This article provides a detailed overview of NEAR Protocol, a decentralized open-source platform designed to address blockchain scalability issues through its innovative Nightshade sharding technology and Threshold Proof of Stake (TPoS) consensus mechanism. NEAR Protocol supports developers in building high-performance decentralized applications (dApps) and has attracted a broad user base with its user-friendly account naming system and smart contract accessibility without the need for a wallet. The article also explores NEAR Protocol's unique technologies, such as the Rainbow Bridge and the Aurora Layer 2 solution, as well as the economic model of the NEAR token and its applications within the ecosystem, including Ref Finance and Burrow. Additionally, it discusses how NEAR Protocol achieves cross-chain interoperability through Chain Signatures and how the Burrow v2 upgrade enhances the performance and user experience of DeFi platforms. The vision of NEAR Protocol is to create an efficient, secure, and easily