Getting Your First Blockchain Funds!

Your wallet is ready, but it’s empty! Time to get some testnet NIM so you can start making transactions. We’ll use the Nimiq faucet - a service that gives free testnet coins for developers.

What’s a Faucet?

Think of a faucet as a “free money dispenser” for testing:

• Free testnet NIM for development and learning
• No real value - safe to experiment with
• Unlimited funds - the faucet has infinite testnet NIM available!
• Multiple requests allowed - you can get funds whenever you need them
• Developer-friendly - helps you build without spending real money

Your First Funding Request

We’ll make an HTTP request to the faucet API to fund your wallet. Look at the index.js file - we’re building on the wallet code from the previous lesson.

Let’s get you some blockchain funds!

Step 1: Create Your Faucet Request Function

Add this function to handle the faucet request:

// Request free testnet funds from the faucet
async function requestFundsFromFaucet(address) {
  console.log('💧 Requesting funds from faucet...')

  const response = await fetch(FAUCET_URL, {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      address: address.toUserFriendlyAddress(),
      withStackingContract: false
    })
  })

  // Check if request succeeded
  if (!response.ok) {
    throw new Error(`Faucet request failed with status: ${response.status}`)
  }

  const data = await response.json()
  console.log('💰 Faucet request successful!')
  return data
}

What this does: Sends a POST request to the faucet with your wallet address, asking for free testnet NIM. The faucet will create a transaction to send funds to your address!

Step 2: Request Your Funds

After creating your wallet and checking the initial balance, add this call:

// Request funds from faucet
await requestFundsFromFaucet(address)

What this does: Calls the faucet with your address. The faucet will queue a transaction to send you testnet NIM!

Step 3: Wait and Check Your Balance

Blockchain transactions take a moment to process. Let’s wait and check if your funds arrived:

// Wait for blockchain to process the transaction
console.log('⏳ Waiting for transaction to be processed...')
await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 3000))

// Check balance again
const updatedAccount = await client.getAccount(address.toUserFriendlyAddress())
const updatedNim = updatedAccount.balance / 1e5
console.log(`💰 Updated Balance: ${updatedNim} NIM`)

if (updatedAccount.balance > 0) {
  console.log('✅ Funds received successfully!')
}
else {
  console.log('⏳ No funds received yet. Faucet transaction might still be processing.')
}

What this does: Waits 3 seconds for the blockchain to process the transaction, then checks your balance again. You should see your first NIM appear! 🎉

What You’ll Experience

When you run this code, watch the magic happen:

• ✅ Empty wallet - Starts with 0 NIM balance
• ✅ Faucet request - Your app asks the faucet for funds
• ✅ Transaction processing - The blockchain processes the payment
• ✅ Funds appear - Your balance updates with free testnet NIM!

You’re about to receive your first blockchain transaction! 🌟

Unlimited Testnet Funds

Great news! The faucet now has unlimited testnet NIM available. This means:

• No daily limits - Request as many times as you need
• Instant availability - Always ready for development
• Perfect for testing - Build applications without worrying about running out of funds
• Multiple requests - Great for testing scenarios that need multiple funded wallets

Feel free to experiment and make multiple requests as you learn!

What This Milestone Means

Once you have testnet funds, you can:

• Send your first blockchain transactions
• Test payment flows in your applications
• Experiment with different transaction types
• Build real functionality without risk

You’re about to have a funded blockchain wallet! This is a huge step toward building real applications.

Next: Creating Transactions!

In the next lesson, we’ll use these funds to create and sign your first blockchain transaction. You’ll learn to send NIM from your wallet to another address!