FAQs
General questions about UMA, its Optimistic Oracle, DVM, participants, voting and developer workflows.
General Questions
What is UMA?
UMA is a decentralized protocol for verifying information onchain using an Optimistic Oracle and a dispute-resolution mechanism.
Why does UMA matter?
Smart contracts often need information that is not natively available onchain. UMA provides an economically secured way to verify those claims when applications need them.
How is UMA different from a continuously streamed oracle?
UMA is designed around request-based verification and disputes rather than continuously publishing every possible data point.
Can UMA verify real-world events?
UMA can support questions that have clear resolution rules and evidence that participants can independently evaluate.
Voting & Participation
How do voters participate?
Voters stake UMA and take part in commit-and-reveal rounds when disputes reach the DVM.
Can missed or incorrect votes affect a stake?
Voting has protocol incentives and penalties. Participants should review the current voter rules before committing capital.
Where do I learn the full voter flow?
Use the Voting Walkthrough in the Using UMA section for the step-by-step workflow.
Developers
Which oracle version should I use?
Review the Optimistic Oracle V2 and V3 developer pages and choose the model that matches your integration requirements.
Where are network references?
Use Network Information under Resources for deployment-specific references.
About this UMA documentation page
What this page covers
Find answers about UMA, the Optimistic Oracle, DVM voting, proposers, disputers, staking, governance, integrations, security and protocol mechanics.