Overview
What is Armchain?
Armchain is a quantum-resistant Layer 1 blockchain. Think of it as an Ethereum-compatible chain that swaps out the traditional signature scheme (ECDSA) for a quantum-safe one (ML-DSA44, standardized by NIST in FIPS 204). This means your smart contracts, tokens, and dApps get the same developer experience you're used to, but with cryptography designed to withstand future quantum computers.
Armchain uses the Lachesis aBFT consensus protocol for instant finality. Once a transaction is confirmed, it's permanent with no chance of rollbacks or reorganizations. The network maintains full EVM compatibility (London fork), so standard Solidity contracts deploy without any changes.
Why Armchain?
The Quantum Threat: Why It Matters
Current blockchain networks (Ethereum, Bitcoin, etc.) rely on ECDSA signatures based on the secp256k1 elliptic curve. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer running Shor's algorithm could break these signatures, which would mean:
Signature forgery: Attackers could authorize transactions from any address
Private key recovery: On-chain public keys could be used to derive private keys
Consensus takeover: Validator authentication could be compromised
While large-scale quantum computers don't exist yet, the "harvest now, decrypt later" threat is real today. Adversaries can store signed blockchain data now and attempt to crack it later when quantum hardware matures.
How Armchain Addresses This
Armchain uses post-quantum cryptography at every layer of the protocol:
User Transactions
ECDSA (secp256k1)
ML-DSA44 (FIPS 204)
Validator Signatures
ECDSA
ML-DSA44
Wallet Key Derivation
BIP-32/44 with secp256k1
BIP-32/44 with ML-DSA44 (hardened only)
Address Format
keccak256(ECDSA pubkey)
keccak256(ML-DSA44 pubkey)
Transaction Type
Type 0/1/2
Type 3 (PQC)
Instant Finality
Unlike Ethereum where you might wait several minutes for full finality, Armchain's Lachesis aBFT consensus provides deterministic, immediate finality:
No rollbacks: Confirmed transactions are irreversibly final
Asynchronous: No synchronous rounds or timeouts
Byzantine fault tolerant: Tolerates up to 1/3 malicious validators
DAG-based: Parallel event processing via a directed acyclic graph
EVM Compatibility
If you've built on Ethereum, you can build on Armchain. The network runs a full Ethereum Virtual Machine (London fork):
Standard Solidity contracts deploy without modification
Remix IDE for development and deployment
Hardhat for compilation and project structure (signing requires the Armchain Ethers SDK)
Armchain Ethers SDK (
@armchain-ethersv6/ethers) for dApp developmentStandard JSON-RPC APIs (
eth_sendTransaction,eth_call, etc.)ERC-20, ERC-721, ERC-1155 token standards
EIP-1559 gas pricing and EIP-2930 access lists
Architecture at a Glance
Here's how the different layers of Armchain fit together:
Applications
dApps, Wallets, Smart Contracts
JSON-RPC API
eth, arm, dag, admin, personal namespaces
EVM
Ethereum Virtual Machine (London fork rules)
Transaction Processing
Type 3 PQC transactions, EIP-1559 gas
Lachesis aBFT Consensus
DAG ordering, event emission, instant finality
ML-DSA44 Cryptography
Signatures, key management, validation
P2P Network
devp2p, gossip protocol, peer discovery
Armchain vs. Other Chains
Consensus
Lachesis aBFT
Gasper (PoS)
pBFT + PoS
Optimistic Rollup
Finality
Instant
~15 min
~2 min
~7 days (L1)
Quantum Safe
✅ ML-DSA44
❌ ECDSA
❌ ECDSA
❌ ECDSA
EVM Compatible
✅
✅ (native)
✅
✅
Layer
L1
L1
L1 sidechain
L2
Native Token
ARM
ETH
POL
ETH
Who is This Documentation For?
Whether you're an experienced blockchain developer or just getting started, you'll find guides tailored to your role:
dApp Developers: Smart contract deployment and interaction
SDK/Library Authors: Integrating post-quantum signing into tooling
Node Operators: Running full/archive nodes and validators
Wallet Developers: Implementing quantum-safe key management
Researchers: Post-quantum blockchain architecture
Next Steps
Quickstart → Deploy your first contract in 10 minutes
Network Configuration → Connect your tools and wallet to Armchain
Architecture Deep Dive → Learn how Armchain works under the hood
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