Getting started with XPR Network

What’s XPR Network ?

XPR Network is a fast, reliable, and gas free antelope blockchain. XPR Network enables users to transact directly with each other instantly at no cost.

Compared to other chains, XPR Network stands out by being:

• Wayyyy much faster: Most transactions are completed in less than a second (we use the word instant).
• Super affordable: Transaction/gas fees are typically around $0, yes that very cheap.
• High availability: XPR Network has been never halted since the inception block.
• Highly decentralized: XPR Network boasts one of the highest Nakamoto coefficients (a measure of decentralization) among delegated proof-of-stake networks.

On XPR Network, you can dream big and build ANY use case, thanks to the zero gas fees and instant transaction.

What do I need to get started ?

No prior experience with blockchain or C++ is required to learn XPR Network! However, you will need the following:

• A computer running Linux, macOS, or Windows.
  • For Windows, ensure Windows Terminal is installed.
• Node.js 20 installed.
• Basic knowledge of TypeScript programming.
• Familiarity with using the command line.
• Basic understanding of Git, whether via the command line or your preferred GUI tool.

Grab the code from this documentation

We’ve prepared a github repository that contains all examples you will find across this course. Please take a few minutes to clone this repo to your local computer and explore its content.
https://github.com/XPRNetwork/developer-examples (opens new window)

Just before the big dive

As a developer, you should be aware of some important considerations:

• You love JS uh, let’s go TS: Yeah sorry, but the code here is written in typescript … Why ? First because type safety is important while you interact with blockchain, type matching is really important ! Next, because XPRNetwork offers the best SDK to write smart contracts in typescript, you will thank me later when we will start the Smart contract course.
• XPRNetwork storage is not a hard drive: You should always be scarce about how much data you store on-chain. Keep in mind that every operation should be optimized as possible on execution time, and data storage. Computation intensive tasks should be done outside smart contracts (like on a webserver), and stored data should occupy the smallest amount possible of bytes. It may sound lame, but trust me, optimizing is most of the time a fun engineering challenge.
• Take time to understand the underlying concept: You may have a hard time if you don’t fully understand the foundation concepts (like resources or transaction execution order). It's easy to read something and think, "Yeah, I understand," only to realize later that you didn't fully grasp it. Be harsh with yourself as you go through each topic. Read it carefully.
• BUILD DESTROY REPEAT: Try to start small and iterate. Don’t hesitate to fork some projects available on the XPRNetwork github account and break things!