Recently, there have been frequent posts in the community about Polymarket betting. I was curious about what this platform is and how it works. After understanding it, I think that instead of spending the same amount of money on “IQ tax” lottery tickets, it’s better to buy some predictions on Polymarket - at least you can learn something. So I tried it out and found there are some pitfalls. Here’s a record of the process of opening an account and using it.
Preconditions
- Network Accessing Polymarket/binance requires a proxy.
- Metamask Wallet - Not Required but Recommended You need a Metamask wallet with USDC/USDT or other stablecoins. USDC is more recommended because Polymarket uses USDC for transactions.
- Binance Account - Not Required but Recommended A Binance account allows you to transfer USDC and Polygon to Metamask wallet.
Note: If you don’t have Metamask or Binance accounts, you can buy USDC directly on Polymarket with a credit card (MasterCard/Visa), but the fees are higher. My own solution: Buy USDC on Binance → Transfer to Metamask → Connect Metamask to Polymarket.
Register Polymarket Account
- You can register a Polymarket account directly. I chose to register by connecting with Metamask.
Note: The site supports Chinese. If you’re not comfortable with English, you can switch to Chinese.
Deposit Funds
After logging in, click “Deposit” and select a method. I chose Metamask wallet transfer.
Notes
- Your Metamask wallet needs to have USDC, and also a small amount of MATIC for gas fees. If you don’t have MATIC, you can buy some Polygon network MATIC tokens from Binance and transfer them to your Metamask wallet. Without gas, transactions will fail, affecting exchanges and deposits to Polymarket.
- Deposits to Polymarket have fees. It’s recommended to deposit larger amounts less frequently. Avoid very small amounts like $5, as the fee percentage will be very high.
Betting
- Since it’s my first time playing, I tried a bet and found that the transaction itself has no fees. After trading, you can buy/sell predictions or wait for settlement when it expires.
- If you’re not familiar, it’s recommended to bet
$1each time. The returns will be small, but the risk and loss will be much smaller.
Withdraw Funds
Withdrawing is also very convenient - you can withdraw directly to your Metamask wallet. I haven’t actually withdrawn yet; I’ll try it when I get a chance.
App and Referral Code
Polymarket has a US-region iOS app and supports referral codes plus newcomer rewards:
- Referral code source: You can usually find your invite link in the Polymarket account page or in community channels such as Twitter and Telegram.
- New user reward: If a new user registers through an invite link and completes the first deposit, both sides may receive reward USDC.
- For users in China: The iOS app requires a non-China Apple ID. A US Apple ID works best.
Polymarket Referral Code FAQ
Q: Where do I get a Polymarket referral code?
A: After logging in at polymarket.com, check your account area or community-shared invite links. Twitter and Telegram communities often share active links.
Q: Can mainland China users access Polymarket?
A: Yes, but you need stable proxy access to polymarket.com. Funding is usually done by buying USDC on Binance or Bybit and transferring it into your wallet.
Q: Do referral codes expire?
A: Many invite links are time-limited. If one no longer works, generate or request a newer one.
*** Add File: /Users/alanhe/GitHub/alanhe/blog-aol-en/content/blog/了解Ledger硬件钱包.md
title: “Understanding Ledger Hardware Wallets” date: 2026-03-20T09:42:15+08:00 slug: understanding-ledger-hardware-wallet description: ‘A practical introduction to how Ledger hardware wallets work, how transaction signing works, and what is required to build Ledger support for a custom blockchain.’ tags:
- Ledger
- Hardware Wallet
- Crypto Assets categories: [“Programming”] foreign_version: true image: filename: https://www.cashbackisl.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/copertina-27426-1.webp alt_text: ‘Ledger hardware wallet product photo’
Ledger
/'ledʒər/is a hardware wallet brand. I recently needed to verify the signing flow for a new blockchain, so I tested it with a Ledger Nano X device.This post records the process and the main technical points.
What It Is
A Ledger device stores private keys securely through physical isolation and a secure element chip.
What It Does
- Private key storage without exposing the key to the computer or phone
- Transaction signing with the signing action completed on the device itself
Example: Ethereum Signing Flow
Supporting a Custom Blockchain
If you want a custom chain to use Ledger for secure key storage and signing, there are two main parts:
- Build a
Ledger Device Appthat runs on the hardware device and knows how to sign transactions for your chain. - Build a plugin or integration layer that connects MetaMask or another wallet to that device app.
