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Create a NEAR Account

To start developing applications in NEAR you will need a NEAR testnet account. This account will allow you to deploy and test your applications without spending any real money.

You can create a testnet NEAR account through one of the following methods:

Using a Wallet​

Go to wallet.near.org and choose one of the wallets listed there. Do not worry, the list has been curated, so you can be sure that all wallets listed there are safe to use.

In general, all wallets will offer similar functionality, so in theory you can choose any of them. However, know that some wallets will readily allow you to create named accounts (e.g. alice.testnet), which are easier to remember.

Remember to write down the seed phrase, as it is the only way to access your account!

Testnet

Make sure to create a testnet account (ending with .testnet, e.g. alice.testnet), and not a mainnet account (ending with .near).

NEAR testnet is a separate network that allows you to test your applications without spending real money.

Funding the Wallet

Need testnet funds? try using one of our faucets

Through the CLI​

When developing smart contracts you will expend lots of time interacting with the NEAR blockchain through the command line interface (CLI).

First, you will need to install the NEAR CLI:

npm install -g near-cli-rs@latest

Once you have the CLI installed, you can create a new account using the following command:

near create-account <account.testnet> --useFaucet

This command will create a new account with the name <account.testnet> and fund it using the testnet faucet. Make sure to replace <account.testnet> with your desired account name.

Next Steps​

Now that you have created a NEAR account, you can start developing applications on the NEAR Protocol.

Here are some resources to help you get started: