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Getting Started with Trading

This guide walks you through placing your first leveraged trade on Atlas.

Prerequisites​

  1. A Cardano wallet — Eternl, Lace, or any CIP-30 compatible wallet
  2. Supported stablecoins — USDCx, USDM, or USDA on the public testnet
  3. ADA for fees — Cardano network fees, Atlas batcher fees, and a pure-ADA UTxO for Plutus collateral
Testnet

Atlas public testnet runs on Cardano Preprod. Use the in-app Faucet to claim test ADA, ATLAS, USDCx, USDM, and USDA for the connected wallet. The faucet also helps prepare spendable ADA UTxOs for transaction fees and Plutus collateral.

Step 1: Connect Your Wallet​

  1. Visit the Atlas trading interface
  2. Click Connect Wallet in the top right
  3. Select your wallet provider (Eternl, Lace, etc.)
  4. Approve the connection in your wallet popup

Your wallet address will appear in the navbar once connected.

Step 2: Place a Trade​

  1. Choose your direction: Click Long (you think ADA price will go up) or Short (you think it will go down)
  2. Enter collateral: The amount of supported stablecoin you want to risk. The public testnet currently requires at least 10 stablecoins per position.
  3. Set leverage: Use the slider to choose your desired leverage
  4. Review estimates: Check the estimated entry price, liquidation price, and fees
  5. Click Open Position

The app will build an unsigned transaction and prompt your wallet to sign it.

Step 3: Sign the Transaction​

  1. Your wallet popup will show the transaction details
  2. Review the collateral amount being locked
  3. Click Sign / Approve

Your order is now submitted on-chain.

Step 4: Wait for Processing​

Atlas processes pending orders every few seconds. You'll see your position appear in the Active Positions panel once processed.

info

Atlas is UTxO-based. If you have another transaction still settling, your total wallet balance may be higher than the balance currently available for a new order. Wait for the transaction to settle or split your collateral across multiple UTxOs before placing back-to-back trades.

Step 5: Close Your Position​

When you're ready to close:

  1. Find your position in the Active Positions panel
  2. Click Close
  3. Sign the transaction in your wallet

Your PnL is settled, and you receive your collateral plus (or minus) any profit or loss, minus borrow fees.

What's Next?​