The gist of using the best Ethereum faucet for dapp testing involves the following steps:
- Change the default chain from “ETHEREUM” to “GOERLI” or “SEPOLIA” (these are the two active Ethereum testnets). The following instructions focus on Goerli:
Moralis.start({
apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
defaultEvmApiChain: EvmChain.GOERLI
})- Obtain your Web3 API key and replace the above “YOUR_API_KEY” placeholder to get access to Web3 functionalities:
- Create your free Moralis account.
- Visit the “Web3 APIs” page in your Moralis admin area and copy your API key:
- With Moralis, implement Web3 authentication, fetch on-chain data, and listen to wallet and smart contract addresses.
- Once you’re ready to test the dapp, access Moralis Faucets – the leading testnet faucet hub, and simply hit the “Try Now” button:
- Enter your wallet address and get some Goerli ETH to power transactions on this testnet.
As such, you can start testing your dapps (decentralized applications) with the help of the best Ethereum faucet. But first, create your free Moralis account and start BUIDLing!
Overview
The above-outlined steps should be enough information to start using the best Ethereum faucet. However, if you are new to crypto and dapp development, you might need more detailed instructions. Therefore, we’ll start today’s article by showing you more in-depth how to use an Ethereum faucet for dapp testing. This is where you’ll learn about the different ways Moralis allows you to target either Goerli or Sepolia.
For those who need to establish a more theoretical foundation, we will also explain what an Ethereum faucet is. This is where you’ll also have a chance to learn what testnets are, particularly Goerli and Sepolia. Finally, we will explore the best Ethereum faucet in 2023 to help you determine what to look for in a faucet.
Whether you are targeting Ethereum or any other leading EVM-compatible chains, Moralis is the go-to tool for dapp development. With its Web3 Auth API, Web3 Data API, and Streams API, Moralis empowers you to create dapps without reinventing the wheel. You can also use the ultimate Ethereum boilerplate to build an Ethereum dapp in five simple steps. So, start building dapps with Moralis, then use MetaMask and reliable faucets to test them!
How to Use an Ethereum Faucet
A reliable faucet, especially for such a popular network as Ethereum, is a valuable tool. Further, knowing how to use one and interact with testnets is vital for a project’s success. Now, to interact with testnets, you need dapps or smart contracts in order to have something to test with the provided “play/test” coins. But before we show you how to use an Ethereum faucet, let’s check the different ways you can target Goerli and Sepolia with Moralis.
Using Moralis to Interact with Goerli
Whether you decide to use Moralis’ endpoints with JavaScript or any other leading programming language, you can easily target Goerli. You just need to use this testnet’s chain ID or replace the default option of “EvmChain.ETHEREUM” with “EvmChain.GOERLI“.
To set Goerli as the default network for the purpose of testing your dapp, you need to use the following lines of code:
import Moralis from 'moralis';
import { EvmChain } from '@moralisweb3/common-evm-utils';
Moralis.start({
apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
defaultEvmApiChain: EvmChain.GOERLI
})When you start working with Moralis, you will also use its API reference pages. These pages await you in the Moralis documentation and allow you to test any Moralis API endpoint. As you can see in the image below, the API reference pages also allow you to select the programming language you want to use and then simply copy the lines of code. So, to target Goerli using these pages, you need to select “Goerli” or “0x5” (chain ID in hexadecimal format):
If you are interested in listening to smart contracts or wallet addresses, you’ll want to use Moralis’ Streams API. You can use this neat and powerful feature via Moralis dashboard UI if you want. So, to create new streams targeting Goerli, you need to toggle the “Goerli” option on the “Stream Configuration” page:
If Goerli is the testnet you want to use to test your Ethereum dapps, you are all set. As such, you can start building killer dapps with the help of Moralis’ resources and the best Ethereum faucet. However, since Sepolia is becoming the new most popular Ethereum testnet, we recommend you also check out how to use Moralis to interact with Sepolia.
