Moonbeam is an Ethereum-compatible smart contract parachain on Polkadot. Moonbeam helps projects expand their reach to new users and markets with a multi-chain approach. It simplifies the developer experience by combining full Ethereum compatibility with the power of Polkadot, including scalability, cross-chain integrations, and on-chain governance.
Moonbeam delivers complete Ethereum compatibility within a Polkadot parachain environment, so developers can continue to use the programming languages and tools they’ve grown used to — but within a fast-growing and scalable Layer 1 chain. It is also compatible with the Substrate and Polkadot ecosystem, including block explorers, wallets, parachains, and more, allowing users the flexibility to choose the right tools and services for the job.
Moonbeam is much more than just an EVM implementation: it’s a highly specialized parachain that mirrors Ethereum’s Web3 RPC, accounts, keys, subscriptions, logs, and more. The Moonbeam platform extends the base Ethereum feature set with additional features such as on-chain governance, staking, and cross-chain integrations.
Glimmer ($GLMR) is the utility token of the Moonbeam Network. Some of the uses of the Glimmer token on Moonbeam include:
- Supporting the gas metering of smart contract execution.
- Incentivizing collators and powering the mechanics around the creation of a decentralized node infrastructure on which the platform can run.
- Facilitating the on-chain governance mechanism including proposing referenda, electing council members, voting, etc.
- Paying for transaction fees on the network.
