Trying something new can be a scary endeavor.  Having someone to guide you along the way makes it much easier.  Arweave applications are already super easy to use, but it’s not a bad idea to have a little help to get you going. 

Here is an easy guide on how to get started with Arweave.  

Set up your Arweave account

You are going to need an Arweave account so you can use Arweave apps.  One of the great things about Arweave is that you just need one account to use almost all Arweave apps! There are a couple different options to set up an Arweave account.  The two simplest ones are Othent and ArConnect.  Both have different benefits depending on what matters most to you.

Othent

Othent will be the fastest way to set up an Arweave account.  If you have a gmail or other social account, you are already halfway done.  Just head over to Othent.io, click Sign In, and select the Google option to create an Arweave account using your Google login.  If you do that, there is no need to remember a new username and password.  

There is also an option to create a unique username and password if you prefer that option more.  Either way, once you created your account using Othent, you’re done!

However, if you want advanced features then ArConnect is the option for you.

ArConnect

Like Othent, to create an account with ArConnect, head over to the ArConnect website and click “Download” in the right hand corner.  ArConnect is a browser extension, so as your first step, you are going to have to download it.  Once you download the extension, open it to get started. 

When you create an account with ArConnect, your only option is creating an account with a unique password.  Once you do that, you are going to be given 12 backup words, what is referred to as a 'seed phrase’.  It is very important that you write down these 12 backup words in order and keep them somewhere very secure.  Never show those 12 words to anyone.  

For security reasons, ArConnect does not have a “forgot password” option.  Your 12 backup words acts as a “forgot password” in case you do forget your ArConnect password.  One of the extra onboarding features of ArConnect is that you get to test to make sure you wrote down the 12 backup words correctly before you finish creating your account.  After you finish the ArConnect account set up flow, you are finished!

Exploring Arweave Applications

There are a couple of great hubs to explore all the different available Arweave applications that you can now use with your Arweave account you created with Othent or ArConnect.  

ArweaveLists

ArweaveLists is one of the most comprehensive libraries of Arweave Applications.  The tool is easy to use and has a few features depending on how you like to search and discover new applications.  If you like to randomly browse, you can scroll through the list of applications in alphabetical order.  If you like a little more order, you can use the filter in the search bar to sort by categories such as analytics, social, and news .  For those visual folks, click Map in the upper right hand corner to see all the apps grouped in different categories.

AwesomeArweave

AwesomeArweave’s github list of applications is another good option.  The user interface is simpler than ArweaveLists but AwesomeArweave is very comprehensive and also gives you content options if you are interested in keeping up with Arweave related news, podcasts, or videos.  While there isn’t a search option, the lists are broken into categories for easier scrolling.  

Using an application

Once you pick the first application you want to try, it’s as easy as going to the app’s website, and clicking login or connect wallet.  

Try ArDrive with ArConnect

If you are using ArConnect, an easy application to get started with is ArDrive, a cloud storage service.  Just go to ArDrive.io, click Login, then select “ArConnect” and you’re good to start using ArDrive.

Use WeaveTransfer with Othent

If you are an Othent user, you can get started by trying out WeaveTransfer, a very easy way to transfer a file to someone.  All you have to do is go to the WeaveTransfer website, select the file you want to send, enter the email address of the person you want to send the file to, and finally, click the “send onchain with Google” button.  Viola, you’re done!

Great news, if you have done all of the steps above using Othent or ArConnect, you are officially an Arweave user!  Congratulations!  If you have any questions above Arweave or need help navigating the various applications, please feel free to reach out to us here at Community Labs via our contact page or in our Discord.