# Vaults, assets and shares

Understand the position behind Earn and the information needed to integrate a deployed vault.

A vault gives an asset position a consistent interface. The protocol materials use the ERC-4626 vault model: an underlying token is deposited, and vault shares represent the holder's proportional claim on the vault's assets.

## Read the position in the right units

The underlying asset and the vault share are different tokens. Their decimals and exchange rate may differ. A share balance should not be displayed as an asset balance without the correct conversion.

In ERC-4626, `deposit` specifies an asset amount, while `mint` specifies a share amount. `withdraw` targets an asset amount; `redeem` burns a specified share amount. Preview and limit methods support transaction preparation. The [ERC-4626 specification](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-4626) defines these methods.

## Use the API for discovery and reporting

`GET /vaults` returns vault records filtered by supported query parameters. These records help the interface describe the available context: asset, network, provider and rate data.

For transaction construction, use the verified deployment address, ABI, token details and current onchain state. A catalogue record alone is not a transaction configuration.

## What your integration needs

| Item | Why it matters |
| --- | --- |
| Network and chain ID | Select the correct signing network and explorer |
| Asset address and decimals | Parse amounts and approve the intended token |
| Vault address and contract version | Call the reviewed deployment |
| Share token details | Read and format the customer's position correctly |
| Fees and withdrawal mechanics | Prepare accurate customer confirmation screens |
| Roles and upgrade configuration | Understand the deployed control model |

The published contract-address page originally contained placeholders. Use the [deployment handoff](/security/deployments/) to obtain and verify an integration-specific record before constructing transactions.