You are adding the Base network by hand. What Chain ID should it have?

8453. 8453 is Base. 1 is Ethereum mainnet, 42161 is Arbitrum One. Check the number against the network’s docs.

Someone DMs you: “Add our network via this link and get a bonus”. What do you do?

Ignore it: add networks only from official sources. A spoofed network can show a fake balance and nudge you into signing a harmful transaction.

You want to try DeFi with $50. Which network makes more sense to start?

An L2 such as Arbitrum or Base. L2s have many proven apps and tiny gas: with $50, fees won’t eat everything.

Hands-on: pick and connect a network

Lesson 16 of 58 in the course “Crypto”. Free, with animations and a quiz.

A network for the job

Now that you know the layers, it is time to choose. Saving bitcoin long term: the Bitcoin network and a cold wallet, no extra bridges. Sending USDT to a friend: a network you both have, often Tron, Solana or one of the L2s. Taking your first steps in DeFi: Arbitrum or Base, with plenty of apps and tiny gas. Staking ETH: Ethereum mainnet, which we will come back to in the staking level.

How to add a network to your wallet

Most wallets already know Arbitrum, Base and Optimism; you just switch them on in the network list. If a network is missing, take the details only from its official docs or chainlist.org and check the Chain ID, the network’s number: 42161 for Arbitrum One, 8453 for Base, 10 for OP Mainnet. Scammers push their “own” network with a swapped server address that can show a fake balance. So no links from your DMs.

Hands-on: your route into an L2

Build the route you will need in the DeFi level. Buy a little USDC and ETH on an exchange. When withdrawing, pick the Base or Arbitrum network and paste your wallet address. Send a couple of dollars first and check that they arrived. Make sure the ETH for gas is there too; a couple of dollars lasts a long time. Everything checks out? Send the rest. After that you are ready for your first swap on Uniswap.

Check yourself

You are adding the Base network by hand. What Chain ID should it have?
Correct answer: 8453. 8453 is Base. 1 is Ethereum mainnet, 42161 is Arbitrum One. Check the number against the network’s docs.
Someone DMs you: “Add our network via this link and get a bonus”. What do you do?
Correct answer: Ignore it: add networks only from official sources. A spoofed network can show a fake balance and nudge you into signing a harmful transaction.
You want to try DeFi with $50. Which network makes more sense to start?
Correct answer: An L2 such as Arbitrum or Base. L2s have many proven apps and tiny gas: with $50, fees won’t eat everything.

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