Create a Token

Learn how to launch a simple fungible token on Hedera testnet. A fungible token is a divisible digital asset (think loyalty points, stablecoins, or stocks) created by the Hedera Token Service (HTS).

---

Prerequisites

• A Hedera testnet operator account ID and DER-encoded private key (from the Quickstart)
• A few testnet HBAR (ℏ) to cover the ≈ $1 token-creation fee

We will use the operator account as the token’s treasury (the account that initially holds the supply).

Note

You can always check the ” ✅ Code Check” section at the bottom of each page to view the entire code if you run into issues. You can also post your issue to the respective SDK channel in our Discord community here.

Project Setup and SDK Installation

JavaScript

Open your terminal and create a directory hedera-examples directory. Then change into the newly created directory:

mkdir hedera-examples && cd hedera-examples

Initialize a node.js project in this new directory:

npm init -y

Ensure you have Node.js v18 or later installed on your machine. Then, install the JavaScript SDK.

npm install --save @hashgraph/sdk

Update your package.json file to enable ES6 modules and configure the project:

{
  "name": "hedera-examples",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "type": "module",
  "main": "createTokenDemo.js",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node createTokenDemo.js"
  },
  "keywords": [],
  "author": "",
  "license": "ISC",
  "dependencies": {
    "@hashgraph/sdk": "^2.69.0"
  }
}

Create a createTokenDemo.js file and add the following imports:

import {
  Client,
  PrivateKey,
  TokenCreateTransaction,
  TokenSupplyType,
} from "@hashgraph/sdk";

Java

Add the Java SDK depenency to your Maven project’s pom.xml and create your source file:

Create a new Maven project and name it HederaExamples. Add the following dependencies to your pom.xml file:

<dependencies>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>com.hedera.hashgraph</groupId>
        <artifactId>sdk</artifactId>
        <version>2.61.0</version>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>com.google.code.gson</groupId>
        <artifactId>gson</artifactId>
        <version>2.10.1</version>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>io.grpc</groupId>
        <artifactId>grpc-netty-shaded</artifactId>
        <version>1.73.0</version>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>

Or for Gradle projects using the Groovy DSL, add these dependencies to your build.gradle file and install the dependencies using ./gradlew build

plugins {
    id 'java'
    id 'application'
}

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
}

dependencies {
    implementation 'com.hedera.hashgraph:sdk:2.60.0'
    implementation 'com.google.code.gson:gson:2.10.1'
    implementation 'io.grpc:grpc-netty-shaded:1.61.0'
}

application {
    mainClass = 'CreateTokenDemo'
    // or 'com.example.CreateTokenDemo' if it's in a package
}

Create a CreateTokenDemo.java class in src/main/java/ with the following imports:

import com.hedera.hashgraph.sdk.*;
import java.net.http.HttpClient;
import java.net.http.HttpRequest;
import java.net.http.HttpResponse;
import java.net.URI;
import com.google.gson.Gson;
import com.google.gson.JsonObject;
import com.google.gson.JsonArray;

public class CreateTokenDemo {
    public static void main(String[] args ) throws Exception {
        // Your token creation code will go here
    }
}/

Go

Create a new file create_token_demo.go and import the following packages to your file:

import (
    "encoding/json"
    "fmt"
    "io"
    "net/http"
    "os"
    "time"

    hedera "github.com/hiero-ledger/hiero-sdk-go/v2/sdk"
)

In your project’s root directory, initialize modules and pull in the Go SDK:

-module

go mod init create_token_demo
go get github.com/hiero-ledger/hiero-sdk-go/v2@latest
go mod tidy

Python

Before you start: Ensure you have Python 3.10+ installed on your machine. Run this command to verify.

python --version

If the python --version command is not found or shows a version lower than 3.10, install or upgrade Python from Python Install.

Note: On some systems, you may need to use python3 instead of python for initial setup commands. If python --version doesn’t work, try python3 --version and use python3 for the virtual environment creation. After activating the virtual environment, always use python for all commands.

