Introducing IOTA Gas Station (Alpha)

IOTA Foundation -

Simplifying Web3 Transactions

TL;DR:
The IOTA Gas Station allows developers and businesses to cover gas fees for end users on the IOTA Network, allowing them to execute transactions without needing to buy, hold, or manage IOTA tokens. This simplifies onboarding, boosts user engagement, and removes friction for both Web2 and Web3 audiences while enabling builders to handle gas centrally. With features like access control, transaction limits, and usage metrics, operators can manage sponsorships securely and efficiently. As an open-source, industry-agnostic solution, it streamlines blockchain interactions, making dApps more accessible.

What if users could engage with IOTA-powered applications without needing to acquire IOTA tokens or pay transaction fees? The IOTA Gas Station makes this possible by enabling developers and businesses to sponsor transaction costs on behalf of their users. This removes a major adoption hurdle.

In this post, we’ll explore how the IOTA Gas Station works, why it matters, and how you can begin simplifying your users’ journey right from their very first interaction.

IOTA Gas Station: How it Works

Many businesses and developers struggle with onboarding new users due to the complexity of managing wallets and gas fees. Meanwhile, users often hesitate to engage if they need to purchase tokens just to interact with a dApp.

The IOTA Gas Station tackles these challenges by serving as a configurable module that developers can deploy and configure to cover transaction fees for their end users. By integrating it into your environment, you can streamline gas management, making the Web3 experience as straightforward as using a website.

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Note: The IOTA Foundation currently does not operate a Gas Station for commercial use. While we may run an instance to support community projects in the future, the real power of this product lies in your ability to deploy, run, and customize it to support your needs.

Why This Matters for Web3 Adoption

Frictionless Onboarding and Web2 Familiarity: Requiring your users to buy and manage tokens creates a steep learning curve. By sponsoring fees and delivering a familiar Web2-like experience, the IOTA Gas Station lowers barriers to entry, helping newcomers sign up and engage without hesitation.

Flexible Business Models: Whether you absorb transaction fees or offset them through in-app purchases, subscription tiers, or ad-based revenue, sponsored transactions open the door to creative monetization. Tailor the experience to your audience’s preferences and grow your user base sustainably.

Scalable Growth and Ecosystem Potential: With configurable access controls, transaction limits, and a wide range of metrics to be monitored, the IOTA Gas Station adapts to rising user demand. This flexibility supports everything from niche dApps to large-scale ecosystems - providing a pathway to mainstream adoption without sacrificing performance or budget control.

Flexible Sponsorship Scope: Depending on your business model and vision, you can configure your IOTA Gas Station to sponsor a single address, all transactions for your dApp, or even provide a generic service for the entire IOTA Network.

  1. Single-dApp Sponsorship: Projects can cover fees for their users, ensuring seamless transactions within a specific application.
  2. Paid Gas Station Service: Entrepreneurs can offer a gas fee sponsorship service for any user on the IOTA Network. This could involve a subscription or pay-per-use model, allowing anyone in the network to enjoy a smooth experience for a set price.
  3. Large-Scale Ecosystem and Validator Model: Enterprises or government entities running validators on the IOTA Mainnet could reinvest earned token rewards into sponsoring transactions. This not only reduces friction in the system but also potentially creates a self-sustaining model for high-volume use cases.

Process Flow: How Sponsored Transactions Work

The IOTA Gas Station enables user-initiated sponsored transactions. The user initiates a transaction, the sponsor covers the fees via the IOTA Gas Station, and the user retains full control of their on-chain assets. Here’s the high-level flow, separated into a Builder Flow and an End User Flow:

Builder Flow

1. dApp Creation: The Builder develops a decentralized application (dApp) tailored for the intended user interactions on the IOTA Network.

2. Gas Station Deployment and Configuration: The Builder deploys an instance of the IOTA Gas Station. During this phase, critical policy rules are set, including access control parameters, to define which transactions or users are eligible for fee sponsorship. The IOTA Gas Station’s wallet is then funded with IOTA tokens to ensure that it has sufficient resources to cover transaction fees.

