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Users participate in the NEAR ecosystem through their NEAR accounts. These accounts are identified by a unique address, can optionally hold a smart contract, and are controlled through Access Keys. By signing transactions with their account, users can:
  1. Send and receive digital assets (such as tokens or collectibles)
  2. Create and interact with on-chain applications known as smart contracts
  3. Control accounts in other chains (such as Ethereum or Bitcoin) ✨
  4. Help onboard new users by covering the costs of their transactions (gas fees)
Want to create an account?Check out our tutorial on Creating a NEAR Account to get started!

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Account Model Overview

Let’s take a closer look at the different elements that compose the NEAR account model. Account model

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Account ID

NEAR natively implements multiple types of accounts, including:
  1. Named accounts such as alice.near, which are simple to remember and share
  2. Implicit accounts such as fb9243ce..., which are derived from a private key
  3. Ethereum-like accounts which are compatible with Ethereum wallets

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Multiple Keys

NEAR accounts can have multiple keys, each with their own set of permissions:
  • You can easily swap keys if one gets compromised
  • You can use keys as authorization tokens for third-party applications

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Smart Contracts

NEAR accounts can optionally hold an application - known as a smart contract - which can be written in Javascript or Rust.

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Comparison With Ethereum

If you’re familiar with development on Ethereum, it’s worth making a quick note about how accounts are different. The table below summarizes some key differences: