# FAQ

## General Questions

### What is Goliath Network?

Goliath is a public distributed ledger platform engineered to address the principal limitations hindering mainstream adoption of public DLT systems. It delivers near-optimal bandwidth efficiency, processing hundreds of thousands of transactions per second with final consensus reached in seconds.

### What makes Goliath different?

Goliath achieves asynchronous Byzantine Fault Tolerance (aBFT), the highest known level of security for distributed consensus. Unlike other protocols that rely on centralized coordinators or leaders, Goliath's leaderless model is inherently resilient to DDoS attacks and ensures both Fair Access and Fair Ordering of transactions.

### What is XCN?

XCN is the native cryptocurrency of the Goliath Network. It is used for:

* Paying transaction fees
* Staking to secure the network
* Participating in governance through the Onyx DAO
* Value transfer between users

## Getting Started

### How do I connect to Goliath Mainnet?

1. Install MetaMask browser extension or mobile app
2. Add Goliath Mainnet network (Chain ID: **327**)
3. Set RPC URL to `https://rpc.goliath.net`
4. Use [Onyx App](https://app.onyx.org) to swap, bridge, or stake

See our [Quick Start Guide](/user-guide/quickstart.md) for detailed instructions.

### How do I connect to Goliath Testnet?

1. Install MetaMask browser extension or mobile app
2. Add Goliath Testnet network (Chain ID: **8901**)
3. Set RPC URL to `https://rpc.testnet.goliath.net`
4. Fund your wallet through the Telegram faucet bot

See our [Quick Start Guide](/user-guide/quickstart.md) for detailed instructions.

### How do I get test XCN tokens?

Use the [Goliath Faucet Bot](https://t.me/GoliathFaucetBot) on Telegram with one of these commands:

1. `/request <ADDRESS>`
2. `/request <ADDRESS> sepoliaxcn`
3. `/request <ADDRESS> sepoliaxcn staked`

`/request <ADDRESS>` now returns XCN on Goliath, XCN on Sepolia, and ETH/BTC on Goliath.

### How do I get XCN on mainnet?

You can acquire mainnet XCN by:

* **Bridge**: Transfer XCN from Ethereum Mainnet via the [Onyx App bridge](https://app.onyx.org)
* **Exchanges**: Buy XCN on supported CEX/DEX (Uniswap, Coinbase, Binance)
* **Bridge ETH/USDC**: Bridge ETH or USDC from Ethereum and swap on the Onyx App DEX

### What wallets support Goliath?

Any EVM-compatible wallet works with Goliath:

* MetaMask (recommended)
* WalletConnect-compatible wallets
* Ledger hardware wallets
* Trust Wallet
* Rainbow Wallet

## Technical Questions

### Is Goliath EVM compatible?

Yes! Goliath is fully EVM compatible. You can:

* Deploy existing Solidity contracts without modification
* Use familiar tools like Hardhat, Foundry, and Remix
* Connect with Web3.js, Ethers.js, and other libraries
* Integrate existing dApps with minimal changes

### What is the block time?

Goliath achieves:

* **Block Time**: \~3 seconds
* **Finality**: 3-5 seconds
* **Throughput**: 100,000+ TPS for native transactions

### What are the gas fees?

Goliath offers extremely low transaction fees:

* Simple transfer: \~0.0001 XCN (< $0.001)
* Smart contract call: \~0.001 XCN (< $0.01)
* Contract deployment: \~0.01 XCN (< $0.10)

### Why does sending to a new address cost more gas?

When you send XCN or tokens to an address that has never received a transaction on Goliath, the chain automatically creates a new account ("lazy-create"). This requires approximately **587,000 gas** instead of the usual 21,000. Most wallets handle this automatically via `eth_estimateGas`, so no user action is needed. See the [Lazy Account Creation Guide](/developer-guide/lazy-create-gas.md) for details.

### What consensus mechanism does Goliath use?

Goliath uses a unique consensus algorithm that achieves asynchronous Byzantine Fault Tolerance (aBFT) through a leaderless, voting-based system. This provides maximum security without the energy costs of proof-of-work.

## Development Questions

### How do I deploy a smart contract?

```javascript
// Using Hardhat
npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js --network goliath-testnet

// Using Foundry
forge create --rpc-url https://rpc.testnet.goliath.net MyContract

// Using Remix
// Select "Injected Provider" and deploy through MetaMask
```

See our [deployment guide](/developer-guide/deploying-contracts.md) for details.

### What programming languages are supported?

* **Smart Contracts**: Solidity (primary), Vyper
* **SDKs**: JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Go, Java
* **Tools**: Any EVM-compatible development framework

### How do I connect my dApp?

```javascript
const Web3 = require('web3');
const web3 = new Web3('https://rpc.testnet.goliath.net');

// Or with Ethers.js
const { ethers } = require('ethers');
const provider = new ethers.JsonRpcProvider('https://rpc.testnet.goliath.net');
```

## Network & Infrastructure

### Can I run a validator?

Validator onboarding is currently limited during the preview testnet phase. Open validator registration will be announced when we are ready. See our [validator guide](/rewards/running-a-validator.md) for more information.

