Internet Computer is a blockchain platform for running canister smart contracts, with ICP as its native governance and transfer asset. ICP can be burned to obtain cycles that pay for computation. Cycles, custom ICRC tokens and chain-key assets are separate from an ordinary liquid ICP balance.
layer 1 Internet Computer
Internet Computer
(ICP)
Internet Computer is a blockchain platform for running canister smart contracts, with ICP as its native governance and transfer asset. ICP can be burned to obtain cycles that pay for computation. Cycles, custom ICRC tokens and chain-key assets are separate from an ordinary liquid ICP balance.
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What is Internet Computer?
Answer sources checked
20 answers source-reviewed with Codex assistance. Reviewed . This review covers the answers, not exchange listings or the rest of the page.
How does Internet Computer work?
Internet Computer runs canister code across network nodes organized into subnets, with governance handled through the Network Nervous System. ICP transfers are recorded by the ICP ledger canister. Applications pay resource costs in cycles, so using an application is not necessarily an ETH-style gas payment by each user.
Who created Internet Computer?
Dominic Williams developed the Internet Computer vision and founded the DFINITY Foundation in 2016, according to its official history. Researchers and engineers built the network that launched in 2021. DFINITY's origin is distinct from ownership of every application or approval of individual ICP transactions.
Source 1
What is Internet Computer used for?
ICP is used for value transfers, NNS governance participation and conversion into computation cycles. Node and governance rewards also use ICP. Cycles fund canister resources and cannot simply be converted back into ICP, so topping up an application is different from keeping a tradable coin balance.
Where can you buy Internet Computer?
Check a platform's official site for current ICP trading, country eligibility and Internet Computer withdrawals. Confirm whether its destination field expects an account identifier or a supported principal-based format. A custom ICRC token, cycles balance or chain-key token is not automatically native ICP.
Internet Computer exchange reference guides
Before you buy| Exchange | Observed pairs | Catalogue status | Checked (UTC) | Checklist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coinbase | ICP-BTC, ICP-EUR, ICP-GBP + moreCoinbase Exchange public spot catalogue, not Coinbase Advanced or retail account eligibility | Reported open | Check route | |
| Binance | ICPBNB, ICPBTC, ICPBUSD + moreBinance.com global public spot catalogue; not Binance.US or regional/account access | Reported open | Check route | |
| Kraken | ICPEUR, ICPUSDKraken international public currency spot pairs plus Support full names and public canonical-to-altname metadata; not regional, retail, funding or account eligibility. | Reported open | Check route | |
| OKX | ICP-EUR, ICP-TRY, ICP-USDC + moreOKX public SPOT instruments joined to the first thirty-eight global ALL market pages plus three existing category pages. Only explicit SPOT rows with matching API trade ID and base symbol supply names; stocks, swaps and unknown products are excluded. Bounded identity coverage, not regional/account, funding, contract or withdrawal eligibility. | Reported open | Check route | |
| Bybit | ICPUSDC, ICPUSDTBybit global public crypto SPOT instruments with empty symbolType only, joined to the provider-declared CoinGecko ID mapping and exact symbol/full name on its English price page. Price-page coverage is bounded; unmatched identities stay unknown. Not regional, account, funding, contract or withdrawal eligibility. | Reported open | Check route | |
| KuCoin | ICP-BTC, ICP-USDTKuCoin global public spot symbols and asset names, not account or withdrawal eligibility | Reported open | Check route | |
| Gate.io | ICP_ETH, ICP_USDC, ICP_USDTGate global normal spot currency-pair catalogue and embedded full names from api.gateio.ws; premarket excluded; not Gate.US/EU/Dubai, account, region or funding eligibility | Reported open | Check route | |
| Bitstamp | icpeur, icpusdBitstamp public spot market and currency catalogue, not account eligibility | Reported open | Check route | |
| Binance.US | ICPUSD, ICPUSD4, ICPUSDTBinance.US public spot exchangeInfo plus its own price-page JSON-LD full names and ticker identifiers; not Binance.com, One Click Buy, state, funding or account eligibility. | Reported open | Check route | |
| MEXC | ICPUSDC, ICPUSDTMEXC public spot exchange information; API permission is separate from catalogue membership and account access | Reported open | Check route | |
| Phemex | sICPUSDTPhemex public product and currency-name catalogue; only explicitly spot-typed products considered | Reported open | Check route | |
| Bitget | ICPUSDC, ICPUSDTBitget classic public spot catalogue joined to literal names/symbols from the first ten English price-table pages, each bound to its canonical and successful page-specific hydration query. Bounded name coverage, not all price pages or regional/account, contract, funding or withdrawal eligibility. Price presence alone is not a listing. | Reported open | Check route | |
| HTX | icpbtc, icpusdtHTX global public spot symbols plus complete currency full-name settings; explicitly tagged ETPs excluded; API status is not regional/account, retail, contract/network or funding eligibility | Reported open | Check route | |
| BingX | ICP-USDTBingX public spot symbol catalogue joined to exact full names/tickers from forty page-bound English price JSON-LD lists. First page has an explicit root collection URL; later pages require their own collection URL. Bounded name coverage; price presence alone is not a listing. Not derivatives, account, region, contract, funding or withdrawal eligibility. | Reported open | Check route | |
| Upbit | BTC-ICP, KRW-ICP, USDT-ICPUpbit Korea public spot market list; not Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand or account eligibility | Listed; execution unknown | Check route | |
| LBank | icp_usdtLBank public spot accuracy catalogue joined to literal names/symbols on the first ten English price tables. Query pages share the root canonical but must bind the exact current-page number and link. Bounded identity coverage; execution status remains unknown. Not account, regional, funding, contract or withdrawal eligibility. | Listed; execution unknown | Check route |
How to buy Internet Computer
Plan your purchaseHow much Internet Computer?
