Participate in the Aztec Network
Welcome to the Participate section. Here you'll find educational content about how the Aztec network operates, the $AZTEC token, and how governance works.
Aztec is currently in its Alpha phase, a live mainnet where bugs, including critical ones, are expected. Before using the network, read the Alpha Network page to understand current limitations, security expectations, and what to expect from rollup upgrades.
The Get started guide gives you an ordered path: get a wallet, fund your account, make your first private transaction, explore apps, and stay safe along the way.
What is Aztec?
This explainer covers what Aztec is in under 90 seconds (find more on the video lessons page):
Using Aztec
Want to use the network as a user?
- Get started - Step-by-step onboarding: wallet, funds, first transaction
- Explore apps - Wallets, payments, DeFi, and more built on Aztec
- Staying safe - Official links and how to avoid scams
Basics of Aztec
Want to understand the fundamentals? Start here:
- Addresses - How addresses work on Aztec
- Wallets - Available wallets and hardware wallet support
- Fees - How fees, mana, and Fee Juice work, and how to get Fee Juice
- Transactions - The transaction lifecycle and client-side proving
- Blocks - Blocks, epochs, and proving
- Bridging - How to move assets between Ethereum and Aztec
$AZTEC Token
Learn about the native token that powers the network:
- Token Overview - Token utility and economics
- Staking - Stake tokens to help secure the network
- Delegation - Delegate to professional operators
- Voting - Participate in governance decisions
- Economics - Reward distribution and incentives
Governance
Understand how the protocol evolves through decentralized governance:
- Governance Overview - How decisions are made
- Proposal Lifecycle - From idea to execution
- Voting - How voting power works
- GSE - Governance Staking Escrow explained
- Upgrades - How network upgrades happen
- L1 Contracts - Smart contracts powering governance
If you want to try the network today, follow the Get started guide.
If you're a developer looking to build on Aztec, head over to the Developer Guides.
If you want to run network infrastructure, see the Operator Guides.