### What are the validator requirements?

**Minimum Requirements:**

* 24 cores / 48 threads (Intel Xeon or AMD EPYC)
* 256 GB DDR4 ECC RAM (mandatory ECC)
* 5 TB NVMe SSD
* 1 Gbps network (dedicated, static IP)
* Bare metal hosting (VPS not acceptable)

See the [Running a Validator](/rewards/running-a-validator.md) page for complete specifications.

### How does staking work?

**On Mainnet:**

* Use the [Onyx App](https://app.onyx.org) liquid staking module to stake XCN
* Rewards accrue automatically, unstake anytime
* Contract: [StakedXCNDirect](/reference/contracts.md) on Chain 327

**On Testnet:**

* Use [Slingshot Yield](/defi/slingshot/yield.md) for liquid staking via stXCN
* Proxy staking to validators via SDK is also available

**Common features:**

* No unbonding period - withdraw anytime
* No slashing - your XCN is never at risk
* Node operators earn additional validator rewards

See [Rewards Overview](/rewards/overview.md) for detailed reward calculations.

## Governance

### How does governance work?

Goliath is governed by the Onyx DAO:

* XCN holders vote on proposals
* 1 XCN = 1 vote
* Proposals require 100M XCN to create
* 3-day voting period
* 4% quorum required

### What can governance control?

* Protocol upgrades
* Economic parameters (fees, rewards)
* Treasury management
* Network policies
* Validator requirements

## Security & Compliance

### Is Goliath secure?

Yes! Goliath implements:

* Asynchronous Byzantine Fault Tolerance (aBFT)
* Cryptographic proof of consensus
* TLS 1.3 for all communications
* Regular security audits
* Bug bounty program

### Does Goliath support privacy?

Goliath supports:

* Optional KYC/AML compliance tools
* Controlled mutability for GDPR compliance
* Privacy-preserving features in development
* Enterprise privacy solutions

### Is Goliath regulatory compliant?

Goliath provides tools for:

* KYC/AML compliance
* GDPR data management
* Audit trails
* Identity verification
* Regulatory reporting

## Troubleshooting

### Transaction fails with INSUFFICIENT\_GAS?

This typically happens when sending to an address that does not yet exist on Goliath. The chain requires \~587,000 gas for lazy account creation instead of the usual 21,000. To fix:

1. Clear your wallet's activity data (MetaMask: Settings > Advanced > Clear activity & nonce data)
2. Retry the transaction -- the wallet will re-fetch the correct gas estimate
3. If using a script, call `eth_estimateGas` and add a 20% buffer instead of hardcoding the gas limit

See the [Lazy Account Creation Guide](/developer-guide/lazy-create-gas.md) for full details and code examples.

### Transaction stuck or pending?

1. Check network status on explorer
2. Verify gas price (minimum 1 Gwei)
3. Try canceling and resubmitting
4. Clear MetaMask activity data if needed

### Can't connect to network?

**Mainnet:**

1. Verify RPC URL: `https://rpc.goliath.net`
2. Check Chain ID: **327**

**Testnet:**

1. Verify RPC URL: `https://rpc.testnet.goliath.net`
2. Check Chain ID: **8901**

**General:** 3. Ensure internet connection 4. Try switching networks and back

### Balance not showing?

1. Confirm you're on Goliath Testnet
2. Add XCN token if needed (native asset)
3. Check transaction on explorer
4. Refresh MetaMask

## Support & Community

### Where can I get help?

* [**Goliath Help Bot**](https://t.me/GoliathHelpBot): File tickets, report issues, or request improvements
* [**Telegram**](https://t.me/Onyx): Community support
* [**GitHub**](https://github.com/Onyx-Protocol): Technical issues
* [**Community Forum**](https://community.onyx.org/): Discussions
* **Documentation**: You're already here!

### How can I contribute?

* Develop dApps on Goliath
* Participate in governance
* Report bugs and issues
* Contribute to open source
* Join community discussions
* Run infrastructure (validators, indexers)

### Where can I learn more?

* [Technical Whitepaper](https://onyx.org/Goliath.pdf)
* [Developer Guide](/developer-guide/getting-started.md)
* [Architecture Overview](/architecture/overview.md)
* [API Documentation](/apis/evm-json-rpc.md)

***

*Have a question not answered here? Reach out via the* [***Goliath Help Bot***](https://t.me/GoliathHelpBot) *to get support or file a ticket. You can also ask in our* [*Telegram community*](https://t.me/Onyx)*!*


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