TESTNET, COGN has no monetary value. For testing purposes only.Get your free 500 COGN
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Zero to Validator, the Full Walkthrough

Before you begin (good to know)

  • This is the testnet, the COGN here has no real-world money value. It’s for testing and becoming a founding validator.
  • You’ll do everything from the website, cognitum.global. Nothing to install for these steps.
  • The one thing you must not lose: your wallet’s private key (Part 2). Save it carefully.

Part 1, Create your account

  1. 1Open cognitum.global in your browser.
  2. 2Click Log In (top-right of the page).
  3. 3Switch to the Register / Create account option.
  4. 4Pick a username and a password (at least 12 characters). Click the button to create it.
  5. 5You’re now signed in. That’s your account done.

Part 2, Create your wallet (and SAVE your key)

  1. 1Open the Wallet page from the menu.
  2. 2Click “Create My Wallet, It’s Free.” It instantly makes your keys.
  3. 3Save your private key. Copy it into a password manager, or write it on paper. Never share it. If you lose it, no one can recover your wallet or funds.
  4. 4Turn on “Remember my key pair in this browser” and set a password. Then next time you just enter that short password instead of pasting the long key.
  5. 5Your wallet address is your public key (a long string). This is what receives COGN, it’s safe to share.
Think of it like this: the public key is your account number (share it to receive), the private key is your password/signature (never share it).

Part 3, Get 500 free test COGN

  1. 1Open the Faucet page.
  2. 2Because you’re logged in with your wallet, your address is filled in automatically, no pasting needed.
  3. 3Click “Claim 500 COGN.”
  4. 4Done, 500 test COGN lands in your wallet. You can top up again later whenever your balance runs low (once every 24 hours).

If it asks you to log in, just sign in first (the faucet is per-account). If it says you already hold enough, you’re all set.

Part 4, Apply to become a validator

  1. 1Open the Validators page and click “Apply to become a validator.”
  2. 2Follow the 5 short screens:
    • Your name, a validator ID, e.g. yourname-asia-01
    • Your key, your wallet key is used automatically (nothing to paste)
    • Your region, the part of the world you’re in
    • Stake & contact, 100 COGN stake and your email
    • Review & submit, check it over and send
  3. 3Your application status becomes “applied.” The team reviews it and moves it to “approved.”
Next, Part 5: Run your validator (once approved)

After you’re approved, you run a small always-on server so your validator can help confirm blocks, a paste-one-block cloud setup, no command line. The Easy Setup guide walks you through the rest end to end: create the server, fund your stake, and bond it. When it’s active, you’re helping secure the post-quantum network.

Continue to the Easy Setup guide →

That’s the whole journey. Welcome to COGNITUM.