# Chapter 3 — What Can I Actually Do on Vaulta?

> Your blockchain account can do much more than hold a token.

Canonical: https://help.blockzhub.io/articles/chapter-3-what-can-i-actually-do-on-vaulta

[Chapter 1](https://help.blockzhub.io/articles/chapter-1-what-is-a-blockchain) introduced the idea of a blockchain. [Chapter 2](https://help.blockzhub.io/articles/chapter-2-what-is-vaulta) made that more concrete by introducing Vaulta — the public Layer-1 blockchain formerly called EOS. A Layer-1 blockchain is the underlying network that processes transactions and maintains its own blockchain state.

Now we can ask a more practical question:

What can you actually do with an account on that network?

The short answer is: quite a lot.

A Vaulta account can hold different tokens, transfer assets, use network resources, participate in network governance, interact with smart contracts, manage different forms of authority, and create an independently verifiable history of those actions.

You do not need to understand every mechanism yet.

The goal of this chapter is to build the map first. The later missions will let you explore the individual parts step by step.

## Your account is more than a token balance

When people first encounter blockchain, it is easy to imagine an account as something similar to a bank account:

“I have an account, and some coins are inside it.”

That mental model is too limited.

Your assets are recorded on the blockchain, but a Vaulta account can also have permissions, resources, transaction history, governance activity, and relationships with smart contracts.

A useful beginner model is:

Vaulta account
    │
    ├── Tokens
    ├── Resources
    ├── Permissions and authority
    ├── Governance participation
    ├── Smart-contract interactions
    └── Public blockchain historyThis is why it is better to think of a Vaulta account as a programmable blockchain account, not simply as an address that holds coins.

Key idea: A token balance is only one part of your blockchain account.

## Hold, inspect and transfer assets

Vaulta has a native network token called $A. “Native” means it is the network's primary token and is used in network functions such as resources and governance. [1]

But a Vaulta account can also hold other tokens created through smart contracts.

You can therefore encounter several asset-related actions:

- inspect your token balances;

- receive tokens;

- transfer tokens to another account;

- inspect the contract behind a token;

- interact with supported conversion or trading mechanisms.

You have already seen an important distinction in the token mission:

A token is not identified safely by its name or ticker alone.

A smart contract defines the token and maintains its balances. Two tokens could display the same symbol while coming from different contracts.

Similarly, the word swap does not mean that every token can automatically be exchanged for every other token. A particular conversion, liquidity pool, exchange, or other mechanism must exist for the assets involved.

Blocksfinity can provide an interface for supported operations, but the resulting balances and transactions remain part of the Vaulta blockchain rather than existing only inside Blocksfinity.

## Use blockchain resources

Doing things on a blockchain requires resources.

Vaulta exposes three resource concepts that you may have already encountered:

RAM is persistent blockchain storage.

CPU is computation used while transactions and smart-contract actions execute.

NET is bandwidth associated with transaction data.

These are blockchain resources. They are not the physical RAM, processor, or internet connection inside your computer.

For CPU and NET, you will also encounter PowerUp, a mechanism for temporarily obtaining transaction-resource capacity. [2]

You do not need to memorize its internal calculations here.

For now, remember:

CPU + NET
    ↓
help transactions execute

------------------------------------------------------

RAM
    ↓
gives the blockchain room to keep persistent stateThe resource mission goes much deeper into why these resources exist, how PowerUp works, and what changes when RAM is purchased.

Key idea: Vaulta exposes some of the resources required to operate the blockchain instead of hiding all resource usage behind a single generic transaction fee.

## What does staking mean?

Another word you will encounter frequently is staking.

It is important to understand the general idea before learning a Vaulta-specific mechanism such as REX (Ressource Exchange).

At a beginner level, staking means committing tokens to a blockchain mechanism instead of keeping those tokens completely liquid and immediately available for ordinary use.

Why somebody stakes depends on the blockchain and the specific mechanism.

Staking may be connected with things such as:

- network resources;

- governance;

- network participation;

- resource markets;

- economic incentives.

