What is XELIS?¶
Per docs.xelis.io and the FAQ, XELIS is a Layer-1 network combining a BlockDAG, privacy (encrypted balances and amounts), PoW, and smart contracts executed on XVM using the Silex language. For the latest integration status (e.g. mainnet vs testnet), use Development status alongside the FAQ.
Design goals (summary)¶
- Privacy: Balances and transferred amounts use homomorphic encryption (ElGamal on Ristretto255 / Curve25519, per FAQ) plus ZK range proofs so validators can check correctness without seeing plaintext amounts.
- Scalability: Multiple blocks at the same height (BlockDAG) reduce orphan waste versus a single-chain design at low block times. The FAQ cites ~5s block time in practice; consensus target is 5 seconds on the introduction / network page.
- Decentralized PoW: XELIS Hash (CPU/GPU-oriented; see XELIS Hash) and difficulty adjustment using a Kalman filter.
- Smart contracts: Silex on XVM — language guide Silex Lang, VM repository xelis-vm, browser environment playground.xelis.io.
Account model¶
XELIS uses an account-based model (not UTXO), which simplifies wallet flows and avoids input/output taint tracking. See the FAQ for the project’s rationale.
Official links¶
| Resource | URL |
|---|---|
| Website | xelis.io |
| Docs | docs.xelis.io |
| FAQ | docs.xelis.io/faq |
| Development status | docs.xelis.io/development-status |
| Network upgrades | docs.xelis.io/network-upgrades |
| Roadmap (site) | xelis.io/roadmap |
| Mainnet explorer | explorer.xelis.io |
| Testnet explorer | testnet-explorer.xelis.io |
| Silex Playground | playground.xelis.io |
| Node (source) | github.com/xelis-project/xelis-blockchain |
| XVM (source) | github.com/xelis-project/xelis-vm |
| Whitepaper | whitepaper.xelis.io |