Using Moralis to Interact with Sepolia
Sepolia is another active Ethereum testnet, and you can also target this testnet with Moralis. The methods of doing this follow the above-presented paths by simply replacing “Goerli” with “Sepolia”. However, to avoid any confusion, let’s look at the details for this:
To target Sepolia, you need to use “EvmChain.SEPOLIA” or Sepolia’s chain ID, which is “11155111”:
You can also set Sepolia as your default testing chain with the following snippet of code:
import Moralis from 'moralis';
import { EvmChain } from '@moralisweb3/common-evm-utils';
Moralis.start({
apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
defaultEvmApiChain: EvmChain.SEPOLIA
})When using the API reference pages in the Moralis documentation, you need to select “sepolia” or “0xaa36a7” (the Sepolia chain ID in HEX):
Just like we showed you for Goerli, you can easily target Sepolia when using Moralis’ admin UI to create your streams. Of course, in this case, you just need to toggle the “Sepolia” option in the “Select Networks” step of your stream configuration:
Testnets and MetaMask
To make the most of the best Ethereum faucet, you also need a way to store the “test” ETH and confirm test transactions. This is where MetaMask enters the scene. Previously, this popular Web3 wallet supported Ethereum testnets by default. However, The Merge resulted in most of the past Ethereum testnets becoming deprecated. Consequently, you now need to manually add Sepolia and Goerli testnets, at least if you want to access them without a node provider account.
So, to add a new network to MetaMask, you need to use the “Add network” button:
Next, click on “Add a network manually”:
Finally, you must enter the following details to connect to the two active Ethereum testnets:
- These are the details to add Goerli:
- Network Name: Goerli testnet
- New RPC URL: https://goerli.infura.io/v3/9aa3d95b3bc440fa88ea12eaa4456161
- Chain ID: 5
- Symbol: GoerliETH
- Block Explorer URL: https://goerli.etherscan.io/
- These are the details to add Sepolia:
- Network Name: Sepolia test network
- New RPC URL: https://rpc.sepolia.org/
- Chain ID: 11155111
- Symbol: SepoliaETH
- Block Explorer URL: https://sepolia.etherscan.io
Note: There are many RPC URL options you can use. Some of them are free, and some require a subscription plan with a node provider. The above two RPC URLs should be free.
Then, you’ll be able to connect to these testnets:
- Goerli testnet:
- Sepolia testnet:
Use Ethereum Faucets
Now that you know how to interact with Ethereum testnets, you are ready to use the best Ethereum faucet. As such, you can simply follow the instructions provided in step four at the top of the article. So, visit the “Pure Faucets” page via the “Moralis faucet list” link. Then, hit the “See faucet list” button or scroll down the page:
Finally, use the “Try Now” button next to the faucet you want to use. Once on the actual faucet page, you need to enter your wallet address. Then you’ll receive the testing funds, and you’ll be able to see the new balance in your MetaMask:
Note: Unfortunately, the “Pure Faucets” page currently doesn’t offer a Sepolia faucet yet. However, we are searching for the best solutions and will most likely add a faucet for that testnet in the near future. There are other faucets available, but until we find one that meets our criteria (explained in the “Exploring the Best Ethereum Faucet in 2023” section below), we won’t add it to our list of faucets.
What is an Ethereum Faucet?
An Ethereum faucet is a dev tool that typically comes in the form of a web application, which provides you with “test” ETH. As pointed out previously, the currently active and maintained Ethereum testnets are Goerli and Sepolia. So, all Goerli and Sepolia faucets are Ethereum faucets. In the case of the former, the faucet provides you with Goerli ETH, and in the case of the latter, you receive Sepolia ETH to your wallet address. Then, you can use those “test” funds to run transactions on the corresponding testnet. Since testnets like Goerli and Sepolia are public, you can also explore your project’s public performance before going live.
Aside from serving dapp and smart contract developers to test their progress, testnets help the core Ethereum team to test updates before implementing them to the mainnet. This is why it’s vital that a proper testnet mimics its mainnet as accurately as possible. Only if testnets meet this standard can they add proper weight to testing.
Now that you know what, for example, a Sepolia testnet faucet is and can answer the “what is a Goerli faucet?” question, we recommend you also get further acquainted with these two testnets.