So “staking” should not automatically be translated as:

“Deposit tokens and receive guaranteed interest.”

That is not a safe mental model.

The exact rules matter.

Committing tokens can affect when or how those tokens can later be used or withdrawn.

### So what is REX?

On Vaulta you will encounter REX, which stands for Resource Exchange.

REX is a blockchain mechanism connected with Vaulta's resource market.

Blocksfinity currently exposes it through its Stake & Earn functionality, where $A can be lent into REX. Any resulting return depends on actual pool activity and is not guaranteed. The REX smart contract on Vaulta also has maturity, unlend, and liquidity rules that affect when committed tokens become available again. [3]

That is enough for now.

Later, when you perform a REX mission, we can examine what is actually happening to the tokens, where resource demand enters the picture, what “maturity” means, and why the result should not be treated like a normal bank savings account.

Key idea: Understand the commitment and liquidity rules of a staking mechanism before thinking about possible returns.

## Participate in network governance

Chapter 2 introduced block producers: network participants responsible for producing blocks and participating in Vaulta's operation.

Vaulta uses a system called Delegated Proof of Stake, or DPoS. At a beginner level, this means token holders can participate in selecting block producers rather than every token holder personally operating a block-producing server. [4][5]

You may therefore encounter two important actions:

Voting allows a Vaulta account to participate in choosing block producers.

A voting proxy is an account selected to make those governance voting choices on behalf of other participating accounts.

Using a proxy does not mean giving the proxy your private key or transferring ownership of your account.

There are additional rules around staking, voting weight, producers and proxies. Those belong in the governance mission.

The important point here is broader:

Owning a blockchain token can involve participation in the network itself, not only transferring the token between accounts.

## Control who is allowed to act

A powerful blockchain account also needs a way to determine who is authorized to do what.

Vaulta accounts therefore have permissions.

A permission is an on-chain rule describing what authority is required before an action can be authorized.

Later chapters will examine this properly. For now, you will encounter concepts such as:

- private keys — secret cryptographic credentials used to create signatures;

- permissions — rules determining what authority can approve an action;

- passkeys — device- or platform-protected credentials that can be associated with account authority;

- recovery paths — previously prepared ways of regaining usable access;

- multisig (MSIG) — short for multi-signature, where one approval from one Vaulta account may not be enough.

Vaulta's permission model can support more sophisticated authority structures than a simple username and password. The permission model supports hierarchical permissions, custom permissions and multi-signature authority structures. Its two standard permission levels are called owner and active; we will examine those properly in a later chapter. [6]

For example, an organization might decide that an important account action needs approval from multiple people rather than allowing one individual to act alone.

That does not mean every beginner needs to configure complex permissions immediately.

It means the account is capable of expressing them.

Important: Changing account permissions can change who controls the account. This is a security-sensitive blockchain action and should never be treated as an ordinary website preference.

## Interact with blockchain applications

Chapter 1 introduced smart contracts: programs whose rules execute through the blockchain.

This makes another category of activity possible.

Instead of only sending tokens, your account can request actions from smart contracts.

You will encounter terms such as:

Contract action — a named instruction that a smart contract knows how to process.

Table — structured data maintained by a smart contract on the blockchain.

DApp — short for decentralized application; an application that uses blockchain accounts, transactions, smart contracts, or blockchain state as part of how it works.

For example, a blockchain application might allow somebody to:

Choose an action (Website or application)
      ↓
Review a transaction (Website, application, Authenticator)
      ↓
Authorize it (Blocksfinity Authenticator)
      ↓
Smart contract executes (Block Producers process the transactions)
      ↓
Blockchain state changesThe website is the interface.

The smart contract and its resulting state exist on the blockchain.

Vaulta's developer documentation makes an important distinction here: an application's frontend can act as the experience layer, while its blockchain logic and state are enforced on-chain. Users can therefore interact with smart contracts independently of one particular website interface. [7]

Later missions will let you inspect contract actions and tables directly rather than treating smart contracts as an abstract concept.

