Question 1

What is DOT?

Accepted Answer

DOT is Polkadot's native token, primarily used for governance, staking, and purchasing Coretime. It is not a general-purpose token for a particular parachain or testnet: holders can use DOT to make decisions on network rules, bond DOT to provide economic backing for network security, and applications can use DOT to obtain Polkadot's secure computing resources.

Question 2

What are the main uses of DOT?

Accepted Answer

DOT has three core uses: governance, staking, and purchasing Coretime. Governance determines protocol-level rules; staking bonds tokens to the network security mechanism and may earn rewards; Coretime is the resource through which applications obtain secure computing capacity. These respectively correspond to how the network makes decisions, ensures security, and allocates computing resources, and are not the same type of operation.

Question 3

How does DOT participate in governance?

Accepted Answer

Yes. DOT holders can vote on referenda in Polkadot OpenGov and can also propose network changes; matters subject to voting include fees, token issuance, and code upgrades. Voting is not merely an expression of opinion: tokens are used for voting, and lockup commitments affect voting weight and the period for which balances can be used. Therefore, the consequences of proposals, voting, and lockups should be understood separately before participating.

Question 4

How is DOT used for staking?

Accepted Answer

Staking DOT means bonding tokens to Polkadot's NPoS security mechanism, rather than lending coins to a project. Validators participate in block production and finalization; nominators select and support validators, and the system allocates economic backing to validators accordingly. Network security depends on locked capital: an attacker seeking to disrupt the network must bear greater economic losses. Rewards come from the protocol's issuance arrangement and are distributed between validators and their supporters according to settlement cycles such as eras; whether rewards are received also depends on whether the supported validator is selected into the active set and on its operational performance. The minimum bonded amount required to become an active nominator directly can change; if it is insufficient, participation is possible through a nomination pool. Bonding does not eliminate risk, and validator misconduct or poor performance can affect outcomes.

Question 5

What is the relationship between Coretime and DOT?

Accepted Answer

Coretime is how Polkadot allocates execution resources to applications over time; by purchasing Coretime for the relevant period, an application can obtain secure computing capacity and interoperability conditions provided by Polkadot. DOT is the token used to purchase this resource, so it serves here as payment for resource acquisition, rather than automatically becoming an application's fuel token or proof of ownership.

Question 6

Is DOT's supply limited?

Accepted Answer

DOT has a supply cap of 2.1 billion tokens, but a “cap” does not mean that all tokens are circulating at a given time. Total issuance is the amount of DOT that exists on-chain; some may be in staking, deposits, or other locked states, and whether they can be used for governance or transfers depends on their specific status. When viewing supply, total issuance, active/inactive issuance, and freely usable balances should be distinguished.

Question 7

How is DOT issued?

Accepted Answer

DOT's issuance model changed significantly in November 2024: the previous model had supply growing exponentially at a fixed inflation rate; it was then replaced by a model in which supply grows linearly and the inflation rate declines, approaching the 2.1 billion DOT cap. This change affects the pace of newly issued DOT, rather than converting existing DOT at that time again or rewriting it all at once on a fixed date. Part of new issuance is used for staking incentives, while another part enters the treasury; treasury funds can support Polkadot-related projects through OpenGov referenda. Therefore, understanding issuance requires looking both at the cap and at how new tokens enter the network between security incentives and the treasury.

Question 8

What is the smallest unit of DOT?

Accepted Answer

1 DOT equals 10¹⁰ Planck, and Planck is the smallest balance unit used by Polkadot SDK chains. It functions like the smallest fractional unit of fiat currency: the chain records balances in integer Planck, while wallets usually convert it into the more readable DOT display.

Question 9

What is the difference between DOT and testnet tokens?

Accepted Answer

Mainnet DOT is used for governance, staking, and Coretime on the live network; testnet tokens are used to test network functions, and the two must not be treated as the same asset because of similar names or interfaces. The purpose of test tokens is to enable development and experimentation without affecting mainnet assets. Before receiving or transferring, confirm that the selected network is the Polkadot mainnet.

Question 10

Can DOT be transferred?

Accepted Answer

DOT can be transferred on the Polkadot network, but the transferable balance does not necessarily equal the displayed total balance. DOT used for staking, governance lockups, or other on-chain deposits may not be freely transferable until the applicable conditions are lifted. When initiating a transaction, also verify the destination network and address, and reserve the balances and transaction costs required by the network.

Question 11

Does holding DOT mean operating a validator?

Accepted Answer

Holding or staking DOT is not the same as operating a validator. Validators must run nodes and undertake responsibilities related to block production, validation, and finalization; nominators support selected validators with bonded DOT. Both participate in NPoS economic security, but the former performs infrastructure and protocol work, while the latter's key decision is choosing whom to support.

Question 12

Where can I find official information about DOT?

Accepted Answer

Polkadot's official Wiki and developer documentation should be prioritized. The Wiki is suitable for reviewing DOT, staking, governance, and on-chain state definitions; developer documentation is suitable for verifying Relay Chain, account, and network-interaction rules. For supply, minimum staking amounts, or ongoing governance matters, check the corresponding on-chain state as well, because these data may change with network conditions.

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