How to start trading on Aster

1. Create an account

1. Go to asterdex.com, click Launch App, pick your chain from the dropdown and click Connect Wallet. Rabby, MetaMask, Binance Wallet and WalletConnect-compatible wallets are supported, and you approve a signature request to connect. source ↗
2. If you connect on BNB Chain, your wallet must hold at least 0.001 BNB. source ↗
3. You can also log in with email. Enter your address and the 6-digit code you receive, set a password and sign the popup, and a new wallet address is created for that email. source ↗

2. Deposit collateral

1. After connecting your wallet, click Deposit. Your balance appears in Portfolio after a short wait. source ↗
2. Email-login accounts can only receive USDT on Arbitrum One, sent from a Web3 wallet or an exchange. Aster says it is not liable for refunds if you send the wrong asset or use the wrong network. source ↗
3. In Single-Asset Mode, collateral is USDT or USD1. Multi-Asset Mode accepts a range of other crypto assets as shared margin. source ↗

3. Open your first position

1. Set leverage with the slider or input field in the trading panel. Each asset has its own maximum leverage. source ↗
2. Choose Cross (the default) or Isolated margin before you open the position. You cannot change the margin mode after a position or open order exists. source ↗
3. Available order types are Market, Limit, Stop Limit, Stop Market, Trailing Stop and Post Only, plus TP/SL, Reduce Only and BBO options. The docs also cover TWAP, Scaled and Chase orders. source ↗

4. Know how liquidation works

1. Forced liquidation happens when the mark price reaches your liquidation price, that is, when your margin falls below maintenance margin. All open orders are cancelled first, and anything left can be closed at the bankruptcy price and handed to the insurance fund. source ↗
2. Mark price is the median of two index-based prices and the current contract price. The index is a weighted average of major spot exchanges. source ↗

5. Withdraw

1. Click Withdraw, choose the network, token and amount, then approve the transfer in your wallet. Funds arrive within a few minutes, depending on blockchain confirmation times. source ↗
2. You must clear any negative token balance before you can withdraw. Click Withdraw on that token and choose Rebalance, or deposit the exact amount needed. source ↗

6. Common mistakes

1. Sending USDC (not USDT) on Arbitrum to an email-login wallet is a common mistake. You can recover it from the Withdraw screen, but you pay the network gas yourself. source ↗
2. Smaller positions are more likely to be fully liquidated because they may not qualify for partial liquidation. Aster suggests closing manually before you reach the maintenance threshold to avoid liquidation fees. source ↗
3. With slippage tolerance turned on, a market order is sent as an Immediate-or-Cancel limit order, so any part that cannot fill within your range is cancelled. source ↗

Before you trade

Perpetual futures use leverage: a small price move against you can liquidate your collateral. Start with a small amount and low leverage, and read the venue’s current fee and margin pages, which can change after this guide was checked.