Decentralized compute

Golem Network Compute

Peer-to-peer compute marketplace where requestors rent CPU and GPU time from providers and pay in GLM.

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Facts checked Oct 1, 2026

Golem Network key facts

CategoryDecentralized compute
ChainsEthereum, Polygon (GLM)
PlatformsCLI, SDK
Launched2018 (Brass Golem on Ethereum mainnet); crowdfund 2016
TokenGLM, ERC-20 on Ethereum and Polygon
CompanyGolem Factory GmbH, Zug, Switzerland
Open sourceGPL-3.0 (yagna)
US availabilityAvailable: disclaimer names no country restrictions
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GLM token

Price
$0.1006 -2.5% 24h
Market cap
$100.6M
Fully diluted value
$100.6M
30-day change
-23.7%
GLM price, last 30 days

Market data: CoinGecko, updated Nov 10, 2026. Educational content, not financial advice.

About

What is Golem Network?

Golem Network is a peer-to-peer marketplace for computing power: requestors send tasks to provider machines and pay in GLM, an ERC-20 token on Ethereum and Polygon. Golem Factory, based in Zug, Switzerland, builds it. Brass Golem, its first implementation, launched on Ethereum mainnet in 2018 after a 2016 crowdfund.

How Golem Network works

Everything runs through Yagna, Golem's node software, and its SDKs.

A provider announces spare CPU, memory and storage on the Golem market as an Offer. A requestor publishes a Demand, the market matches the two, and both sides sign an Agreement. The requestor then sends input files and runs a Golem VM image, built from a Docker image, on the provider's machine, and collects the output. One requestor can lease many providers at once and run tasks in parallel.

Payment is pay-as-you-go in GLM. Providers track usage and send periodic keep-alive debit notes, and a requestor that fails to accept one before the timeout risks having the agreement terminated. Short jobs are invoiced once when the agreement ends. For long-running agreements, newer Yagna versions negotiate mid-agreement payments at intervals both sides accept.

How to start with Golem Network

  1. As a requestor, install Yagna with the join.golem.network script on Linux or macOS, or the Windows installer, start it with yagna service run, and run yagna payment fund to get free test GLM on the Hoodi testnet, the JS SDK default.
  2. The JavaScript quickstart needs Node.js 18 or higher and the @golem-sdk/golem-js package, and its example leases five providers.
  3. Testnet capacity is not guaranteed.
  4. For real work you switch to mainnet with yagna payment fund --network=polygon, holding GLM to pay providers plus POL for gas.
  5. To share your machine as a provider, you need x86-64 Linux with KVM available.
  6. ARM is not supported.
  7. The provider runs tasks inside virtual machines, so Docker setups need access to the host /dev/kvm device.
  8. GLM and POL can be bought through the Golem Onboarding Portal or on Polygon exchanges.

Golem Network fees and limits

There are no subscriptions or up-front payments: you pay each provider the GLM price it offered for the resources actually used. On top of that you pay blockchain gas for each payment, which the docs call a substantial share of small payments even on Polygon. Yagna can batch payments to cut gas, for example setting ERC20_SENDOUT_INTERVAL_SECS=3600 to send once an hour. Ethereum mainnet payments are supported, but the docs note gas there is often larger than the payment itself.

Risks to know before using Golem Network

  • Your Yagna node holds its own wallet, so backing it up with the documented backup and restore procedure is your job.
  • Payments default to Polygon, which the docs describe as a sidechain linked to Ethereum by bridges and secured by a selected validator set, a trade-off against the main chain.
  • The pay-after-use model means providers carry the risk of an unpaid invoice, and the docs say mid-agreement payments only partly protect them from dishonest requestors.
Decentralized computeCLISDK

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Where Golem Network ranks on DappAtlas

Best Decentralized Computing Tools#3 of 5

Golem Network pros and cons

Pros
  • JS and Python SDKs with quickstarts
  • GLM available on both Ethereum and Polygon
  • Core node (yagna) is open source under GPL-3.0
Cons
  • Legacy GNT holders must migrate to GLM
  • Golem VM runtime differs from Docker containers, per its own docs

Golem Network FAQ

What is Golem Network?

Golem Network is a peer-to-peer marketplace for computing power: requestors send tasks to provider machines and pay in GLM, an ERC-20 token on Ethereum and Polygon. Golem Factory, based in Zug, Switzerland, builds it. Brass Golem, its first implementation, launched on Ethereum mainnet in 2018 after a 2016 crowdfund.

Which chains does Golem Network support?

Ethereum, Polygon (GLM).

Does Golem Network have a token?

Yes, GLM. Its market cap was $100.6M on CoinGecko on Nov 10, 2026. Educational content, not financial advice.

Is Golem Network available in the US?

Available: disclaimer names no country restrictions, according to Golem Network’s own page (checked Oct 1, 2026).

Sources

  1. Golem Network: official site
  2. Golem Network: About
  3. Golem Network: Homepage
  4. Golem: GitHub golemfactory/yagna
  5. Golem Network: Disclaimer
  6. Golem Network: Golem overview
  7. Golem Network: Payments explained
  8. Golem Network: Layer 2 payments
  9. Golem Network: Switching to mainnet
  10. Golem Network: JS quickstart
  11. Golem Network: Provider installation
  12. CoinGecko

How this page works

Sources: Golem Network: official site, Golem Network: About, Golem Network: Homepage. Data as of Oct 1, 2026.

How we review

Not affiliated with any project listed. Educational content, not financial advice.