Welcome to r/dot. Here you will find guides, tools, news, discussions and more.

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What is Polkadot?

Polkadot is a platform that allows diverse blockchains to transfer messages, including value, in a trust-free fashion; sharing their unique features while pooling their security. In brief, Polkadot is a scalable heterogeneous multi-chain technology.

Polkadot is heterogeneous because it is entirely flexible and makes no assumption about the nature or structure of the chains in the network. Even non-blockchain systems or data structures can become parachains if they fulfill a set of criteria.

Polkadot may be considered equivalent to a set of independent chains (e.g. a set containing Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Namecoin and Bitcoin) except with important additions: pooled security and trust-free interchain transactability.

Join the Community

• Riot - Discuss general Polkadot topics and contact Web3 Foundation and Parity Technologies team members.
• Twitter - Updates on the Polkadot platform and community.
• Telegram - Discuss Polkadot with the community.
• GitHub Wiki - Resources to learn about and contribute to Polkadot.
• Join the testnet - Guide to joining the POC-2 testnet.
• POC-3 UI - Testnet browser & apps.
• Beginner's Chat - Learn about Polkadot and how to interact with the testnet.
• Technical Chat - Listen to Core Devs discuss technical topics related to Polkadot.
• Substrate Chat - Discuss technical topics related to Substrate.
• Governance Chat - Discuss governance topics related to Polkadot.
• Unofficial Telegram - Discuss general Polkadot topics, including market-related discussion.
• Unofficial Reddit - Market-related discussion.

Watch these videos to learn more

• Polkadot Overview - Dr. Gavin Wood presents an overview of Polkadot.
• Polkadot & Substrate Overview - Dr. Gavin Wood presents Substrate (blockchain in-a-box VM) and Polkadot, and builds a blockchain on-stage in 30 minutes using Substrate.
• Polkadot Overview - Dr. Jutta Steiner discusses Polkadot.
• Polkdaot Overview - Epicenter interview with Peter Czaban.
• Polkadot & Substrate Overview - Zero Knowledge Podcast with Gavin Wood.
• Substrate Intro - Dr. Gavin Wood presents Substrate, one of the technologies underlying Polkadot.
• Governance Demo - Dr. Gavin Wood presents the initial governance structure for Polkadot.
• Interoperability Intro - Rob Habermeier presents "Interopability: Connecting the Dots."

Read these resources to learn more

• POC-1 launch - announcing the first Polkadot testnet.
• POC-2 launch - announcing the first live on-chain upgrade to a new Polkadot testnet.
• POC-3 launch - announcing the third Polkadot testnet, with a new consensus algorithm.
• Website - Overview of Polkadot, including FAQ, graphics, and videos.
• Medium - Updates on the development and technology articles.
• Polkadot wiki - Set of spec drafts, maintained by Parity Technologies.
• Substrate repo - Next-generation framework for blockchain innovators.
• Technical specs - Specifications of the platform.
• GRANDPA Block Finality - Exploring consensus and finality in Polkadot.
• Comparison of Interoperability Protocols - Review what separates Polkadot from Aion, Cosmos and others.
• What is Substrate? - Explanation of the framework used to build Polkadot.
• Substrate & Polkadot - How do Substrate and Polkadot relate to one another.
• Polkadot Lightpaper - Digestible introduction.
• Read the Whitepaper - First specification.

Ecosystem Tools

• Polkadot UI - Get started on the testnet without installing a node.
• Telemetry - Information services website listing names and location of all active nodes.
• Polkadash - Dashboard displaying all current validators and governance proposals.
• Polkascan - Real-time multi-chain data for Polkadot Relay Chain and Parity Substrate chains.
• Polkawallet - Mobile wallet for Polkadot.

Guides

• Install POC-3 - Install Polkadot's client and connect to the global PoC-2 testnet.
• Substrate node - How to install and run a Substrate node on BBQ-Birch testnet.
• Create your blockchain - Creating a custom Substrate chain.
• Get testnet DOTS - Receive the native testnet token to use on the testnet.
• Parachains - Deploy and query parachains on the testnet.
• Style Guide - Learn about how to contribute to the Rust implementation of Polkadot.
• Governance - Overview of governance system.