---
title: Essentials
description: A brief overview of some essential tools to get started with NEAR
sidebar_position: 5
---

# Essentials
----

:::info on this page
* Wallets
* Exploring the NEAR blockchain
* Development on NEAR
:::

There are a lot of ways to interact with both NEAR protocol and the NEAR token.
While the number of tools that can interface with NEAR for different use-cases is always growing, we're going to look at a short list of essential tools to help you start using NEAR. 

In addition to the tools listed below, you can also find additional resource in the [support](/development/tools-infrastructure.md) section of this wiki

## NEAR Wallet

The [MyNEARWallet](https://app.mynearwallet.com/) serves as an entry-point to using NEAR. 
It is a non-custodial, web-based wallet for the NEAR blockchain.
It allows you to send and receive NEAR, stake NEAR, and create NEARdrops to easily onboard new people on NEAR.
Check out our guide to [creating a NEAR wallet](overview/tokenomics/creating-a-near-wallet.md)

## NEAR Explorer

[NEAR Explorer](https://explorer.near.org/) is an online blockchain browser which displays information about nodes, blocks, addresses, and transactions on NEAR.
The NEAR Explorer gives you information about how many nodes are online, how many nodes are validating blocks, how much NEAR each node is staking, how many delegators they have, and what their fee is.
It also gives you a historical look at [statistics](https://explorer.near.org/stats) about the NEAR protocol.

You can find detailed information about the latest block, and the latest transaction.
Alternatively, you can search for a specific block hash, or transaction hash to find out more about them.
Additionally, you can search for a specific account address to find out more about it.

## Command Line Interface (CLI)

The [NEAR CLI](https://github.com/near/near-cli) is a Node.js command line interface that allows you to interface with the NEAR blockchain from the command line.
You can use it for more granular control over common NEAR functions including:

- Creating an account
- Starting transactions
- Deploying smart contracts
- Querying transactions
- Finding information about validators

For more information about the CLI, [check out our developer documentation](https://docs.near.org/tools/near-cli)
