An EVM- and WASM-compatible Polkadot parachain, Astar features dApp staking to reward builders and low-fee, cross-chain smart contracts for scalable, enterprise-grade applications.
Astar is a multichain smart-contract network in the Polkadot ecosystem with both EVM and WASM runtimes, plus an Ethereum-aligned Astar zkEVM; its native token is ASTR. Primary use cases include cross-chain DeFi and payments, consumer dApps/NFTs and GameFi, and enterprise deployments in Japan, enabled by dApp Staking that rewards builders. Performance-wise, it offers ~6s block times, typical transaction fees under $0.01, and practical throughput in the hundreds of TPS to support low-cost, high-activity apps.
Astar stands out for dual-VM support (EVM + WASM/ink!), its dApp Staking (Build2Earn) model that routes ASTR emissions to the most-used apps, and native interoperability via Polkadot XCM alongside an Ethereum zkEVM built with Polygon CDK/AggLayer. Compared with Ethereum L1, Astar delivers lower fees (sub-cent vs dollars), faster blocks (~6s vs ~12s), and higher practical TPS (hundreds vs ~15), making it well-suited for high-throughput consumer use cases. Its multichain design lets teams deploy once and tap both Polkadot and Ethereum liquidity and users.
Astar uses ASTR as the gas token for transaction fees. You can obtain ASTR by bridging from other chains or purchasing using thirdweb Bridge.
To bridge ASTR to Astar, connect your wallet to thirdweb bridge, select your source chain, choose the token you want to bridge, select Astar as the destination, enter the amount, and confirm the transaction. The bridge will handle the cross-chain transfer instantly.
To build on Astar you can use thirdweb, which provides an easy way to build, monetize and scale your apps, games or agents. You can find detailed guides and documentation on https://portal.thirdweb.com to get started quickly.
To add Astar to your wallet, you can connect your wallet and click on [Add to Wallet] button at the top of the page. Alternatively, you can add the network manually using the RPC URL and chain details and add it to your wallet's network settings.
To send ASTR on Astar, ensure your wallet is connected to the Astar network, enter the recipient's address, specify the amount of ASTR to send, review the gas fee, and confirm the transaction in your wallet.