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what is cronos

An independent field guide

What is Cronos?

Cronos is a family of blockchains for fast, low-cost apps — an Ethereum-compatible chain, a proof-of-stake chain, and a zero-knowledge Layer 2 — all powered by the CRO token.

Start readingConnect a wallet
connected chains
3
connected chains
Cronos EVM chain ID
25
Cronos EVM chain ID
mainnet launch
2021
mainnet launch

In one minute

A blockchain built to be fast, cheap and familiar.

A blockchain is a shared ledger that thousands of people can read and nobody can secretly edit. Cronos is one of these ledgers, designed so that everyday apps — trading, payments, games, NFTs — can run on it quickly and for a fraction of a cent per transaction.

Its main chain speaks the same language as Ethereum, so developers can bring their code over unchanged and users can keep their existing wallets. It was built with the Cosmos SDK, which lets it exchange tokens with a wider network of Cosmos chains.

Cronos was launched in 2021 with backing from Crypto.com and has since grown into an ecosystem of hundreds of apps, developer tools and partners.

The ecosystem

Three chains, one family.

“Cronos” usually refers to Cronos EVM, but the name now covers three connected networks. Each one makes a different trade-off.

The smart-contract chain most people mean by “Cronos”.

Cronos EVM is a Layer 1 blockchain that runs the Ethereum Virtual Machine. Contracts written in Solidity, tools like MetaMask, Hardhat and Foundry, and familiar wallet addresses all work the same way they do on Ethereum. Under the hood it is built with the Cosmos SDK, so it can also talk to other Cosmos chains over IBC.

Launched
November 2021
Compatible with
Ethereum tooling & wallets
Built with
Cosmos SDK + Ethermint
Gas token
CRO

The token

What is CRO?

CRO is the native token of the Cronos ecosystem. Think of it as the fuel and the voting share of the network at the same time.

  • Pay for gas

    Every transaction on Cronos EVM and the POS Chain pays a small fee in CRO.

  • Secure the network

    CRO is staked by validators — and delegated by holders — to secure the POS Chain.

  • Vote on changes

    Stakers vote on governance proposals that upgrade and steer the network.

  • Power the Layer 2

    zkCRO, a liquid-staked form of CRO, pays fees on Cronos zkEVM.

What people build

What is Cronos used for?

  • 01

    DeFi

    Swaps, lending, liquid staking and yield strategies, all running as smart contracts with low fees.

  • 02

    Payments

    Fast, cheap transfers of CRO and stablecoins, plus merchant and on-chain payment tooling.

  • 03

    NFTs & gaming

    Collections, marketplaces and on-chain games that benefit from fast confirmation and cheap mints.

  • 04

    AI agents

    Developer kits that let software agents hold wallets, read chain data and send transactions.

Hands on

Getting started with Cronos

  1. 1

    Get a wallet

    Any Ethereum-style wallet works. Crypto.com DeFi Wallet supports Cronos out of the box; MetaMask, Rabby and others can add it as a custom network.

  2. 2

    Add the network

    Most wallets add Cronos in one click from a dapp or chain list. To add it by hand, use the settings on the right.

  3. 3

    Fund it with CRO

    You need a little CRO to pay gas. Withdraw it from an exchange that supports the Cronos network, or bridge it in. Always double-check the network before you withdraw.

  4. 4

    Explore

    Look up any address or transaction on the block explorer, then try a decentralised exchange, lending market or NFT marketplace built on Cronos.

Cronos EVM mainnet settings

Network name
Cronos
Chain ID
25
RPC URL
https://evm.cronos.org
Currency symbol
CRO
Block explorer
https://explorer.cronos.org

Always confirm network details against the official Cronos docs before sending funds.

Questions

Frequently asked

Is Cronos the same as Crypto.com?

No, but they are closely related. Crypto.com helped create Cronos and is a major contributor, validator and integration partner. Cronos itself is a separate network with its own validators, developers and ecosystem of apps.

What is CRO used for?

CRO pays transaction fees on Cronos EVM and the Cronos POS Chain, is staked to secure the POS Chain, and is used in on-chain governance. A liquid-staked version, zkCRO, pays fees on Cronos zkEVM.

Why does Cronos use the name of a Greek god of time?

Chronos is the personification of time in Greek mythology. The name nods to the idea of a fast, reliable chain that keeps time — every block is a tick on a shared clock.

Can I use my Ethereum wallet address on Cronos?

Yes. Cronos EVM uses the same address format as Ethereum, so the same 0x address works on both. Tokens on one chain do not automatically appear on the other, though — moving them requires a bridge.

Is Cronos decentralised?

Cronos EVM is secured by a permissioned, proof-of-authority style validator set, which trades some decentralisation for speed and predictability. The POS Chain has an open proof-of-stake validator set, and Cronos zkEVM inherits security from Ethereum.

Is this site financial advice?

No. This is an independent educational guide. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any asset. Crypto assets are volatile and you can lose money.

Vocabulary

Glossary

EVM
Ethereum Virtual Machine — the runtime that executes smart contracts.
Gas
The fee paid to process a transaction, priced in the chain’s native token.
IBC
Inter-Blockchain Communication — the Cosmos protocol for moving tokens and data between chains.
Layer 2
A network that processes transactions off a main chain and settles proofs back to it.
Validator
A node operator that proposes and confirms new blocks.
Bridge
A protocol that moves assets from one blockchain to another.