarding mainstream consumers. Built with a unique multi-node architecture and developer-friendly programming language, Cadence, it empowers developers to push the limits of what’s possible while enabling frictionless, safe, and eco-friendly Web3 experiences for their end users. While Web3 is filled with a vibrant global community of organizations building the decentralized future of the internet, we’re confident you’ll find Flow is special.
Today, Flow is home to a thriving ecosystem of creators from top brands, development studios, venture-backed startups, crypto leaders, and more – and the community continues to experience impressive growth. Within the last year, a wave of exciting brands – including Ticketmaster, Mattel, and most recently Doodles – has tapped into Flow’s unique abilities to help build their future in Web3.
Let’s explore the key parts of the Flow ecosystem so you can confidently get started with being #onFlow.
Getting up and running with Flow
The first step can sometimes be the hardest to figure out, which is why the Flow community provides the right resources to arm everyone – from developers to consumers – with the tools and guidance they need to be successful.
Developers
Flow puts developers first. If you’re interested in building on Flow and/or learning more about Cadence as a programming language, here are a few helpful resources we recommend checking out:
These materials are a great way to get started – but they certainly don’t cover everything. Another great option is to tap into our growing community with Emerald City DAO. Emerald City’s founder, community developer Jacob Tucker, hosts a YouTube channel with a full suite of videos that walk through building on Flow.
Consumers
For those interested in exploring NFT collections on Flow, the first stop should be Flowverse. Flowverse is a community-operated one-stop shop for everything you need to know about the Flow ecosystem, including lists of active projects, a calendar for upcoming drops, data on NFT volume, deep-dive content pieces on various projects, and so much more. Signing up to receive the Flowverse newsletter is a great way to stay up-to-date moving forward.
Selecting the right wallet
When you sign up for a wallet, you create a secure home for your cryptocurrency and collectibles to live. Wallets are typically required to use most dapps, including buying and selling collectibles on a marketplace.
Creating a wallet on Flow is a more consumer-friendly experience than on most other blockchains. The most popular wallets on Flow are Blocto, Dapper Wallet, and Lilico. If you’re completely new to the space and primarily want to jump into some of the projects on Flow, then you’ll find easy-to-use wallet Dapper is a great place to start. If you’re looking for a wallet where you can not only hold your NFTs but also stake your FLOW tokens, then Blocto is a popular option.
For a more in-depth comparison of available wallets, check out the community made tool Flowallets.com.
How to purchase Flow’s native token, FLOW
If you’re interested in holding or staking the Flow blockchain’s native token, FLOW, then we recommend getting started with reviewing the Flow Token Economics. This resource covers everything you need to know about the technical details, governance, and protocols for the token.
FLOW can be purchased through a number of exchanges, such as Coinbase, Binance, or Kraken. Feel free to follow the tutorial provided below.
Interested in staking FLOW tokens? You can do so on a variety of exchanges, directly in your Blocto Wallet App, or you can explore other DeFi options such as Increment.Fi or Metapier. As always, we strongly recommend conducting full due diligence before making any final decisions.
Exploring the Flow ecosystem
Flow’s vibrant community includes an entire spectrum of projects, including collectibles, artwork, PFPs, POAPs, music, gaming, and more. Flowverse maintains a detailed list, with some of the most popular projects on Flow right now including:
- NBA Top Shot: Collect digital video highlights from the NBA of your favorite players and teams.
- NFL ALL DAY: Similar to Top Shot, but with more touchdowns and less dunks.
- FanCraze: Collect licensed Cricket highlights and player cards, using them to play cricket games to win rewards.
- Dimension X: A free-to-play strategic role-playing game, with tons of content, rewards, and fun.
- Bud Light Survivor Pick ‘Em: Budweiser partnered with the NFL to create a Survivor Pick ‘Em game with huge prizes up for grabs, exclusively on Flow.
- Flovatar: Create a custom PFP that can really define your look in Web3, and with new customization options being added all the time..
- Emerald City: The first DAO on Flow, providing a range of education and tooling for everyone.
- .Find: Nothing says Web3 like a named Wallet. Find provides the ability to purchase a name that can be used to send Flow Token or NFTs to your wallet.
- Evaluate: Evaluate.xyz provides a range of tools for Flow collections, including portfolio analysis and an NFT trading tool.
You can also shop on secondary marketplaces for NFTs from some of these listed projects at places like Flowty and Gaia Marketplace. As you can see, the Flow ecosystem has a diverse range of offerings to jump into, and teams regularly drop new releases – which leads to the question, how do community members stay on top of it all?
Keeping up with the latest
With so much going on in the world of Flow, even once you’ve got caught up to speed it’s important to stay tapped into new releases and updates so you don’t miss out. Fortunately, there’s a range of tools, newsletters, and active community members to keep community members in the loop. Here are a few options to get started with:
- Flow blog: Read through the Flow ecosystem’s latest news, updates, guidance, and more.
- Flowverse newsletter: Delivering a weekly summary of all the Flow blockchain information you need to know about upcoming NFT drops, news, jobs and more, straight to your inbox.
- Flow Twitter: A must-follow for anyone entering the Flow community if you want to know the biggest updates, releases, and news on Flow.
- Flow Discord: The hub for all conversation a Flow Developer would want to have.
- Evaluate.xyz: Provides a range of tools for Flow collections, including portfolio analysis and an NFT trading platform.
Flow powers a diverse community made up of developers, creators, brands, marketplaces, collectors, and more. It’s a compelling place to build innovative projects, explore interesting dapps, and grow your digital identity through real ownership. Whether you’re Flow curious or an active participant, we’re glad you’re here – and we look forward to connecting with you in the ecosystem.
To learn more about Flow, check out this guide from Flowverse and visit Flow.com.
