Introducing Flow: The Blockchain Behind NBA Top Shot (2026)

Flow is a layer-1 blockchain, which means it is a base network with its own validators, native token and smart contract platform. It was designed by Dapper Labs with consumer applications in mind, such as games, sports collectibles and digital entertainment, where users should not have to think about gas fees or network mechanics every time they click a button.

The chain is best known as the network under NBA Top Shot. Top Shot was announced in 2020 as a collectible product built on the company's own blockchain, and its digital moments are tokens recorded on Flow. For a reader new to the topic, the key point is that Flow is the infrastructure, while Top Shot is one application running on it.

Flow is not a fork of Ethereum and it is not a rollup that sits on top of Ethereum. It has its own consensus process, execution environment and programming language. That independence is why it is discussed as a separate chain with its own trade-offs, rather than as a side network for Ethereum apps.

When you read about Flow, separate three things: the network itself, the applications built on it, and the token used to pay for activity. A problem with one app does not automatically mean a problem with the network, and a token price says little about how well the chain works.

Dapper Labs worked on Flow after gaining experience with CryptoKittees, an early collectible game. The team concluded that existing public chains were too slow and too expensive for mass-market consumer products, so it built Flow to handle high volumes of small transactions. The chain was positioned as a home for games, collectibles and entertainment.

NBA Top Shot was the first large product to show this design at scale. Fans buy packs, open moments and trade them on marketplaces. Each moment is a non-fungible token, and the record of who holds it sits on Flow. Public reporting in 2021 described Dapper Labs raising a large funding round as demand for Top Shot grew, which shows how closely the company and the product were tied together.

The lesson for readers is that Flow's early identity was shaped by one major consumer product. Later, other developers were encouraged to build games, marketplaces and tools, and some of them added features that use Flow's account model. Whether a given project is still active today is something to verify on its own site and on Flow's ecosystem pages, not something to assume from its history.

Flow separates the work a blockchain does into specialised node roles rather than asking every machine to do everything. In broad terms there are four roles: collection nodes gather transactions, consensus nodes agree on their order, execution nodes run the transactions and produce results, and verification nodes check those results. Access nodes give applications a way to read data and submit transactions.

This split is designed to let the network process more work without forcing every node to re-run every transaction. Flow also uses a pipelined approach, so different stages of block production can overlap. The practical effect is that the design aims at high throughput and predictable fees, which matter for apps with many small actions.

The trade-off is complexity. A system with several roles has more moving parts to understand and audit. Node operators must meet stake and hardware requirements, and the network's security depends on a set of participants rather than on any single company. Readers who care about decentralisation should look at current validator and node data from independent sources, because the mix of operators can change.

If you are comparing chains, focus on what matters for your use case: transaction costs, finality times, developer tools, the number and variety of live apps, and how the chain has handled outages in its history. Architecture alone does not decide whether a chain is good for a given product.

Flow smart contracts are written in Cadence, a programming language created for the chain. Cadence is resource-oriented, which means digital assets are modelled as resources that cannot be copied or lost by accident. A resource must be moved explicitly, and the language checks this at compile time. For collectibles, this gives developers a clear way to represent a single moment or item that exists in exactly one place.

Cadence also emphasises clear permissions. Contracts can expose capabilities, which are limited ways for other code to use a resource, instead of handing over full control. Developers can therefore design apps where a marketplace can list an item without taking custody of it.

For a non-developer, the practical consequence is that Flow apps tend to be built around these patterns, and that they are harder to misuse by accident than some code written in less restrictive languages. This does not make them free of bugs. Smart contracts can still contain logic errors, and audits reduce risk without removing it.

If you want to learn more, read the official Cadence documentation and check whether an app you use has been audited, with the auditor and date stated on its own site. Do not rely on a badge alone.

Account linking is one of Flow's most discussed features. It allows a single user account to connect with apps, so that assets and permissions can be used across several applications without manually creating a new identity for each one. Flow also supports multiple keys on one account, which helps with key rotation and recovery planning.

Composability is the related idea that apps can be combined. A game can read data from a collectible, or a fantasy sports product can use a user's existing collectibles as part of its gameplay. Flow's own examples of this include a fantasy sports game built on Top Shot, where collectors take part using the moments they already hold.

For users, the benefit is convenience: fewer wallets to manage and fewer separate sign-ups. The risk is that a permission you grant to one app may have wider reach than you expect. Review what any linked app can access, and revoke connections you no longer use.

For developers, composability means building on top of existing components rather than starting from zero. It also means that a bug in a widely used component can affect many apps, so understanding dependencies matters.