Open your terminal and create a working directory for your Hedera project. Then navigate into the new directory:

mkdir hedera-examples && cd hedera-examples

Verify Python and pip: Ensure you have Python 3.10+ and pip installed on your machine. Run these commands to check:

python --version

python -m pip --version

Create a virtual environment to isolate your project dependencies (Python best practice):

python -m venv .venv

Activate the virtual environment to use the isolated Python installation:

Mac/Linux

source .venv/bin/activate

Windows

.venv\Scripts\activate

Upgrade pip to ensure you have the latest package installer (recommended):

python -m pip install --upgrade pip

Install the Python SDK:

python -m pip install hiero_sdk_python

Create a file named CreateTokenDemo.py and add the following imports:

import os
import time
import requests

from hiero_sdk_python import (
    Client,
    AccountId,
    PrivateKey,
    TokenCreateTransaction,
    TokenType,
    SupplyType,
)

---

Environment Variables

Set your operator credentials as environment variables. Your OPERATOR_ID is your testnet account ID. Your OPERATOR_KEY is your testnet account’s corresponding ECDSA private key.

export OPERATOR_ID="0.0.1234"
export OPERATOR_KEY="3030020100300506032b657004220420..."

---

Step 1: Initialize Hedera client

Load your operator credentials from environment variables and initialize your Hedera testnet client. This client will connect to the Hedera test network and use your operator account to sign transactions and pay transaction fees.

JavaScript

// Load your operator credentials
const operatorId = process.env.OPERATOR_ID;
const operatorKey = process.env.OPERATOR_KEY;

// Initialize your testnet client and set operator
const client = Client.forTestnet().setOperator(operatorId, operatorKey);

---

Step 2: Generate Token Keys

Generate an ECDSA key and use it for both admin and supply operations.

Why keys?

adminKey lets you update or delete the token; supplyKey authorizes mint and burn operations. We use the same key for both roles to keep this tutorial simple.

JavaScript

// Generate keys that control your token
const supplyKey = PrivateKey.generateECDSA();   // can mint/burn
const adminKey  = supplyKey;    // can update and delete (reuse for simplicity)

‼️ Security reminder: Keep your private keys secure - anyone with access can control your token.

---

Step 3: Create Your First Token on Hedera

Build a TokenCreateTransaction with your token properties like name, symbol, and initial supply. Sign the transaction with your admin key, submit it to the network, and Hedera returns a unique token ID that identifies your token.

JavaScript

// Build the transaction
const transaction = new TokenCreateTransaction()
  .setTokenName("Demo Token")        // readable name
  .setTokenSymbol("DEMO")
  .setDecimals(2)                    // 100 = 1.00 token
  .setInitialSupply(100_000)         // 1 000.00 DEMO in treasury
  .setSupplyType(TokenSupplyType.Finite)
  .setMaxSupply(100_000)             // cap equals initial supply
  .setTreasuryAccountId(operatorId)
  .setAdminKey(adminKey.publicKey)   // optional
  .setSupplyKey(supplyKey.publicKey) // optional for fungible tokens
  .setTokenMemo("Created via tutorial")
  .freezeWith(client);

// Sign with the admin key, execute with the operator, and get receipt
const signedTx = await transaction.sign(adminKey);
const txResponse = await signedTx.execute(client);
const receipt = await txResponse.getReceipt(client);
const tokenId = receipt.tokenId;

console.log(`\nFungible token created: ${tokenId.toString()}`)

---

Step 4: Query the Treasury Balance Using Mirror Node API

Use the Mirror Node REST API to check your treasury account’s token balance. Mirror nodes provide free access to network data without transaction fees.

API endpoint:

/api/v1/accounts/{accountId}/tokens?token.id={tokenId}

Replace the placeholders:

• {accountId} - Your treasury account (operator account)
• {tokenId} - Token ID from the creation transaction

Why this endpoint?

This endpoint queries the account’s token balances, filtered by the specific token ID. It returns detailed information including the balance and token metadata, making it ideal for verifying the treasury account holds the expected initial supply.