How can you buy Internet Computer safely?
Verify native ICP and the platform's supported destination format, then review charges and test a small withdrawal. Use a wallet whose recovery and signing process you understand. Do not send coins to a canister or lock them in a neuron simply because a purchase page requests it.
Can you buy a fraction of Internet Computer?
Yes. ICP supports fractional balances, so purchasing a whole token is not required. Platform minimums and transfer fees can still limit practical small transactions. Creating or managing a governance neuron has separate eligibility rules and should not be confused with the precision of a liquid ICP balance.
How much does it cost to buy Internet Computer?
Buying ICP costs the executed market price, spread and platform or payment fees. Withdrawing may add a service charge and ledger transfer cost. Converting ICP into cycles burns it for computation rather than buying another freely reversible trading balance, so that operation has a different purpose.
How much is one Internet Computer worth?
ICP's trading price and the Internet Computer's computation pricing are different measurements. ICP can be converted into cycles, whose pricing is tied to the XDR unit rather than to a fixed number of dollars per ICP; the documented conversion is one-way. A current ICP market quote is useful for valuing a purchase, but it is not the price of a refundable cycles balance. Confirm which asset an application is asking you to acquire.
Is Internet Computer a good investment?
ICP can lose value, and growth in canister usage does not guarantee returns for coin holders. Governance issuance, node rewards, application control and liquidity risks matter. Locking ICP in a neuron adds access constraints; neither voting rewards nor computational utility establish suitability. This is not financial advice.
Compare two order previews
Use ICP credited after buying fees and spread. Extra USD charges must exclude fees already included in the total. Enter 0 only when confirmed.
Which quote delivers more ICP?
Enter your order-preview numbers or use the labeled example. Unknown charges are never treated as zero.
Internet Computer wallets & storage
How do you get an Internet Computer wallet?
Choose a wallet supporting native ICP and follow its official identity and recovery setup. Verify the receiving account format: an ICP AccountIdentifier differs from a principal plus optional subaccount used by many ICRC interfaces. Back up the actual controlling identity, not just a displayed account address.
How can you store Internet Computer securely?
Protect the recovery method for your ICP controlling identity and inspect wallet consent messages before signing. Keep liquid ledger balances distinct from locked neurons and application-controlled accounts. A readable account identifier is not a recovery credential, and an unfamiliar canister should not receive blanket signing authority.
Sending & cashing out Internet Computer
Match your networks
For ICP, copy the exact network names shown in your apps. This compares your entries, not a verified list of supported networks.
Enter both network names
Copy the exact network name shown for this asset in each app. No supported-network catalogue is assumed here.
How do you send Internet Computer to another wallet?
Choose native ICP and use the destination format explicitly supported by your wallet and receiving service. Verify any subaccount or memo instructions and review the fee before signing. AccountIdentifier and principal-based formats are related but not interchangeable by simply pasting one into every interface.
How long does an Internet Computer transfer take?
An ICP transfer must execute on its ledger and the receiver must recognize the destination account. A platform may then apply its own crediting or review policy. Neuron disbursement and cycle conversion are different operations, so their waiting conditions should not be used as ordinary transfer guarantees.
How much does it cost to send Internet Computer?
Native ICP transfers use the ledger's configured transfer fee rather than an Ethereum-style gas auction. Canister computation uses cycles, a separate cost model. Confirm the current fee in the wallet and distinguish it from platform withdrawal charges or application-specific fees before authorizing a transaction.
Can you cash out Internet Computer for real money?
You may sell liquid ICP for fiat where a platform supports your jurisdiction and payout method. ICP locked in a neuron must first become eligible for disbursement under its dissolve rules. Cycles cannot simply be reversed into ICP for cash-out, and bank payment remains a separate service step.
Is Internet Computer traceable?
The ICP ledger is publicly readable and keeps an append-only history of transfers, minting and burning operations. Account identifiers do not automatically name their owners, but exchanges or disclosed principals can connect activity to people. General application privacy does not make native ICP transfers untraceable.
Source 1
Supply, mining & staking
What is the maximum supply of Internet Computer?
ICP has no fixed maximum supply under its documented economic model. Node-provider rewards and realized governance rewards can mint ICP, while conversion to cycles burns it. Total supply therefore changes over time; a launch allocation or current circulation figure is not a permanent cap.
Source 1
Can you mine Internet Computer?
No. Internet Computer does not distribute native ICP through proof-of-work mining. Approved node providers operate network hardware under the protocol's governance and reward system, which is different from permissionless hash competition. A service calling itself ICP mining should not be assumed to represent native issuance.
Can you stake Internet Computer?
Yes. ICP can be locked in NNS neurons for governance, with voting eligibility and rewards governed by current parameters. Rewards accumulate as maturity rather than immediately liquid ICP, and unlocking requires the dissolve process. This is not ordinary validator delegation or a guaranteed liquid savings yield.