--- title: How to Start Building on ICP description: How To Create an Endpoint and Run Queries on ICP and ICRC with Validation Cloud image: https://blog.validationcloud.io/hubfs/ICP%20How-To.png --- [Skip to content](https://blog.validationcloud.io/how-to-icp#main-content) Validation Cloud Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Connect to Web3](https://www.validationcloud.io/) [Connect to Web3](https://www.validationcloud.io/) Apr 30, 2025 11:14:51 AM # How to Start Building on ICP ![Picture of Validation Cloud Team](https://blog.validationcloud.io/hubfs/validationcloud-icon-black.svg) [Validation Cloud Team](https://blog.validationcloud.io/author/validation-cloud-team) Share: [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.validationcloud.io/how-to-icp) [Twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.validationcloud.io/how-to-icp) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://blog.validationcloud.io/how-to-icp) [![ICP How-To](https://blog.validationcloud.io/hs-fs/hubfs/ICP%20How-To.png?width=732&height=450&name=ICP%20How-To.png)](https://www.validationcloud.io/icp) ##### **What is ICP?** The Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) is a public blockchain network that enables the development of Web3 applications and services 100% on-chain. Even [internetcomputer.org](http://internetcomputer.org/) is hosted and served by the ICP blockchain! Here’s a bit of ICP terminology to help understand the chain: - A canister is a Web3-native computational unit on the Internet Computer that combines smart contract functionality with scalable storage and processing capabilities to power decentralized applications and services. - In ICP, a ledger is a specialized canister (smart contract) that records and manages token transactions, such as ICP or ICRC (Internet Computer Rosetta Token Standard) tokens, ensuring transparency and traceability. - ICRC is a token standard on the Internet Computer Protocol designed for fungible tokens, enabling interoperability and seamless integration across dApps and services within the network. This is similar to the ERC-20 token standard on Ethereum. - To interact with ICP and ICRC, you can make API requests to nodes that use the Rosetta standard, originally developed by Coinbase, to standardize reading data from blockchains and creating and sending transactions. - Who uses ICP and ICRC in this way? Analytics providers pull data about ledgers and tokens and custodians prepare and send transactions. ##### **How To Create an Endpoint and Run Queries on ICP and ICRC** 1. Sign in at [app.validationcloud.io](http://app.validationcloud.io) 2. Click “Create Endpoint” [![Screenshot 2025-04-28 at 11.41.05 AM](https://blog.validationcloud.io/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-04-28%20at%2011.41.05%20AM.png?width=500&height=431&name=Screenshot%202025-04-28%20at%2011.41.05%20AM.png)](http://app.validationcloud.io) 3. Select ICP. You can choose either ICP Mainnet or ICRC Mainnet. If you’d like to try both, you’ll need to create one endpoint for ICP and one endpoint for ICRC 4. You can click “Documentation” on the left to see all of Validation Cloud’s developer docs, including docs for ICP. You can see examples of the calls you can make. Once you find the calls you want to make, you can copy the API key from Validation Cloud’s platform, and then go into your backend code and paste the API key to make the call 5. If you’re interested in ICRC, you can view all tokens that Validation Cloud supports in our developer docs [here](https://docs.validationcloud.io/v1/icp/overview) ##### **Watch How to Set Up Endpoints for ICP and ICRC** ##### **Watch DFINITY’s Felipe Sodré Demo How to Read Data with Rosetta Using Validation Cloud**   [![Connect to