Example URLs:

JavaScript

const mirrorNodeUrl =`https://testnet.mirrornode.hedera.com/api/v1/accounts/${operatorId}/tokens?token.id=${tokenId}`;

Complete Implementation:

JavaScript

// Wait for Mirror Node to populate data
console.log("\nWaiting for Mirror Node to update...");
await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 3000));

// Query balance using Mirror Node
const mirrorNodeUrl = `https://testnet.mirrornode.hedera.com/api/v1/accounts/${operatorId}/tokens?token.id=${tokenId}`;

const response = await fetch(mirrorNodeUrl);
const data = await response.json();

if (data.tokens && data.tokens.length > 0) {
const balance = data.tokens[0].balance;
console.log(`\nTreasury holds: ${balance} DEMO\n`);
} else {
console.log("Token balance not yet available in Mirror Node");
}

client.close();

---

✅ Code check

Before running your project, verify your code matches the complete example:

JavaScript

import {
  Client,
  PrivateKey,
  TokenCreateTransaction,
  TokenSupplyType
} from "@hashgraph/sdk";

async function createTokenDemo() {
// load your operator credentials
const operatorId = process.env.OPERATOR_ID;
const operatorKey = process.env.OPERATOR_KEY;

// initialize the client for testnet
const client = Client.forTestnet()
.setOperator(operatorId, operatorKey);

// generate token keys
const supplyKey = PrivateKey.generateECDSA();
const adminKey = supplyKey;

// build & execute the token creation transaction
const transaction = new TokenCreateTransaction()
.setTokenName("Demo Token")
.setTokenSymbol("DEMO")
.setDecimals(2)
.setInitialSupply(100_000)
.setSupplyType(TokenSupplyType.Finite)
.setMaxSupply(100_000)
.setTreasuryAccountId(operatorId)
.setAdminKey(adminKey.publicKey)
.setSupplyKey(supplyKey.publicKey)
.setTokenMemo("Created via tutorial")
.freezeWith(client);

const signedTx = await transaction.sign(adminKey);
const txResponse = await signedTx.execute(client);
const receipt = await txResponse.getReceipt(client);
const tokenId = receipt.tokenId;

console.log(`\nFungible token created: ${tokenId}`);

// Wait for Mirror Node to populate data
console.log("\nWaiting for Mirror Node to update...");
await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 3000));

// query balance using Mirror Node
const mirrorNodeUrl = `https://testnet.mirrornode.hedera.com/api/v1/accounts/${operatorId}/tokens?token.id=${tokenId}`;

const response = await fetch(mirrorNodeUrl);
const data = await response.json();

if (data.tokens && data.tokens.length > 0) {
const balance = data.tokens[0].balance;
console.log(`\nTreasury holds: ${balance} DEMO\n`);
} else {
console.log("Token balance not yet available in Mirror Node");
}

client.close();
}

createTokenDemo().catch(console.error);

Java

import com.hedera.hashgraph.sdk.*;
import java.net.http.HttpClient;
import java.net.http.HttpRequest;
import java.net.http.HttpResponse;
import java.net.URI;
import com.google.gson.Gson;
import com.google.gson.JsonObject;
import com.google.gson.JsonArray;

public class CreateTokenDemo {
    public static void main(String[] args ) throws Exception {
        // load your operator credentials
        AccountId operatorId = AccountId.fromString(System.getenv("OPERATOR_ID"));
        PrivateKey operatorKey = PrivateKey.fromString(System.getenv("OPERATOR_KEY"));

        // initialize the client for testnet
        Client client = Client.forTestnet().setOperator(operatorId, operatorKey);

        // generate token keys
        PrivateKey supplyKey = PrivateKey.generateECDSA();
        PrivateKey adminKey = supplyKey;

        // build & execute the token creation transaction
        TokenCreateTransaction transaction = new TokenCreateTransaction()
            .setTokenName("Demo Token")
            .setTokenSymbol("DEMO")
            .setDecimals(2)
            .setInitialSupply(100_000)
            .setSupplyType(TokenSupplyType.FINITE)
            .setMaxSupply(100_000)
            .setTreasuryAccountId(operatorId)
            .setAdminKey(adminKey.getPublicKey())
            .setSupplyKey(supplyKey.getPublicKey())
            .setTokenMemo("Created via tutorial")
            .freezeWith(client);