3. Integration with the dApp: Once deployed and configured, the Builder integrates the IOTA Gas Station into their dApp. This integration allows the dApp to seamlessly request sponsorship for transactions, effectively abstracting fee payments from the end user.

End User Flow

4. Transaction Initiation and Signing: The End User initiates a transaction through the dApp user interface. They review and sign the transaction with their private key, ensuring that they retain control over potentially affected assets even though they do not pay the fees directly.

5. Fee Sponsorship and Transaction Preparation: Upon receiving the signed transaction from the user, the dApp communicates with the integrated IOTA Gas Station. The Gas Station then prepares the transaction by incorporating its fee sponsorship, meaning it covers the transaction costs from its pre-funded wallet according to the configured policies.

6. Submission to IOTA Mainnet: The IOTA Gas Station broadcasts the fully signed, fee-sponsored transaction to the IOTA Mainnet. The network then validates and processes the transaction, adding it to the ledger.

Key Features (Alpha Version)

  • Supported Networks: Fully compatible with the MoveVM-based IOTA Networks (Mainnet, Testnet, Devnet).
  • Designed For: Developers, businesses, and Web3 builders who want to enable a frictionless user experience without requiring users to first buy, hold or manage tokens.
  • Simple Docker Deployment: Quickly launch and manage your setup using Docker and docker compose, whether on-premise or in the cloud.
  • Access Control: Specify which addresses can use sponsored transactions and actively block any that shouldn’t, helping you maintain control and manage resources effectively.
  • Limits: Configure per-transaction gas caps and set daily quotas to keep costs predictable and prevent misuse.
  • Monitoring & Metrics: Keep tabs on usage, performance, and wallet balances with Prometheus-compatible metrics, making it easy to fine-tune and optimize your deployment.
  • Key Management: Optionally integrate with an external Key Management Service to store and manage private keys in services like AWS KMS, aligning with your existing security practices.

Getting Started

Setting up the IOTA Gas Station is straightforward – just follow these steps to deploy, configure, and start sponsoring transactions for your users.

  1. Download from GitHub: Visit IOTA Gas Station on GitHub to clone or download the repository.
  2. Configure Docker: Follow the step-by-step instructions in the repository to get your Docker environment up and running.
  3. Fund the IOTA Gas Station Wallet: Transfer IOTA tokens to the Gas Station wallet to enable transaction sponsorship.
  4. Integrate with Your Application: Refer to our TypeScript and Rust examples as guides for enabling your backend to request and manage sponsorship.
  5. Test and Validate: Run a couple of transactions in a staging or test environment to confirm that everything functions correctly.
  6. Deploy: Once you’re satisfied with your testing, move to production. Refine configurations based on traffic, usage patterns, and security needs.

Additional Resources

Explore these resources to get support, contribute to development, and stay updated on the latest enhancements to the IOTA Gas Station.

  • Open-Source Repository: The IOTA Gas Station is an open-source project. We encourage you to create issues, suggest new features, and contribute directly to the repository.
  • Builders Discord: Looking for support or just want to chat with fellow builders? Join our Builders Discord, verify your account if you haven’t already, and head to the #gas-station-dev channel. Feel free to ask questions, learn from other developers, and discuss potential feature requests.
  • IOTA Docs: Detailed setup, configuration, and best practices.

Conclusion

The IOTA Gas Station is all about removing barriers, making the jump to public blockchain infrastructure as simple and inviting as logging into your favorite Web2 app. By sponsoring transaction fees, you unlock a world of possibilities for user acquisition, engagement, and retention.

With its alpha release now live, we welcome your feedback to refine and expand its capabilities. Your insights will help shape a more seamless and scalable Web3 experience for everyone.

Ready to explore the future of frictionless Web3? Deploy your own IOTA Gas Station today and make blockchain more accessible for your users. We can’t wait to see what you build!

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