Rivellum is a high-performance Layer-1 blockchain built on encrypted batch ingress, lane-parallel execution, Aurora BFT consensus, and Proof-of-Useful-Work (PoUW).

What is Rivellum?

Rivellum eliminates mempool-based MEV by encrypting all intents before submission. Committees decrypt and execute intents within sealed batches, making front-running structurally impossible.

• Intent-Based Execution: Users express desired outcomes; the protocol handles execution
• Encrypted Batch Ingress: All intents encrypted with ChaCha20-Poly1305 — no plaintext mempool
• Lane-Parallel Scaling: Independent state lanes processed in parallel by committees
• Aurora BFT Consensus: Three-phase BFT with quorum certificates and two-level finality
• Proof of Useful Work (PoUW): ZK proof generation as consensus work, replacing wasteful mining
• Mist Smart Contracts: Contracts produce PVI graphs verified by the UVL engine
• Post-Quantum Security: CRYSTALS-Dilithium3 for all signatures — no classical fallback

Key Differentiators

1. No Mempool, No MEV

Traditional blockchains expose pending transactions in a mempool, enabling front-running and sandwich attacks. Rivellum encrypts intent payloads before submission. The committee decrypts only within the consensus round, eliminating MEV by design.

2. Lane-Parallel Execution

Multiple lanes process intents concurrently, each with its own RocksDB and Sparse Merkle Tree. Cross-lane transfers use the CPC (Cross-lane Payment Channel) protocol with nullifier-checked credit receipts.

3. Proof-of-Useful-Work

Instead of wasting energy on arbitrary hash puzzles, PoUW directs computational resources toward generating zero-knowledge proofs (Winterfell STARKs, Plonky2, Halo2) that secure the network.

4. Post-Quantum Cryptography

All signatures use CRYSTALS-Dilithium3 (ML-DSA-65, NIST Level 3). Key encapsulation uses ML-KEM-768. No hybrid mode, no classical fallback.

5. Economic Sustainability

• 1 billion RIVL fixed supply, 9 decimals
• Fees split: 80% Mining Pool (operator rewards), 20% Foundation
• Mining Pool overflow burn when pool exceeds 40% of supply
• Fee distribution ratios are immutable

Quick Links

For Developers

• Getting Started
• Mist Contracts
• SDK Guide
• NFT Standard
• Account Auth

For Node Operators

• Node Setup
• Logging & Monitoring
• Disaster Recovery

For Provers

• PoUW Setup
• PoUW Economics

Governance & Research

• Governance & Tokenomics
• ZK Pipeline
• Threat Model

Architecture at a Glance

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│          Clients & SDKs (TypeScript SDK)          │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   Encrypted Batch Ingress (EncryptedEnvelope)     │
│   Admission Pool → Lane Router → Batchers         │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   Lane-Parallel Execution (Photon Engine)         │
│  ┌────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┐           │
│  │ Lane 0 │ Lane 1 │ Lane 2 │ Lane N │           │
│  └────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘           │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   Aurora BFT Consensus (per-Committee)            │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   PoUW Proof Layer + State Storage (RocksDB/WAL) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

For the full architecture, see Architecture Overview.

Getting Started

As a Developer

1. Install prerequisites: Rust 1.78+, RocksDB
2. Build from source: cargo build --release
3. Launch a local testnet and submit your first intent

→ Developer Quick Start

As a Node Operator

1. Build or download rivellum-node
2. Configure node (committees, lanes, ports)
3. Start syncing and participating in consensus

→ Node Operator Guide

As a Prover

1. Install rivellum-pouwd daemon
2. Configure hardware and claim PoUW jobs
3. Start generating ZK proofs for rewards

→ Prover Setup Guide

Status: Rivellum is in active development. Core protocol features are operational on testnet.