        TokenCreateTransaction signedTx = transaction.sign(adminKey);
        TransactionResponse txResponse = signedTx.execute(client);
        TransactionReceipt receipt = txResponse.getReceipt(client);
        TokenId tokenId = receipt.tokenId;

        System.out.println("\nFungible token created: " + tokenId );

        // Wait for Mirror Node to populate data
        System.out.println("\nWaiting for Mirror Node to update...");
        Thread.sleep(3000);

        // query balance using Mirror Node
        String mirrorNodeUrl = "https://testnet.mirrornode.hedera.com/api/v1/accounts/" +
                               operatorId + "/tokens?token.id=" + tokenId;

        HttpClient httpClient = HttpClient.newHttpClient( );
        HttpRequest request = HttpRequest.newBuilder().uri(URI.create(mirrorNodeUrl)).build();
        HttpResponse<String> response = httpClient.send(request, HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString( ));

        JsonObject data = new Gson().fromJson(response.body(), JsonObject.class);
        JsonArray tokens = data.getAsJsonArray("tokens");

        if (tokens.size() > 0) {
            long balance = tokens.get(0).getAsJsonObject().get("balance").getAsLong();
            System.out.println("\nTreasury holds: " + balance + " DEMO\n");
        } else {
            System.out.println("Token balance not yet available in Mirror Node");
        }

        client.close();
    }
}

Go

package main

import (
    "encoding/json"
    "fmt"
    "io"
    "net/http"
    "os"
    "time"

    hedera "github.com/hiero-ledger/hiero-sdk-go/v2/sdk"

)

func main() {
// load your operator credentials
operatorId, _ := hedera.AccountIDFromString(os.Getenv("OPERATOR_ID"))
operatorKey, _ := hedera.PrivateKeyFromString(os.Getenv("OPERATOR_KEY"))

    // initialize the client for testnet
    client := hedera.ClientForTestnet()
    client.SetOperator(operatorId, operatorKey)

    // generate token keys
    supplyKey, _ := hedera.PrivateKeyGenerateEcdsa()
    adminKey := supplyKey

    // build & execute the token creation transaction
    transaction, _ := hedera.NewTokenCreateTransaction().
    	SetTokenName("Demo Token").
    	SetTokenSymbol("DEMO").
    	SetDecimals(2).
    	SetInitialSupply(100_000).
    	SetSupplyType(hedera.TokenSupplyTypeFinite).
    	SetMaxSupply(100_000).
    	SetTreasuryAccountID(operatorId).
    	SetAdminKey(adminKey.PublicKey()).
    	SetSupplyKey(supplyKey.PublicKey()).
    	SetTokenMemo("Created via tutorial").
    	FreezeWith(client)

    signedTx := transaction.Sign(adminKey)
    txResponse, _ := signedTx.Execute(client)
    receipt, _ := txResponse.GetReceipt(client)
    tokenId := *receipt.TokenID

    fmt.Printf("\nToken created: %s\n", tokenId.String())

    // Wait for Mirror Node to populate data
    fmt.Println("\nWaiting for Mirror Node to update...")
    time.Sleep(3 * time.Second)

    // query balance using Mirror Node
    mirrorNodeUrl := "https://testnet.mirrornode.hedera.com/api/v1/accounts/" +
    	operatorId.String() + "/tokens?token.id=" + tokenId.String()

    response, _ := http.Get(mirrorNodeUrl)
    defer response.Body.Close()

    body, _ := io.ReadAll(response.Body)

    var data struct {
    	Tokens []struct {
    		Balance int64 `json:"balance"`
    	} `json:"tokens"`
    }

    json.Unmarshal(body, &data)

    if len(data.Tokens) > 0 {
    	balance := data.Tokens[0].Balance
    	fmt.Printf("\nTreasury holds: %d DEMO\n\n", balance)
    } else {
    	fmt.Println("Token balance not yet available in Mirror Node")
    }

    client.Close()