Key idea: A DApp may look like an ordinary website, but some of the important rules and state behind it can live on the blockchain.

## Monitor what happens

Not every useful blockchain activity changes the blockchain.

Sometimes you simply want to observe it.

With an explorer such as [the Blocksfinity Explorer](https://www.blocksfinity.com/explore), you can inspect things such as:

- accounts;

- token balances;

- permissions;

- resources;

- transactions;

- blocks;

- smart-contract activity;

- live network activity.

observing an account is not the same as controlling it.

Blocksfinity also supports account alerts. These can notify you after relevant blockchain activity is detected.

But an alert is not a security barrier.

It tells you that something happened. It does not prevent a valid transaction from executing.

Key idea: Monitoring helps you understand and detect blockchain activity. It does not replace secure control of your account.

## And there is much more

As you become more comfortable, Vaulta also exposes more advanced capabilities.

For example, you may later encounter:

- multi-signature proposals;

- custom account permissions;

- premium account-name bidding;

- direct smart-contract interaction;

- token creation and management;

- more advanced governance operations.

- using decentralized exchanges (DEXs) to trade, swap, provide liquidity, or otherwise interact with markets for blockchain-based assets;

- using decentralized applications (dApps) for a wide range of services and experiences, such as finance, payments, marketplaces, NFTs, games, social platforms, storage, identity, governance, and other applications built on or connected to the blockchain.

- build your own blockchain-powered applications by connecting a website or app to smart contracts deployed on Vaulta accounts you control, allowing suitable logic and shared data to run on-chain when you need independent validation, transparent and tamper-resistant rules, verifiable shared state, direct blockchain settlement, user-controlled assets, interoperability with other blockchain applications, or—in some cases—a more suitable cost model than running the same functionality entirely on company-controlled backend infrastructure.

These features are possible because the blockchain is programmable and because Vaulta accounts contain an authority system rather than functioning as simple token addresses.

You do not need to master all of them now.

The course will introduce them when there is a reason to use them.

## Where Blocksfinity fits

At the time of writing, Blocksfinity provides an authenticator and wallet-connected interfaces for activities including transfers, RAM, CPU and NET resources, staking and REX, voting and proxies, keys and permissions, multisig, contract actions and account alerts.

Keep the distinction from Chapters 1 and 2:

Blocksfinity
    ↓
helps you inspect or prepare an action (Blocksfinity Explorer)

Your signing method (Blocksfinity Authenticator)
    ↓
proves the required authority

Vaulta (Block Producers)
    ↓
processes the transaction

Blockchain state
    ↓
records the resultNot every interaction with Blocksfinity creates a blockchain transaction.

Searching for an account is read-only.

Viewing a transaction is read-only.

But transferring tokens, changing a permission, buying RAM, using PowerUp, staking, voting, or executing a contract action can involve signed transactions that change blockchain state.

That difference should become automatic in your thinking:

Am I only looking at blockchain information, or am I about to authorize a change?

## A few things deserve extra care

As the number of available actions grows, so does the importance of understanding what you are signing.

Before authorizing a blockchain action:

- verify the account involved;

- verify the action you intend to perform;

- verify the token and contract when assets are involved;

- understand whether tokens are being transferred, committed, or made temporarily less liquid;

- treat permission changes as security-sensitive;

- remember that a valid finalized transaction normally cannot simply be erased by Blocksfinity afterward.

Vaulta's security guidance emphasizes reviewing transactions and smart-contract interactions carefully because blockchain actions are irreversible once executed. [8]

Blocksfinity is non-custodial: it does not own your tokens or become the authority over your account merely because you use its interface.

That freedom also means responsibility stays with the account holder.

## What you should remember

- Vaulta is the blockchain network; Blocksfinity is an interface for inspecting and interacting with it.

- A Vaulta account is more than a token balance. It can have resources, permissions, governance activity, smart-contract interactions and blockchain history.

- RAM, CPU and NET are blockchain resources with different jobs.

