What Is Polygon?

Polygon is an Ethereum scaling ecosystem that provides infrastructure for building and connecting blockchain networks. Originally launched as Matic Network in 2017 by Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal, Anurag Arjun, and Mihailo Bjelic, the project rebranded to Polygon in 2021 to reflect its expanded vision of becoming a multi-chain scaling platform for Ethereum.

• Overview - Table of Contents
• What Is Polygon?
• Getting Started With Polygon
• How To Get A Polygon Wallet?
• Polygon Resources
• How To Buy POL?
• Latest Polygon News

Polygon's most widely used product is the Polygon PoS chain, an EVM-compatible sidechain that uses a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. It processes transactions at a fraction of Ethereum's cost while maintaining compatibility with Ethereum's tooling and smart contracts. The PoS chain has attracted thousands of dApps and has been one of the most popular scaling solutions, with major brands like Starbucks, Nike, and Reddit choosing Polygon for their Web3 initiatives.

In addition to the PoS chain, Polygon has developed a suite of zero-knowledge (ZK) based scaling solutions. Polygon zkEVM is a ZK-rollup that provides Ethereum-equivalent compatibility, meaning existing Ethereum smart contracts work on it without modification. Polygon CDK (Chain Development Kit) allows developers to launch their own ZK-powered layer-2 chains connected through a shared bridge and liquidity layer.

In 2023, Polygon migrated its native token from MATIC to POL. POL serves as the native gas and staking token across the Polygon ecosystem. It is used to pay transaction fees, participate in proof-of-stake validation, and will serve as the unified token for the broader Polygon 2.0 vision of interconnected ZK-powered chains.

The Polygon ecosystem is one of the largest in crypto, with significant DeFi activity on protocols like QuickSwap (DEX), Aave (lending), and Uniswap (DEX). The network has also seen major adoption for NFTs, gaming, and enterprise applications. Major partnerships with companies like Disney, Meta, and Mastercard have brought attention to Polygon's enterprise capabilities.

Polygon 2.0 is the project's roadmap for evolving into a network of ZK-powered chains unified by a shared bridge. This vision aims to create a seamless multi-chain experience where users can move assets and interact across different Polygon chains without friction.

Getting Started With Polygon

Getting started with Polygon:

1. Step 1: Add the Polygon network to MetaMask or use a Polygon-compatible wallet.
2. Step 2: Acquire POL from a centralized exchange or bridge assets from Ethereum using the Polygon Bridge.
3. Step 3: Use POL for gas fees on the Polygon PoS network.
4. Step 4: Explore DeFi protocols, NFT marketplaces, or gaming dApps on Polygon.

How to Get a Polygon Wallet?

MetaMask

MetaMask is the most popular wallet for Polygon. Add the Polygon network through Chainlist or the Polygon website to start using it. MetaMask supports both Polygon PoS and Polygon zkEVM.

Rabby Wallet

Rabby is a browser extension wallet with native Polygon support that automatically detects and switches between networks when interacting with dApps.

Hardware Wallets

Ledger hardware wallets support Polygon through MetaMask or the Ledger Live application, providing secure offline key storage.

Polygon Resources

• Polygon Official Website
• Polygon GitHub
• Polygon Documentation
• PolygonScan Block Explorer
• Polygon Blog
• Polygon Twitter
• Polygon Reddit
• Polygon Discord

How to Buy POL?

POL (formerly MATIC) is widely available:

Centralized Exchanges

POL can be purchased on Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, and virtually every major exchange. Some exchanges may still list it under the MATIC ticker during the transition. Fiat pairs and trading against BTC, ETH, and USDT are widely available.

Decentralized Exchanges

On Polygon's PoS chain, QuickSwap and Uniswap are the leading DEXs. On Ethereum, POL can be traded on Uniswap and other Ethereum DEXs.

Latest Polygon News

Polygon continues its evolution toward the Polygon 2.0 vision with the rollout of ZK-powered infrastructure. Key developments include the migration from MATIC to POL, maturation of Polygon zkEVM, growing adoption of Polygon CDK for custom chains, and continued enterprise partnerships bringing major brands into Web3.