How to get the LayerZero airdrop - 2023 Guide
In today’s guide, I’ll show you a step-by-step guide to qualify for the LayerZero airdrop.
The Layer Zero network is truly a unique project unlike any layer-1 infrastructure in the Crypto space. Today, most blockchains exist in a closed ecosystem, or use bridging to send assets to multiple chains. LayerZero is trying to take a new approach to interoperability by letting applications interact with multiple blockchains at the same time.
Imagine you have a DeFi app which uses the full security of Ethereum for high value transactions, while executing small transactions on Solana with instant speeds for a great user experience.
Sounds incredible right?
You might have heard of the Stargate $STG token that LayerZero launched a while back. But one important caveat is that the $STF token is not the main token used for LayerZero’s crosschain infrastructure. Rather $STG only serves the Stargate Finance bridge, which is ONE application that runs on LayerZero.
That’s why I’ve put together this in-depth guide to help you qualify for the potential LayerZero $ZRO token which is rumored to be released this year.
Let’s jump into it.
Step 1: Setup a MetaMask wallet and fund it with some ETH
We will assume you have this step covered. If you don't know how, check out my YouTube channel for a full guide
Step 2: Buy and stake STG
The next step is to get some $STG which is the governance token of StarGate finance. Don't worry you can buy a tiny tiny amount and still meet the requirement. I recommend buying it on a cheap network like BSC or Arbitrum, instead of Ethereum. This way you save on gas fees.
After you buy it, go to https://stargate.finance/stake to stake the STG Token. You can pick the shortest staking length of 1 month since it doesn't matter to us.
Step 3: Vote on Stargate DAO proposal snapshot
Next, go to https://snapshot.org/#/stgdao.eth which is the governance forum of StarGate DAO. On this page, all users who have staked $STG token can vote on governance proposals.
Pick one of the active proposals, read it if you want, and cast your vote.
This is also a good introduction to how DeFi protocol governance works.
Step 4: Use Stargate bridge
Now we want to use the official StarGate bridge made by the LayerZero team. Go back to https://stargate.finance then go to the Transfer page. Use it to transfer any token between any two chains. I would transfer some ETH between Ethereum and Arbitrum, since ETH is the native gas token for both chains. So it's easy to transfer the money back later.
Step 5: Use the other bridges powered by LayerZero
LayerZero also powers the main bridges to and from the Aptos blockchain. The two main bridges are LiquidSwap and TheAptosBridge.
Since these two bridges are made for Aptos, you will need to set up a dedicated wallet for Aptos. The best wallet that I have tried for Aptos is the Pontem Wallet. It's also a browser extension just like MetaMask.
Once you're done setting it up, you should also buy a tiny amount of $APT and send it to your Aptos wallet. We will need this in order to claim the bridged tokens.
When you're ready, go back to the two bridges, then connect both your MetaMask wallet for Ethereum, and Pontem wallet for Aptos. Hit transfer and your coins will enter the bridge.
After 5 minutes, go back to both LiquidSwap and TheAptosBridge, and use the claim function to receive your bridged tokens.
Now you're done. If you want to transfer the funds back, you can use the same bridge to send it back to Ethereum.
Step 6: Swap on SushiX Swap which uses LayerZero technology
Aside from bridges, LayerZero also enables cross-chain swaps which lets you buy a token on one chain and have it show up in another chain.
SushiSwap already integrated this feature, and we will try this next.
Go to https://sushi.com/xswap, and pick a swap pair. I tried swaping from ETH on Ethereum to USDC on Arbitrum. After about 5 minutes, I get the USDC on Arbitrum, pretty neat right?
Step 7: Try LayerZero + Circle USDC demo
The last app we want to try is the Circle USDC cross-chain demo. The USDC stablecoin has built a native bridge on top of LayerZero, so USDC can be transferred natively between all chains in the future.
You can find the demo here:
https://usdcdemo.layerzero.network/bridge
To try the demo, use the faucet buttons to get some testnet ETH and USDC first, then transfer some USDC over the bridge.
Step 8: Try other LayerZero apps
One extra step if you want to do more, is to try the community apps on LayerZero. There are three projects I found which claim they are building on LayerZero:
These are legit projects that I have heard of before, but I don't know if their relationship with LayerZero can actually get you in the airdrop. Anyone can claim to be close with LayerZero and use their technology. So I won't put these as requirements for the airdrop.
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