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Overview

A faucet provides free testnet tokens for testing and development purposes. This allows you to experiment with NEAR Protocol without spending real money.
Testnet tokens have no real-world value and are only for development and testing.
There are two testnet faucets available:
  1. Built-in Faucet - Provides native testnet NEAR tokens only
  2. External Faucet - Supports multiple fungible tokens (NEAR, USDT, USDC, and more)
If any of the faucets is not working, please report it on the NEAR Telegram Channel.

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Built-in Faucet

The simplest way to get testnet NEAR tokens is to use the built-in faucet.
1

Enter Your Account

Input your testnet account name (e.g., yourname.testnet).
You must have a testnet account created first. If you don’t have one, visit the Quick Start guide to create an account.
2

Request Tokens

Click the “Request” button to receive testnet NEAR tokens.The faucet will send a small amount of testnet NEAR tokens (typically 10-20 NEAR) to your account.
3

Verify Receipt

Check your account balance to confirm you received the tokens:
near state yourname.testnet

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External Faucet

For more token options, use the Testnet Faucet which supports a wide range of fungible tokens.

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Supported Tokens

The external faucet provides:

NEAR

Native NEAR Protocol tokens

USDT

Tether USD stablecoin

USDC

USD Coin stablecoin

DAI

DAI stablecoin

WETH

Wrapped Ethereum

Other Tokens

Various other fungible tokens

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How to Use

1

Visit the Faucet

Navigate to near-faucet.io
2

Input Your Address

Enter your testnet account name (e.g., yourname.testnet)
3

Select Token Type

Choose which type of token you need from the dropdown menu
4

Request Tokens

Click the request button and wait for the transaction to complete
The external faucet may have rate limits to prevent abuse. If you need more tokens, wait a few hours before requesting again.
The faucet might be out of certain tokens at times. See the alternative methods below if this happens.

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Alternative: Get Tokens via DEX

Another way to get fungible tokens on testnet is through the testnet version of Ref Finance, a decentralized exchange (DEX) on NEAR.

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Using Ref Finance Testnet

1

Visit Ref Finance Testnet

Go to testnet.ref.finance
2

Connect Your Wallet

Connect your testnet wallet to the application
3

Swap Tokens

Swap testnet NEAR for other fungible tokens:
  • Testnet USDC
  • Testnet USDT
  • Testnet DAI
  • Other available tokens
Token rates on testnet might not match mainnet rates (e.g., 1 USDC might not exchange to the same amount of NEAR as on mainnet). Liquidity on testnet may also be very low.

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Faucet Best Practices

Request Only What You Need

Be considerate of other developers and only request tokens you’ll actually use

Use Testnet First

Always test your applications thoroughly on testnet before deploying to mainnet

Monitor Your Balance

Keep track of your testnet token usage to avoid running out during testing

Report Issues

If you encounter faucet problems, report them to help the community

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Common Use Cases

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Smart Contract Development

You’ll need testnet tokens to:
  • Deploy contracts to testnet
  • Pay for gas fees during testing
  • Test token transfers and contract interactions
# Deploy a contract (requires testnet NEAR)
near deploy --accountId yourcontract.testnet --wasmFile contract.wasm

# Call a contract method
near call yourcontract.testnet method_name '{"arg": "value"}' --accountId yourname.testnet

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Web3 Application Testing

Test your dApp with various tokens:
  • Test user onboarding flows
  • Simulate token swaps and transfers
  • Verify contract interactions
  • Test cross-contract calls

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Multi-Token Testing

If you’re building a DeFi application or working with multiple tokens:
  1. Get testnet NEAR from the built-in faucet
  2. Get other tokens (USDT, USDC) from the external faucet
  3. Use Ref Finance to swap between tokens
  4. Test your application with different token combinations

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Troubleshooting

If your faucet request fails:
  • Verify your account exists: Make sure you created a testnet account first
  • Check account format: Account should end with .testnet
  • Try again later: The faucet may be temporarily unavailable
  • Use alternative faucet: Try the other faucet option
  • Report the issue: Contact support via Telegram
If you requested tokens but didn’t receive them:
  1. Wait a few minutes - transactions may take time
  2. Check your account balance: 
    near state yourname.testnet
  3. Verify the transaction on the testnet explorer
  4. Try the alternative faucet
If you’ve exhausted the faucet limits:
  • Wait for cooldown: Faucets have rate limits, usually 24 hours
  • Ask the community: Request tokens in NEAR Discord or Telegram
  • Use Ref Finance: Swap NEAR for other tokens if you need different token types
  • Create multiple accounts: If absolutely necessary for testing, create additional testnet accounts
If the external faucet is out of a specific token:
  1. Get testnet NEAR from the built-in faucet
  2. Use Ref Finance testnet to swap for the tokens you need
  3. Check back later - faucets are regularly refilled
  4. Report the issue on Telegram

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Moving to Mainnet

Once you’ve completed testing with testnet tokens:
1

Thoroughly Test

Ensure all functionality works correctly on testnet
2

Create Mainnet Account

Set up a mainnet account at MyNEARWallet
3

Acquire Real NEAR

Purchase NEAR tokens from an exchange or use other acquisition methods
4

Deploy to Mainnet

Deploy your tested contracts and applications to mainnet
export NEAR_ENV=mainnet
near deploy --accountId yourcontract.near --wasmFile contract.wasm
Mainnet transactions use real NEAR tokens with real value. Always test thoroughly on testnet first.

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Additional Resources

Quick Start Guide

Complete guide to getting started with NEAR

Create an Account

Learn how to create a NEAR account

Smart Contracts

Build your first smart contract

NEAR Explorer

View testnet transactions and accounts

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Get Help

Need assistance with the faucet or testnet tokens?

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