Introduction
What is FCT?
FCT (Facet Token) is Facet Protocol's native gas token, an essential component of the protocol's architecture that ensures the network remains truly unstoppable and permissionless. Unlike traditional rollups that rely on bridged ETH for gas payments, Facet uses its own native token that is algorithmically minted when users burn ETH on Ethereum L1.
The Problem with Canonical Bridges
Traditional rollups have "canonical bridges" - official protocol bridges that users MUST trust. Why? Because typical rollups use bridged ETH as their gas token they need to provide a bridge so users can buy gas.
But typical canonical bridges are fundamentally insecure. Users expect to deposit and withdraw assets at any time in the future, regardless of what forks happen on the rollup. Therefore, these bridges are typically upgradeable to track the latest fork. This upgrade ability creates a security issue where rollup admins can:
Devalue the gas token by printing an unlimited amount
Prevent deposits
Otherwise tamper with user funds
Facet has no canonical bridge because we don't use a bridged token as our gas token. Instead, we use the Facet Compute Token (FCT), a Facet-native token.
How FCT Works
Facet eliminates these vulnerabilities through a simple mechanism:
Burn ETH on L1 - Users send Facet transactions to Ethereum, paying standard gas fees
Mint FCT on L2 - FCT is algorithmically minted proportional to the ETH burned for transaction data
Use FCT for Gas - The minted FCT pays for Facet computation, with remaining balance available for future use
This process requires no bridge and no admin intervention - it's purely algorithmic and unstoppable.
Key Benefits
True Permissionlessness
If you can send an Ethereum transaction, you can get FCT. No gatekeepers, no permission required.
No Admin Control
There are no special privileges, no pre-mine, and no ability for anyone to manipulate the gas token supply.
Unstoppable Access
Since FCT minting is tied directly to L1 gas burning, no one can prevent users from obtaining gas tokens for the network.
Fair Launch
Everyone starts at zero. The only way to get FCT is to use the network, ensuring fair distribution based on actual usage.
Deterministic Supply
FCT has a predictable, capped total supply determined algorithmically - no arbitrary minting or inflation surprises.
Bridges Still Exist - Just No Privileged One
Removing the canonical bridge doesn't mean Facet has no bridges. Instead, it enables an open bridge market where:
Anyone can deploy a bridge for any asset
Multiple bridges can serve the same assets
No bridge has special protocol privileges
Users choose bridges based on security preferences
The same L1 asset might have multiple L2 versions from different bridges (e.g., "USDC-A" and "USDC-B"), similar to how Ethereum has USDC, USDT, and DAI as different stablecoin representations.
Without a canonical bridge forcing users through one chokepoint, the market decides which bridges succeed based on security, reliability, and user trust.
By using a native gas token instead of bridged ETH, Facet ensures that no administrator can control access to the network. This is the foundation of Facet's unstoppability - removing the most critical admin control point that exists in every other rollup.
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