# Oracles Polymarket resolves its markets by using oracles. ### What is an oracle? An oracle is a trusted source that provides the official outcome of events or real-world data such as prices and reported numbers. ### Why does Polymarket use oracles? Polymarket does not have a way of knowing real-world outcomes on its own. Oracles provide Polymarket with real-world outcomes so it knows how a market should resolve.
### Which oracles does Polymarket use? Polymarket uses three oracles: the **Markets Team**, **Chainlink**, and **UMA Protocol**. ### Markets Team Polymarket has a Markets Team whose job is to create markets, write rulesets, and resolve markets.
### Chainlink [Chainlink](https://chain.link/) is the largest decentralized oracle network. It delivers secure, tamper-resistant data from outside sources into blockchain applications.
#### How does Chainlink work? Chainlink collects information, such as asset prices, from multiple independent providers. It then aggregates and delivers that data onchain in a way that is timestamped and verifiable, reducing the risk of errors or manipulation. #### How does Polymarket use Chainlink? Polymarket uses Chainlink to resolve markets that depend on real-time numbers like crypto prices. With the integration of **Chainlink Data Streams** (low-latency, verifiable price feeds) and **Chainlink Automation** (timely, automated onchain settlement), Polymarket can run fast-resolving markets such as **15-minute crypto price markets**. ### UMA Protocol [UMA (Universal Market Access)](https://uma.xyz) is an optimistic oracle designed for questions where outcomes are harder to verify or do not have a single data source.
#### How does UMA work? UMA uses a **three-step process** to verify real-world outcomes and bring that data onto the blockchain: * **Proposers** submit an answer to the market question. * **Disputers** can challenge the answer if they believe it is wrong. * **Voters** make the final decision if a dispute occurs. This system creates checks and balances so that incorrect answers can be caught and corrected. #### How does Polymarket use UMA? Polymarket uses UMA for markets that cannot be resolved through automated data feeds like Chainlink. These are often **subjective questions** or situations where there is no single official source. By using UMA, Polymarket ensures that these markets still resolve in a transparent way, with the community involved in verifying the outcome. ### Polymarket US vs. Polymarket International On **Polymarket US**, the Markets Team is responsible for resolving markets by checking whether the resolution criteria have been satisfied. On **Polymarket International**, the Markets Team provides clarifications about how a market should resolve, while the **UMA Oracle** performs the actual resolution process. {% hint style="info" %} **Going Forward**\ In the Resolution section, all mentions of "the oracle" refer to the **UMA Oracle**, unless otherwise noted. {% endhint %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://polymarketguide.gitbook.io/polymarketguide/resolution/oracles.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.