Merge pull request #968 from multiversx/integrators-faq

Integrators FAQ

Author: andreibancioiu

docs/integrators/faq.md

@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+---
+id: faq
+title: Frequently Asked Questions
+---
+
+[comment]: # "mx-abstract"
+
+This page contains answers to frequently asked questions about connecting an application to MultiversX, be it an exchange, wallet, dApp, Web3 indexer or data provider.
+
+## General information
+
+### What is the native token of MultiversX?
+
+**EGLD** on Mainnet, **XeGLD** on Devnet and Testnet. The atomic unit of the native token (think of `wei` for Ethereum) is not named.
+
+```
+1 EGLD = 10^18 atomic units = 1000000000000000000 atomic units
+```
+
+See [constants](/developers/constants).
+
+### What kind of consensus does MultiversX use?
+
+See more at [secure proof of stake](/learn/consensus).
+
+### What is the block time (round duration)?
+
+The block time (round duration) is [6 seconds](/developers/constants). Also see [the welcome page](/welcome/welcome-to-multiversx).
+
+### Does MultiversX employ sharding?
+
+Currently, the MultiversX network has 3 regular shards, plus a special one, called the _metachain_ - this arrangement holds not only on _mainnet_, but also on _devnet_ and _testnet_.
+
+Transactions between accounts assigned to the same shard are called _intra-shard transactions_. Transactions between accounts located in distinct shards are called _cross-shard transactions_.
+
+More details about the sharded architecture of MultiversX can be found [here](/learn/sharding).
+Integrators may choose to have a unified view of the network, leveraging the [hyperblock](/integrators/egld-integration-guide) abstraction.
+
+## Wallet
+
+### What signature scheme does MultiversX use?
+
+For transactions, [ed25519](/developers/signing-transactions/signing-transactions) is used.
+
+### What BIP-0044 coin type is being used?
+
+CoinType is **508**, according to: [SLIP-0044](https://github.com/satoshilabs/slips/blob/master/slip-0044.md).
+
+### What is the derivation path for wallets?
+
+The derivation path is `m/44'/508'/0'/0'/{address_index}'`. That is, the _account index_ stays fixed at `0`, while the _address index_ is allowed to vary.
+
+## Transactions
+
+### What is the schema of a transaction?
+
+See [transactions](/learn/transactions).
+
+### How to determine the status of a transaction?
+
+See [querying the blockchain](/integrators/querying-the-blockchain).
+
+### What can be said about transactions finality?
+
+A transaction is final when the block or blocks (for cross-shard transactions) that notarize it have been declared **final**.
+Generally speaking, a transaction can be considered final as soon as it presents the _hyperblock coordinates_ (hyperblock nonce and hyperblock hash) when queried from the network, and these coordinates are under (older than) the [latest final hyperblock](/integrators/querying-the-blockchain#querying-finality-information).
+
+For more details, see [integration guide](/integrators/egld-integration-guide) and [querying the blockchain](/integrators/querying-the-blockchain).
+
+## Accounts
+
+### How does an address look like?
+
+An **account** is identified by an **address**, which is the **bech32-encoded** public key of the account.
+For the **bech32** encoding, the human-readable part (HRP) is `erd`.
+
+### Types of accounts
+
+Both _regular user accounts_ and _smart contract accounts_ can hold tokens: EGLD and ESDT tokens (fungible, semi-fungible or non-fungible ones).
+
+Regular user accounts can sign transactions using their private key. Smart contracts cannot create actual transactions, as they cannot sign them. Instead, they interact with other accounts by crafting so-called _unsigned transactions_ (or smart contract results).
+
+### How are accounts created?
+
+Regular user accounts get created on the blockchain when the corresponding address receives tokens for the first time. On the other hand, (user-defined) smart contract accounts are created when a smart contract is deployed. The address of a smart contract is a function of `[address of the deployer, nonce of deployment transaction]`. For a smart contract account, there is no (known) private key.
+
+### How to distinguish between a normal account and a smart contract?
+
+Examples of addresses:
+ - **regular user account:** `erd1qyu5wthldzr8wx5c9ucg8kjagg0jfs53s8nr3zpz3hypefsdd8ssycr6th`
+ - **smart contract:** `erd1qqqqqqqqqqqqqpgqq66xk9gfr4esuhem3jru86wg5hvp33a62jps2fy57p`
+
+If the address (decoded as bytes) has a prefix of 8 bytes of `0x00`, then it refers to a smart contract.
+
+## Smart Contracts
+
+There are two types of smart contracts on MultiversX: **system smart contracts** and **user-defined smart contracts**. System smart contracts are coded into the Protocol itself, while user-defined smart contracts are developed and deployed by users. The latter are written primarily in **Rust**. The Virtual Machine uses the **WASM** format, by leveraging the [Wasmer](https://wasmer.io/) engine.
+
+### How to detect contract deployment events?
+
+Look for events of type [`SCDeploy`](/developers/event-logs/contract-deploy-events).
+
+### Is it possible to upgrade a smart contract?
+
+Yes, if the `upgradeable` flag is set in the contract's [metadata](/developers/data/code-metadata). Also see [upgrading smart contracts](/developers/developer-reference/upgrading-smart-contracts).
+

sidebars.js

@@ -503,6 +503,7 @@ const sidebars = {
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       "integrators/walletconnect-json-rpc-methods",
+      "integrators/faq",
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     Advanced: [
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