Post-Merge Ethereum Testnets – Goerli and Sepolia
Goerli (Görli) officially launched in early 2019 at GörliCon in Berlin. Between 2019 and 2022, Goerli became one of Ethereum’s leading options for testing and was the only one not to be deprecated due to the Ethereum merge. That said, this major Ethereum update affected Goerli, as it had to shift from a proof-of-authority (PoA) to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism. Furthermore, Ethereum devs implemented this Goerli update in two phases. However, it was the second phase that merged Goerli with Prater Beacon Chain’s testnet (PoS testnet that ran alongside the Ethereum 2.0 mainnet prior to The Merge). This was also how Goerli served as the final test run before the Ethereum mainnet officially merged with Ethereum’s Beacon Chain.
The Sepolia testnet was born in 2021 as a proof-of-work (PoW) testnet. But just like Goerli, it updated in light of The Merge. Since then, it has become one of Ethereum’s leading PoS testnets, matching the properties of the “post-Merge” Ethereum network, which also transitioned from PoW to PoS. Moreover, thanks to client developers’ care, Sepolia is a safe and accurate Ethereum testing environment.
If you are interested in exploring the Goerli testnet and the Sepolia testnet further, we have articles focusing on that. In those articles, you can also learn more about the key differences between the two active Ethereum mainnets.
Exploring the Best Ethereum Faucet in 2023
You can do a quick Google search based on “Goerli faucet” or “Sepolia faucet” to find several alternatives. However, most of the results are far from what we believe is the best Ethereum faucet. After all, not all faucets are the same. Some are safe and simple to use, and others are more complicated and potentially unsafe. If a faucet demands you to connect your wallet, you must be certain that you can trust the website. Some faucets even require certain social media actions from you, which is anything but user-friendly.
The above are the main reasons behind our decision to create the above-presented “Pure Faucets” page. As Web3 devs, we don’t want to deal with complicated and shady faucets, and neither should you. In our opinion, developers should be able to get “test” funds in a safe and hustle-free manner. Therefore, we came up with the following criteria that all of the best faucets should meet:
- Ease of use
- No signups
- Low-friction experience for developers
Based on the above standards, we have already found the best option among Avalanche faucets, BNB testnet faucets, and Polygon faucets. As far as the best Ethereum faucet goes, we are still on the lookout, but for now, our Goerli faucet is one of the best alternatives. That said, our goal is to eventually offer you pure faucets for all the leading testnets.
We just want to help you stay safe and experience Web3 development in a user-friendly manner. This is also why we created all the “testnet” and “faucet” guides linked throughout this article. Simplifying dapp development is also one of the core goals of Moralis. So, use the pure faucet list in combination with Moralis and build something awesome!
Alternatives to the Best Ethereum Faucet
Currently, “sepolia-faucet.pk910.de/” and “goerli-faucet.pk910.de/” may be the best alternatives. However, they require you to mine the “test” currency. This means you need to run the application for a while before you can get “test” ETH. This is why they are called “PoW” faucets:
The Best Ethereum Faucet in 2023 – Summary
If you covered the sections above, you now know how to use an Ethereum faucet. You know that with Moralis, MetaMask, and a reliable Ethereum faucet, you are ready to start building and testing dapps. Plus, you now know what Ethereum faucets are and how they relate to Ethereum testnets – Goerli and Sepolia. Along the way, you also learned the basics of these two testnets. Nonetheless, we explored the best Ethereum faucet and its alternatives.
Moving forward, we recommend you dive into other Moralis resources – Moralis’ documentation, Web3 YouTube channel, and crypto blog. There, you can find a ton of valuable information about blockchain development, including countless educational tutorials, such as a smart contract programming tutorial. Aside from the basics of dapp development, these outlets teach you about Web3 get event logs, Ethereum Python implementation, how to mint NFT from contract, and answer many questions, including “what is danksharding?“.
You may also want to take a more professional approach to your crypto education. In that case, you should consider enrolling in Moralis Academy. This is the place to learn about blockchain and Bitcoin fundamentals and dive into more advanced topics.
