---
id: protocol
title: What is NEAR?
sidebar_label: ⭐ What is NEAR?
---

NEAR is a **user-friendly** and [**carbon-neutral**](https://near.org/blog/near-climate-neutral-product/) blockchain, built to be [fast, secure, and able to grow without limits](https://www.leewayhertz.com/comparison-of-blockchain-protocols#Parallel-comparison-of-various-blockchain-networks).

![img](@site/static/docs/assets/welcome-pages/protocol.png)


NEAR is the **blockchain for everyone**.

<details>
<summary> What do these Technical Terms mean? </summary>

In technical terms, NEAR is a [layer-one](https://coinmarketcap.com/academy/glossary/layer-1-blockchain), [sharded](https://near.org/blog/near-launches-nightshade-sharding-paving-the-way-for-mass-adoption), [proof-of-stake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_of_stake) blockchain built with usability in mind. 

[Layer-1](https://coinmarketcap.com/academy/glossary/layer-1-blockchain) means NEAR is the foundation that supports everything else built on it. It keeps all the transaction records safe and unchangeable which keeps the network secure and trustworthy.

[Sharded](https://near.org/blog/near-launches-nightshade-sharding-paving-the-way-for-mass-adoption) means the network is broken into pieces that work in parallel. This helps NEAR process transactions quickly and efficiently.

[Proof-of-stake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_of_stake) uses less electricity compared with other blockchains which use proof-of-work. Users show they own NEAR tokens to help run the network. This makes it cheaper and lets more people use it.
</details>

---

## Why Choose NEAR? {#why-build-on-near}
NEAR is a technical marvel, offering built-in features such as named accounts and account abstraction. For developers, NEAR offers everything needed for their applications, from smart contracts to indexers. All while being interoperable with other chains.

### ⭐ Simple to Use 
1. Use [**named accounts**](../protocol/account-model.md) like `alice.near`
2. Simple sign-up: make an account using [email](https://near.org/signup) or [telegram](https://web.telegram.org/k/#@herewalletbot)
3. Transactions are **fast** _(~1.3s transactions)_ and **cheap** _(< 1¢ in fees)_
4. You don't need to buy crypto thanks to **built-in account abstraction**
5. [Access Keys](../protocol/access-keys.md) make it safe and easy to use.
6. Control accounts on **other chains** thanks to [chain signatures](../abstraction/chain-signatures.md)

### 🛡️ Battle-Tested 
1. 4 years of **100% uptime** with more than [**800M** transactions](https://pikespeak.ai/near-world/overview) processed
2. NEAR has sustained peaks of [>13M transactions](https://pikespeak.ai/near-world/overview) in a day
3. In March 2024, the top three monthly [dApps](https://dappradar.com/rankings?range=30d), based on unique active wallets, were built on NEAR:
    - [Kai-ching](https://cosmose.ai/)
    - [Sweat](https://sweateconomy.com/)
    - [Hot Wallet](https://t.me/herewalletbot/)

### 🧑‍💻 Great Developer Experience
1. Build smart contracts with **Javascript** or **Rust**
2. **Simple onboarding**, thanks to its complete documentation and examples
3. Get answers and learn at NEAR DevRel **office hours**, where anybody can participate
4. Earn from your contract's gas fees
5. **EVM compatible** with [Project Aurora](http://www.aurora.dev) _(Deploy your Solidity contracts with ease)_

### ♻️ Environmentally Friendly
1. NEAR is **[certified carbon-neutral](https://near.org/blog/the-near-blockchain-is-climate-neutral/)**
2. NEAR **consumes in a year** the same energy [**bitcoin consumes in 3 minutes**](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/how-near-went-carbon-neutral-e656db96da47#:~:text=The%20firm%20found%20that%20NEAR,PoS%20technology%20instead%20of%20PoW)