Get test USDC and place your first trade

A practical, testnet-only walkthrough from demo account to Explorer-confirmed fill.

Updated 2026-11-05

Start with a demo account

PerpNow is a public testnet for perpetual futures. Its balances are test funds only, with no real value. You can use the built-in demo account to explore the interface, or connect a wallet if you want to test wallet signing. The demo flow creates a local test identity; do not treat it as a production wallet or store valuable secrets in an experimental environment.

Open BTC-USD perpetuals and confirm the testnet banner. The market page includes the order book, chart, order form and account panels. Before placing an order, review the market's maximum leverage and size precision. The Docs explain order types, fees and API constraints.

Request test USDC

Use the faucet from the application or submit {"user":"0xYourAddress"} to POST /faucet. The faucet provides test USDC for exercising the system; its availability is subject to per-address, per-IP and network limits. A rejected claim may include a retry time. Never send funds to a faucet or assume its test balance can be redeemed.

Place a small order

Choose a market, set a conservative size and use a limit order if you want to see how a resting order behaves. GTC can rest after matching available liquidity; IOC cancels the unfilled part; ALO is post-only and will be rejected if it would immediately match. Market orders use an IOC limit with slippage protection. Maker and taker fees are different, so an order that executes immediately may incur taker fees.

Review the order preview and account mode before submitting. Cross margin shares collateral across cross positions; isolated margin uses position-specific collateral. A fill changes your position and may create PnL and funding exposure. This walkthrough is for learning, not financial advice or a recommendation to trade.

Add protection and verify

The interface supports take-profit and stop-loss controls. Trigger behavior depends on order type and the current position; review the displayed trigger price, size and reduce-only setting before confirming. Triggers and liquidations use mark-price rules described in the liquidation guide. Cancel an order from the open-orders panel if it has not filled.

After execution, open Explorer to inspect the committed transaction and fill. The transaction hash connects the action to its block record. Account history can also show fills and funding entries. If you are automating the flow, read the Python SDK guide; it explains the testnet base URL and agent approval.

For a resting limit order, inspect open orders and verify that the remaining size is what you expect. If the order has filled, look at average fill price and the current position rather than the limit price alone. Cancel stale orders explicitly. If you use a market order, remember that the interface submits an IOC limit with slippage protection, so the order can partially fill or leave no resting remainder.

Take-profit and stop-loss instructions should be reviewed in the same way as any other signed order. Confirm whether the trigger is attached to a parent order or to the current position, check the reduce-only flag, and verify the trigger price and quantity. Mark price can differ from last traded price; this distinction matters for risk and for triggers that use mark-price conditions.

Keep the testnet workflow separate

Use a dedicated test identity and agent key. The app stores demo credentials locally in the browser; clearing browser data can remove access to that local demo account. Never paste wallet secrets into a support request, commit them, or reuse a valuable production key for experiments. If a request times out, inspect the order and Explorer before submitting a duplicate action.

Testnet state, faucet availability and application behavior can change. The workflow demonstrates how to explore an order, position and fill; it is not a promise of perpetual availability, points, an airdrop, or a financial reward. The Terms and Privacy pages describe the service context, while the funding guide explains periodic transfers.

Use only test funds. Testnet behavior, state and available faucet funds can change, and points or leaderboard activity are not a promise of a reward.