- Staking means committing tokens to a particular blockchain mechanism; the exact purpose and liquidity rules depend on that mechanism.

- REX means Resource Exchange and is a Vaulta-specific resource-market mechanism. It should not be understood simply as guaranteed interest.

- Token holders can participate in governance through voting and proxies.

- Permissions determine what authority is required to act for an account.

- Smart contracts make blockchain applications programmable.

- Explorers and alerts help you observe activity, but observing does not give you control.

- The later missions will turn these concepts into practical actions one at a time.

## Quick Quiz

### 1. Which statement best describes a Vaulta account?

- A. It is only a container for $A tokens.

- B. It exists inside Blocksfinity and disappears when you log out.

- C. It is an on-chain account that can combine assets, resources, permissions, activity and smart-contract interactions.

- D. It is another name for a private key.

### 2. Which description of Vaulta resources is correct?

- A. RAM is persistent blockchain storage, CPU relates to computation, and NET relates to transaction bandwidth.

- B. RAM is your computer's memory, CPU is your laptop processor, and NET is your home internet speed.

- C. All three are different names for transaction history.

- D. All three permanently increase when you buy more $A.

### 3. Which is the safest beginner understanding of staking and REX?

- A. Staking always guarantees interest.

- B. REX is simply another name for holding $A in your account.

- C. Staking means committing tokens to a defined blockchain mechanism, while REX is a specific Vaulta resource-market mechanism with its own liquidity and maturity rules.

- D. REX moves your account from Vaulta into Blocksfinity.

### 4. What does choosing a voting proxy mean at a beginner level?

- A. Giving another account your private key.

- B. Selecting an account to make governance voting choices using delegated voting participation.

- C. Transferring ownership of your Vaulta account.

- D. Giving Blocksfinity permanent custody of your tokens.

### 5. You open Blocksfinity and inspect your balances, permissions and transaction history without signing anything. What happened?

- A. Blocksfinity temporarily took ownership of the account.

- B. A blockchain transaction was automatically created.

- C. You observed blockchain information without changing blockchain state.

- D. Your tokens were moved into an Explorer account.

##

Answer footnote: Q1:3; Q2:1; Q3:3; Q4:2; Q5:3.

## Editorial references

- Vaulta Token Overview — current overview of the $A token, resources, staking and governance uses. [Vaulta Token Overview](https://vaulta.gitbook.io/vaulta-guides/vaulta-token/token-overview)

- Vaulta Network Resources — RAM, CPU, NET and the PowerUp resource model. [Vaulta Network Resources](https://vaulta.gitbook.io/vaulta-guides/networks/network-resources)

- Blocksfinity Frequently Asked Questions — current Blocksfinity functionality, non-custodial model, REX/Stake & Earn, resources, permissions, voting/proxies and account alerts. [Blocksfinity Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.blocksfinity.com/faq)

- Vaulta Protocol Summary — current high-level protocol architecture and Delegated Proof-of-Stake governance. [Vaulta Protocol Summary](https://www.vaulta.com/protocol)

- Vaulta Block Producers — role of block producers and how token-holder voting participates in their selection. [Vaulta Block Producers](https://vaulta.gitbook.io/vaulta-guides/node-operators/block-producers)

- Vaulta Account Permissions — owner, active, custom permissions and multi-signature authority structures. [Vaulta Account Permissions](https://vaulta.gitbook.io/vaulta-guides/accounts/vaulta-native-accounts/account-permissions)

- Vaulta Developer Documentation — Beginner Concepts — smart contracts, blockchain state, wallets and the relationship between a DApp frontend and the blockchain. [Vaulta Developer Documentation — Beginner Concepts](https://docs.vaulta.com/docs/latest/web-applications/beginner-concepts/)

- Vaulta — Staying Safe — transaction irreversibility, smart-contract risks and checks before signing. [Vaulta Staying Safe guidance](https://vaulta.gitbook.io/vaulta-guides/security-and-staying-safe/staying-safe)