}

Python

import os
import time
import requests

from hiero_sdk_python import (
    Client,
    AccountId,
    PrivateKey,
    TokenCreateTransaction,
    TokenType,
    SupplyType,
)

# Load your operator credentials
operatorId = AccountId.from_string(os.getenv("OPERATOR_ID", ""))
operatorKey = PrivateKey.from_string(os.getenv("OPERATOR_KEY", ""))

# Initialize the client for testnet
client = Client()
client.set_operator(operatorId, operatorKey)

# Generate token keys
supply_key = PrivateKey.generate_ecdsa()
admin_key = supply_key

# Build & execute the token creation transaction
transaction = (
    TokenCreateTransaction()
    .set_token_name("Demo Token")
    .set_token_symbol("DEMO")
    .set_decimals(2)
    .set_initial_supply(100_000)
    .set_token_type(TokenType.FUNGIBLE_COMMON)
    .set_supply_type(SupplyType.FINITE)
    .set_max_supply(100_000)
    .set_treasury_account_id(operatorId)
    .freeze_with(client)
)

signed_tx = transaction.sign(admin_key)
receipt = signed_tx.execute(client)
token_id = receipt.token_id

print(f"\nFungible token created: {token_id}")

# Wait for Mirror Node to populate data
print("\nWaiting for Mirror Node to update...")
time.sleep(3)

# Query balance using Mirror Node
mirror_node_url = f"https://testnet.mirrornode.hedera.com/api/v1/accounts/{operatorId}/tokens?token.id={token_id}"

response = requests.get(mirror_node_url, timeout=10)
response.raise_for_status()
data = response.json()

tokens = data.get("tokens", [])
if tokens:
    balance = tokens[0].get("balance", 0)
    print(f"\nTreasury holds: {balance} DEMO\n")
else:
    print("Token balance not yet available in Mirror Node")

client.close()

---

Run Your Project

Ensure your environment variables are set:

export OPERATOR_ID="0.0.1234"
export OPERATOR_KEY="3030020100300506032b657004220420..."

JavaScript

JavaScript

node createTokenDemo.js

Java Maven

mvn compile exec:java -Dexec.mainClass="com.example.CreateTokenDemo"

Java Gradle

./gradlew run

Go

Go

go run create_token_demo.go

Python

Python

python CreateTokenDemo.py

When finished, deactivate the virtual environment:

deactivate

Expected sample output:

Fungible token created: 0.0.12345

Waiting for Mirror Node to update...

Treasury holds: 100000 DEMO

‼️ Troubleshooting

Common ERROR messages and solutions ⬇️

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
INSUFFICIENT_PAYER_BALANCE	Not enough HBAR for transaction fees	Top up your operator account on the testnet faucet
INVALID_SIGNATURE	Not signing the transaction with the admin key or treasury account	Add .sign(privateKey)to the transaction before executing it
TOKEN_ALREADY_ASSOCIATED_TO_ACCOUNT	Account already associated with token	This is normal for treasury accounts - ignore this error
INVALID_ACCOUNT_ID	Malformed account ID in environment variables	Verify OPERATOR_ID format is 0.0.1234
INVALID_PRIVATE_KEY	Malformed private key in environment variables	Verify OPERATOR_KEY is a valid DER-encoded private key string

Environment Issues:

• Environment variables not set or accessible
• Wrong network (mainnet vs testnet) configuration
• SDK version compatibility issues

---

What just happened?

1. The SDK built a TokenCreateTransaction and signed it with every required key.
2. A consensus node validated signatures and attached the fee.
3. After network consensus, HTS registered your token and returned its token ID.
4. The full initial supply now sits in your treasury account and is ready to transfer.
5. The Mirror Node API confirmed your treasury account holds the token balance.

---

Next steps

• Create a Topic
• Try out our 3-part NFT tutorial
• Explore more examples in the SDK repos (JavaScript, Java, Go)

---

🎉 Great work! You’ve successfully created your first fungible token on Hedera and verified its balance using the Mirror Node API. Guard your private keys and happy building!

Additional Resources

Tokens