Polygon  

Polygon Cheatsheet: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

Introduction

Polygon, also known as Matic, is a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum. It improves speed, lowers costs, and makes transactions more efficient while still benefiting from Ethereum’s security. Developers use Polygon to build decentralized applications (dApps) without facing high gas fees or slow confirmation times. This cheatsheet covers the most important concepts, tools, and commands you need to work with Polygon in a simple way.

1. What is Polygon?

Polygon is a framework for building and connecting Ethereum-compatible blockchain networks. It makes Ethereum faster and cheaper by handling transactions on its side chain and then settling them on Ethereum.

Important point: It is EVM-compatible, which means you can use the same tools and smart contracts as Ethereum.

2. Native Token (MATIC)

MATIC is the native token of Polygon. It is used for:

  • Paying transaction fees

  • Staking for securing the network

  • Governance decisions

Code Example (Solidity)

// Check balance of MATIC
address user = msg.sender;
uint256 balance = user.balance;

3. Polygon RPC Endpoints

To connect to Polygon, you need to use RPC (Remote Procedure Call) URLs.

Example for Mainnet

Network Name: Polygon Mainnet
RPC URL: https://polygon-rpc.com
Chain ID: 137
Currency: MATIC
Block Explorer: https://polygonscan.com

Example for Mumbai Testnet

Network Name: Mumbai Testnet
RPC URL: https://rpc-mumbai.matic.today
Chain ID: 80001
Currency: MATIC
Block Explorer: https://mumbai.polygonscan.com

4. Smart Contracts on Polygon

Polygon supports Solidity contracts just like Ethereum.

Code Example

// Simple storage contract
pragma solidity ^0.8.0;

contract Storage {
    uint data;

    function set(uint _data) public {
        data = _data;
    }

    function get() public view returns (uint) {
        return data;
    }
}

Important point: You deploy and interact the same way as on Ethereum, but fees are cheaper.

5. Polygon Bridge

The Polygon Bridge is used to transfer tokens between Ethereum and Polygon.

  • PoS Bridge: Faster and cheaper, but slightly less secure.

  • Plasma Bridge: More secure, but slower.

Example: Move ETH from Ethereum Mainnet to Polygon using the PoS Bridge.

6. Polygon SDK

Polygon SDK allows developers to build their own Ethereum-compatible blockchain.

  • Create private chains

  • Build sidechains

  • Customize consensus

7. Wallets Supported

Polygon is supported by popular wallets like:

  • MetaMask

  • Coinbase Wallet

  • Trust Wallet

MetaMask Setup: Add Polygon RPC under custom networks.

8. Gas Fees on Polygon

Gas fees are much lower compared to Ethereum.

  • Typical transaction fee is less than $0.01.

  • Fees are paid in MATIC.

Code Example (Web3.js)

const gasPrice = await web3.eth.getGasPrice();
console.log("Gas Price on Polygon:", gasPrice);

9. Polygonscan

Polygonscan is the block explorer for Polygon.

  • Check transactions

  • View contract details

  • Verify contracts

Link: https://polygonscan.com

10. Staking on Polygon

MATIC holders can stake tokens to help secure the network and earn rewards.

  • Delegators: Stake tokens through validators

  • Validators: Run nodes and validate transactions

11. Development Tools

  • Hardhat: Popular for testing and deploying smart contracts

  • Truffle: Another framework for Ethereum and Polygon

  • Web3.js / Ethers.js: Libraries for interacting with smart contracts

Code Example (Hardhat Deploy to Polygon)

npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js --network polygon

12. Common Use Cases

  • Decentralized Finance (DeFi) apps

  • NFTs and gaming projects

  • DAOs

  • Payment solutions

Conclusion

Polygon is one of the most popular scaling solutions for Ethereum. It allows developers to build and deploy dApps faster and at a lower cost while maintaining Ethereum compatibility. By learning how to use RPC endpoints, deploy smart contracts, bridge tokens, and use tools like Hardhat, you can start building on Polygon with ease. With its growing ecosystem, Polygon is becoming a strong backbone for Web3 applications.

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