TRON is a high-throughput blockchain that hosts the largest stablecoin network in crypto (TRC-20 USDT) and an active DApp ecosystem. This documentation is for developers building applications, operating infrastructure, or integrating with the ecosystem on TRON — no prior blockchain experience required. If you are coming from Ethereum, TRON vs Ethereum is a fast-track comparison covering consensus, fees, addresses, and tooling.

Two ways to start:

In a hurry? Run the quick start below to send your first transaction on a testnet.
Want a structured path? Skip to Pick your track — every common developer role has a curated reading list.

Quick start (about 15 minutes)

For the impatient. Skips the conceptual layer; you will have a funded testnet account and a successful transaction at the end. Come back for a track once you want to understand why things work.

Before you start, make sure you have:

Node.js installed, preferably the current LTS version. Run node -v to check.
Chrome or Firefox installed so you can use TronLink.
Shasta selected for first-time learning. Use Nile when you need to test upcoming features or parameter changes.

Connect to the TRON network — set up TronWeb or Trident and point it at Shasta testnet
Set up a wallet — install TronLink, create a new account
Get testnet tokens — fund the account from the Shasta or Nile faucet
Send your first transaction — build, sign, and broadcast a TRX transfer

If you get stuck, start here:

Network or endpoint setup fails: see Connect to the TRON network and Networks.
The faucet is unavailable or test tokens are not enough: see Get testnet tokens.
A transaction fails to broadcast or never lands on-chain: see Broadcast and RPC errors.
You are not sure which page to read: see API task map or FAQ.

Pick your track

Every common developer role has a curated reading list on the Tracks by role page — pages to read in order, recipes to run hands-on, time budget, prerequisites, and a "done when you can…" milestone. Pick the row that matches your goal:

If you are…	Read this track
New to blockchain and TRON	Track 0 — Complete beginner
Operating an exchange or custodial wallet	Track 1 — Exchange / custodial-wallet operator
Building a wallet (new or multi-chain)	Track 2 — Wallet developer
Building a DApp (frontend + contracts)	Track 3 — DApp developer
Writing smart contracts from a backend (no UI)	Track 4 — Smart-contract author
Running or aspiring to a Super Representative	Track 5 — Super Representative operator
Operating nodes other people consume (RPC, indexer)	Track 6 — RPC / infrastructure provider
Integrating TRON into a hardware wallet	Track 7 — Hardware wallet integrator

Can't find your role? For Layer-2 / cross-chain, AI agents, DeFi protocols, token issuance, NFTs, and data scripting, see the Other roles section at the bottom of Tracks by role.

Related resources

Recipes — copy-paste code examples for common operations
API reference overview — the underlying TRON APIs that tracks and recipes call into
TRON vs Ethereum — comparison for developers coming from Ethereum
Blockchain browsers — explore the chain through TRONSCAN
Sign and broadcast — the API workflow — the transaction lifecycle underneath every track