The FLOW token is the native asset of the network. In general terms it is used to pay transaction fees, and holders can stake it to support network security through delegation to node operators. Staking typically earns rewards, but the rate, minimum amounts, lock-up periods and the operators available all change. Check Flow's official staking documentation for current terms before committing funds.

The token also plays a role in network governance and in funding development through the ecosystem. Governance mechanisms evolve, so read the current proposals and documentation rather than relying on older summaries.

Tokens are volatile. Price, market capitalisation and trading volume can move sharply in short periods, and they should be checked on dedicated market data sites that display timestamps. This article deliberately does not state a price or a yield, because those figures become outdated quickly and can be misleading if copied.

A useful habit is to separate the question 'does this network work well?' from 'is this token a good investment?'. The first depends on technical performance and adoption. The second depends on your own finances, time horizon and risk tolerance, and no one can answer it for you.

Flow's most visible application remains NBA Top Shot, which uses moments as tradable digital collectibles. Over time the product has added features, marketplaces and partner experiences, and some third-party tools have been built around it. Collectors trade moments, open packs and use related services, and the ecosystem includes both official and independent apps.

Because this landscape changes, the most reliable way to check the current state is to visit official sources for Top Shot and Flow, and to read recent announcements from them. Be cautious with older articles, which may describe features, fees or partners that no longer exist.

The broader Flow ecosystem includes games, creator tools, marketplaces and developer infrastructure. Many projects are young, and some may stop being maintained. Before relying on any app, confirm that it is still active, that its documentation is up to date and that its team is contactable through official channels.

For data, dedicated analytics sites track activity, fees and value locked across chains. These sites are useful for context, but they measure different things, so compare them carefully and treat any single figure as a snapshot.

Flow has a different design from Ethereum, and the differences affect how apps are built and how users experience them. The table below summarises the main contrasts at a conceptual level. Specific figures such as fees, speeds and validator counts change, so check current data before making decisions.

Topic	Flow	Ethereum
Network type	Layer-1 with its own validators	Layer-1 with its own validators
Main smart contract language	Cadence	Solidity and Vyper
Design focus	Consumer apps and high-volume small transactions	General-purpose apps and a large developer base
Node structure	Specialised roles for collection, consensus, execution and verification	Validators and clients running the full protocol
Asset model	Resource-oriented assets in Cadence	Token standards such as ERC-20 and ERC-721

The comparison shows that neither chain is simply better. Ethereum has a larger developer community, many more tools and a broad ecosystem of decentralised finance. Flow offers a design focused on consumer experiences and a simpler account model for some use cases.

If you move assets between the two, you will need a bridge or exchange, and each route has its own risks. Always confirm the destination address and network before sending, because a transfer to the wrong chain can be hard or impossible to recover.

Using any blockchain involves specific risks, and Flow is no exception. The most common losses come from phishing, not from the network failing. Fake websites, copied social media accounts and unsolicited direct messages can all imitate Flow apps or support staff. Only type addresses yourself or use bookmarks you created from official pages.

Protect your seed phrase and private keys. Anyone who has them can take your assets, and no legitimate support team will ask for them. Store recovery phrases offline, and consider a hardware wallet for significant holdings if the wallet you use supports one.

Read every signing request. A transaction can grant an app permission to move assets or change account settings. If you do not understand what you are approving, cancel and investigate. Revoke permissions you no longer need.

Expect technical risk too. Smart contracts can contain bugs, and networks can experience outages or governance disputes. Keep only what you can afford to lose in any single app, and remember that digital collectibles and tokens can lose value quickly and may become difficult to sell.

If you want to explore Flow without rushing, follow these steps. They are general and do not replace the official documentation for any wallet or app you choose.

1. Read Flow's official introduction and the Cadence basics so you know the terminology.
2. Choose a wallet that is compatible with Flow and download it only from its official website or a verified app store listing.
3. Write down your recovery phrase on paper, store it offline and never photograph or type it into a website.
4. Send a small test amount of the native token to your wallet from an exchange you already trust, after confirming the network and address.
5. Visit NBA Top Shot or another app only through official links you have checked, and look at how collectibles are displayed before buying anything.
6. Review the permissions requested by any app before connecting your wallet, and disconnect when you finish.
7. Track prices and fees on a dedicated data site, and keep records for tax purposes in your own jurisdiction.

If you intend to use gambling-style products or prize mechanics built on blockchains, check local laws first, and remember that you must be of legal age and meet the rules in your location. Do not use a VPN or any other method to get around age checks, identity verification or geographic restrictions.