Introduction

If you're interested in earning cryptocurrency without buying or mining it, airdrop farming could be a lucrative option. Airdrops are essentially free distributions of tokens, and farming refers to the process of participating in these airdrops to make as much as possible. While the value of airdropped tokens can vary widely, it's not uncommon for some airdrops to be worth thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.

Airdrop farming involves staying up-to-date with blockchain projects and knowing how to participate in their ecosystem effectively. This can involve joining various social media platforms and communities, such as Discord groups, Twitter accounts, or Telegram channels. Additionally, qualifying for an airdrop often requires interacting with different blockchain-based applications, or dApps, to demonstrate engagement with the project. 

We'll provide tips and strategies for maximizing your earnings from airdrops, while highlighting some upcoming projects that could be worth keeping an eye on. Keep in mind that crypto is not without risks, and it's important to understand the potential downsides and drawbacks, such as scams or increased volatility on new tokens, before investing significant time or resources. However, for those willing to put in the effort and stay informed, airdrop farming can be rewarding.

General Tips

Before we get into specific airdrop opportunities, let's go over some general tips and setup. If you're brand new to crypto, welcome. You're going to need a wallet to keep your coins and tokens safe. My preferred wallet is Metamask, which has it's own airdrop coming at some point in the future. Download MetaMask Here. 

1) Setup a new Gmail, Discord, and Twitter specifically for crypto. This will help you find crypto news quickly, interact with others in the community, and help you stay organized, while keeping your personal life separate. Choose a unique password for these accounts, NOT YOUR MAIN PASSWORD!
2) Have fun. This should be enjoyable, and not feel like work. If a specific chain or app is overly confusing or not user-friendly, don't use it. There are plenty of opportunities in this space, and it's much easier to stick with it when you're enjoying your time. 
3) Limit expectations. It's free money, and none of it is guaranteed. We are simply trying to be in the best position possible to receive as much as possible, IF an airdrop happens. You may receive $15, you may receive $15,000 - and yes, both of those are roughly amounts I've been airdropped.
4) Explore on your own. Most of these protocols have underlying dApps which give the protocol utility, and earn revenue through transaction fees. These dApps could share this revenue via an airdrop of their own, so don't count out anything. I'll mention a few of these throughout the individual guides.
5) Interacting with smart contracts mean interacting with risk. There's constantly another exploit, hack, or stolen funds in the crypto space. Use throw away wallets when farming, and transfer your earnings to cold (offline) storage for the long term.
6) Be organic. You don't want to look like a farmer, you want to look like a real user who deserves their reward. Come back to sites often to repeat transactions, or make a transaction fail every now and then (if you're comfortable changing advanced settings for individual transactions). 

Now, let's dive into some specific protocols in the following articles.  

Layer 1 Blockchains

Layer 2 Blockchains

Aiming to provide scalability and lower fees, without sacrificing compatibility or security from their Layer 1 - in most cases, Ethereum. Currently, transaction fees are paid with bridged ETH on most L2's, but protocols could release their own token, like Optimism and Arbitrum, which become useable for governance voting or transaction fees. We want to be active users on these chains to receive any potential airdrop. Keep in mind, these protocols will usually have underlying decentralized applications, or dApps, which could have airdrops of their own. 

dApps