ICP](https://hubspot-no-cache-eu1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/143804103/interactive-232603256016.png)](https://blog.validationcloud.io/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJV1Qwc9Yna9HPigZw3JGaFsiYdc4lxxU4eYN6UmF6OMnqDsdoADy9fiuw%2F1QoauilA6x2Xbrl%2FNSfJD3z12jcQzbi%2Fa79Kd59hE7HwknkL05ZPz8KDaxY7reupmCzvDGpTGyqfV8P0bkOseRg4pX758E4Asc6v20W0JbWNr5Ci4ZY%3D&webInteractiveContentId=232603256016&portalId=143804103) ##### **About Validation Cloud** Validation Cloud is the AI platform powering Web3 finance. The company delivers products across Data x AI, Staking, and Node API—trusted by billions in staked assets with #1 global node performance. At its core is Mavrik, the proprietary intelligence engine that reimagines how institutions interact with and analyze Web3 data. Learn more at [Validationcloud.io](https://www.validationcloud.io/) | [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/validationcloud/) | [X](https://twitter.com/ValidationCloud) | [Podcast](http://validationcloud.io/highstakes) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@ValidationCloud) [Node](https://blog.validationcloud.io/tag/node), [How-To](https://blog.validationcloud.io/tag/how-to), [ICP](https://blog.validationcloud.io/tag/icp) ## Related posts [![](https://blog.validationcloud.io/hs-fs/hubfs/Press%20Release%20Graphic_DFINITY%2c%20Validation%20Cloud%2c%20Elliptic.jpg?height=200&name=Press%20Release%20Graphic_DFINITY%2c%20Validation%20Cloud%2c%20Elliptic.jpg)](https://blog.validationcloud.io/dfinity-icp-elliptic) [Node](https://blog.validationcloud.io/tag/node), [Partnership](https://blog.validationcloud.io/tag/partnership), [DFINITY](https://blog.validationcloud.io/tag/dfinity), [Blockchain Data](https://blog.validationcloud.io/tag/blockchain-data), [ICP](https://blog.validationcloud.io/tag/icp), [Elliptic](https://blog.validationcloud.io/tag/elliptic) ## [Validation Cloud and DFINITY Foundation Partner to Support Enterprise-Grade Blockchain Analytics on ICP](https://blog.validationcloud.io/dfinity-icp-elliptic) ![Picture of Validation Cloud Team](https://blog.validationcloud.io/hubfs/validationcloud-icon-black.svg) [Validation Cloud Team](https://blog.validationcloud.io/author/validation-cloud-team) Apr 2, 2025 1:26:57 PM Validation Cloud is the first enterprise-grade analytics & ledger data provider on ICP, creating... [Read more](https://blog.validationcloud.io/dfinity-icp-elliptic) [![](https://blog.validationcloud.io/hs-fs/hubfs/Twitter%20-%20SOC%202%20type%202.jpg?height=200&name=Twitter%20-%20SOC%202%20type%202.jpg)](https://blog.validationcloud.io/soc2-type-ii-compliance) [Company News](https://blog.validationcloud.io/tag/company-news) ## [Validation Cloud Achieved SOC2 Type II Compliance](https://blog.validationcloud.io/soc2-type-ii-compliance) ![Picture of Validation Cloud Team](https://blog.validationcloud.io/hubfs/validationcloud-icon-black.svg) [Validation Cloud Team](https://blog.validationcloud.io/author/validation-cloud-team) Feb 20, 2024 12:40:57 PM In the rapidly evolving landscape of Web3, where innovative technologies meet unprecedented... [Read more](https://blog.validationcloud.io/soc2-type-ii-compliance) [![](https://blog.validationcloud.io/hs-fs/hubfs/LinkedIn%20stellar.jpg?height=200&name=LinkedIn%20stellar.jpg)](https://blog.validationcloud.io/validation-cloud-node-api-is-now-live-on-stellar-soroban) [Node](https://blog.validationcloud.io/tag/node), [Stellar](https://blog.validationcloud.io/tag/stellar) ## [Validation Cloud Node API is Now Live on Stellar Soroban](https://blog.validationcloud.io/validation-cloud-node-api-is-now-live-on-stellar-soroban) ![Picture of Validation Cloud Team](https://blog.validationcloud.io/hubfs/validationcloud-icon-black.svg) [Validation Cloud Team](https://blog.validationcloud.io/author/validation-cloud-team) Mar 20, 2024 2:21:00 PM Validation Cloud is now live on the Stellar network. As a primary provider, Validation Cloud is... 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