Using onchain reputation data for testnet funds with the Superchain Faucet
The Superchain Faucet will enable builders in the Optimism ecosystem to leverage onchain reputation data to to claim up to 20x the typical amount of testnet ETH.
Developers can use testnet faucets to receive free testnet ETH which can be used to interact with smart contracts on test networks like OP Goerli. However, most faucets don’t provide builders with enough ETH to test and iterate on a project from start to finish. The result is that developers spend extra time trying to find funds, or they visit faucets daily to get enough testnet tokens to build their product.
Luckily for builders in the Optimism ecosystem, we have a creative solution enabled by the growing amount of reputation available thanks to attestations on OP Mainnet, WorldID, and across the Optimism Collective.
We're excited to announce the launch of the Superchain Faucet, which will allow builders in the Optimism ecosystem to claim up to 1 testnet ETH per day on testnet OP Chains to help build products and tooling across the Superchain.
What is the Superchain Faucet?
Traditionally, most faucets require social authentication and significantly limit the amount of testnet funds that can be obtained per day to prevent sybil-attacks. The Superchain faucet allows developers to authenticate via their onchain identity in addition to social authentication via GitHub. Developers that choose to authenticate via their onchain identity can claim 20 times more testnet ETH compared to traditional faucets.
The Faucet supports OP Goerli at the time of launch but is designed to extend to other OP Chains in the Superchain. This will include Base, ZORA NETWORK, PGN, and future Superchain partners.
The Superchain Faucet addresses the long-standing issue of inadequate distribution of testnet funds for developers—ensuring that builders have a place to go when building on the Superchain while ensuring that testnet funds are distributed fairly and efficiently.
Using onchain identity to improve testnet token distribution
By using onchain identity data associated with a builder, the Superchain Faucet can drip 20 times the amount of testnet tokens compared to traditional faucets —up to 1 ETH at a time.
To take advantage of this new process, builders can visit app.optimism.io/faucet or get to the faucet via the account drop down menu once a wallet is connected at app.optimism.io.
The faucet currently supports authentication via your Optimist NFT. Support for WorldID will soon be added. As the amount of onchain identity data in the Superchain increases, more options for onchain identity verification should emerge.
If you don’t have an Optimist NFT yet, but want to try out the Superchain Faucet, you can get one by completing the respective Coinbase Wallet Quest or by being an active builder.
We are excited about this new way to engage with testnet funds and this practical new use case for onchain identity! You can learn more about how the Optimism Collective uses onchain identity by visiting our docs page.
Start contributing to the OP Stack
With this launch, we’re alleviating a common difficulty that limits productivity of builders contributing to the OP Stack and building across the Superchain.
If you’re new to onchain development and ready to start contributing, check out CryptoZombies new tutorial Optimism Unleashed. If you're already familiar with onchain development, check out the Optimism Ecosystem Contributions Dashboard for project ideas that the Optimism Collective is looking for. Happy building!