If your stack uses libraries such as
web3.js, you may also need to extend those libraries to support signing through the Ledger device app.
Call Chain / Data Flow
Your code
↓
Ledger SDK (wraps APDU)
↓
WebHID (transport)
↓
Ledger device
↓
Your ChainMaker App (parses APDU)
HID means human interface device, and APDU means application protocol data unit.
Ledger Device App Requirements
- The device app is typically written in
CorRustbecause device resources are limited.- Rust template: https://github.com/LedgerHQ/app-boilerplate-rust
- C template: https://github.com/LedgerHQ/app-boilerplate
- Install the official VS Code extension for development and debugging.
- Building the device app requires Docker because Ledger provides a containerized toolchain.
- For simulator-based testing, install Speculos.
VS Code Extension
The extension provides a solid development, build, and debug workflow, which helps a lot when iterating on a device app.
Real Device vs Simulator
| Item | Real Device (WebHID) | Simulator (Speculos) |
|---|---|---|
| Connection | TransportWebHID.create() with browser HID picker | SpeculosHttpTransport.open(url) over local HTTP |
| Protocol | USB HID frames via the browser WebHID API | HTTP JSON such as { data: "hex..." } |
| User confirmation | Physical button confirmation is required | Manual confirmation in Speculos |
| Signer setup | Usually pass signDigest and fetchPublicKey explicitly | Defaults are often enough |
| Later flow | isReady() -> fetchPublicKey() -> signMessage() -> submit on-chain | Same overall flow |
Submission and Release
What you submit is not a binary package. You submit the app source repository plus the required deliverables. Ledger then forks your app repository and manages deployment in their own release flow.
Typical process:
- Contact the Ledger team and submit the project form: https://developers.ledger.com/docs/device-app/submission-process/submission-form
- Make sure the code meets Ledger’s security and cryptography requirements.
- Prepare deliverables:
- The app source repository
docs/apdu.mddescribing APDU commands and status words- User documentation
- Device compatibility information for Nano S Plus, Nano X, Stax, and Flex
- Legal entity information and contact details
- Submit the official device app or plugin form.
- Pass the security audit before Ledger publishes the app.
This review process is heavy and can take weeks or even months.
How End Users Use It
- The user installs Ledger software and sets up the device.
- The user installs the target app onto the Ledger device.
- If the app has not been officially published yet, you usually sideload it through the official VS Code tools.
Other Notes
Why are there so many models, and why are they expensive?
- A hardware wallet is more than just a security chip.
- Different models trade off security level, user experience, storage capacity, and use case, so the pricing differs naturally.
About navigator.hid
navigator.hid (WebHID) connects to physical USB HID devices. Speculos is only a simulator that exposes TCP sockets and an HTTP API. It is not a real HID device, so the browser cannot discover it through WebHID scanning.
References
- https://developers.ledger.com/docs/device-app/integration/how-to/app-boilerplate
- https://developers.ledger.com/docs/device-app/beginner/vscode-extension
- https://developers.ledger.com/docs/device-app/submission-process/submission-form
- https://developers.ledger.com/docs/device-interaction/integration/how_to/transports
- https://www.cashbackisl.com/ledger-cold-wallet-guide-hk/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_card_application_protocol_data_unit *** Add File: /Users/alanhe/GitHub/alanhe/blog-aol-en/content/blog/了解OneKey硬件钱包.md
title: “Understanding OneKey Hardware Wallets” date: 2026-03-25T00:00:00+08:00 slug: understanding-onekey-hardware-wallet description: ‘A short note on OneKey as another mainstream hardware wallet option, useful when comparing technical choices against Ledger.’ tags:
- OneKey
- Hardware Wallet
- Crypto Assets categories: [“Programming”] foreign_version: true
I recently needed to research hardware wallets for work. After looking at Ledger, I also wanted to understand OneKey, since it is another mainstream option and worth considering in a technical evaluation.
Related Documentation
Final Thoughts
I personally think it’s more interesting than lottery tickets. I recommend everyone try small bets and don’t get too carried away.
