ERC-20 tokens on Base are smart-contract-based assets that follow the widely used ERC-20 token interface.
This guide covers Base ERC-20 tokens, token contracts, balances, transfers, approvals and allowances.
ERC-20 is a widely used token standard in the Ethereum ecosystem.
Base is EVM-compatible, allowing ERC-20-compatible tokens and smart contracts to operate on Base.
An ERC-20 token is represented by a smart contract.
A token is identified by its contract address.
The following information may be associated with an ERC-20 token:
- Contract address
- Token name
- Token symbol
- Decimals
- Total supply
- Holder information
- Transfer history
Token names and symbols should not be treated as unique identifiers.
Always verify the token contract address.
An ERC-20 token balance is associated with a wallet address and token contract.
A simplified model is:
Wallet Address
+
Token Contract
↓
Token Balance
No private key is required to inspect a public token balance.
A token balance lookup generally requires:
- Base wallet address
- ERC-20 token contract address
- Blockchain data query
- Token balance calculation
- Token decimals
Always verify the token contract.
An ERC-20 transfer generally interacts with the token contract.
A transfer includes:
- Sender
- Recipient
- Token amount
- Token contract
- Gas fee
- Transaction signature
Before signing, verify:
- Network
- Token contract
- Recipient address
- Token amount
A bulk transfer workflow can be used to distribute ERC-20 tokens to multiple addresses.
Typical use cases include:
- Application testing
- Payment distribution
- User rewards
- Treasury operations
- Development
Transaction fees should be estimated before processing multiple transfers.
ERC-20 tokens commonly use an approval mechanism.
An approval can authorize a spender to transfer tokens on behalf of a wallet.
A simplified model:
Token Owner
↓
ERC-20 Contract
↓
Approved Spender
↓
Allowance
Users should regularly review approvals for applications and contracts they no longer use.
An allowance defines how much of a token a spender can transfer on behalf of an owner.
Allowance information can be inspected through public blockchain data.
Users should verify the:
- Token contract
- Owner address
- Spender address
- Allowance amount
before interacting with the contract.
When an unwanted approval is identified, a user may interact with the relevant ERC-20 contract to reduce or remove the allowance where supported.
Typical workflow:
- Identify the token contract.
- Identify the spender.
- Check the current allowance.
- Verify the contract.
- Submit an allowance update.
- Confirm the transaction.
Changing an allowance requires an on-chain transaction and therefore network fees.
Before interacting with an ERC-20 token:
- Verify the contract address.
- Verify official project information.
- Review token behavior.
- Check approvals.
- Review transaction data.
- Start with a small transaction when appropriate.
Do not assume that a token is legitimate based only on its name or symbol.
Bitools provides blockchain tools for Base and ERC-20 asset management.
Useful Base token management operations include:
- Token balance checking
- Token transfers
- Bulk transfers
- Approval inspection
- Allowance inspection
- Wallet asset monitoring
- Token contract inspection