ALPHANET is Live

We are pleased to announce the release of the first alpha version of the Ellcrys project. Accompanying this release is an alphanet (a test network) composed of nodes running an alpha version of the Elld client.

This release, codenamed Inception, marks the beginning of a series of client releases designed to introduce and test features and concepts that together will deliver the Ellcrys vision; These include a cryptocurrency for unrestricted financial transactions, decentralized git hosting for uncensored collaboration, decentralized organization tools for creating self-sovereign, community-driven organizations and multi-language autonomous functions for building blockchain applications.

The Client (Elld)

Elld (Ellcrys Daemon) is the official client actively being developed by our team to allow users to join and interact with the Ellcrys network. With Elld, anyone can join the network, mine blocks, create transactions, execute JS scripts to talk to the client and the network.

Proof-of-Work Consensus

In distributed systems, consensus algorithms allow nodes to agree on a value. Proof-of-Work is a type of consensus algorithm popularised by Bitcoin; It involves a repetitive computation in search of a specific value that meets a target criteria. This operation is resource intensive and very competitive. In Bitcoin and many other similar projects, the computers performing proof-of-work are known as miners. Miners earn the right to create blocks when they find a value that meets the target.

Proof-of-Work In Elld

Inception is a PoW system. We use Blake2b-256 as the hash function with difficulty retarget occurring after every new block. The target duration between blocks is 1 minute which means on the retargeting algorithm will try to set the difficulty to allow blocks to be mined within 1 minute. Elld includes an easy-to-use CPU miner.

Future Work on Consensus

• Hybrid Consensus: We plan to implement a hybrid consensus system comprising of both proof-of-work and proof-of-stake network participants. The goal here is to create a system that is more resistant to Sybil attacks, on-chain governance and fair distribution of new coins.
• Leader-based PoW: BitcoinNG style leader-based proof-of-work allows a PoW miner to create many blocks in quick succession after creating a key block. We can achieve higher transaction throughput without degrading decentralization.
• PeopleMint: Symbiotic mining algorithm that requires users to submit national banknotes to miners as fuel for creating new coins. Without these banknotes, no new coin will be produced. The goal is to reduce the exclusivity PoW miners enjoy concerning the coin supply, allowing for a broader, fairer and inclusive distribution of new coins.

For a more detailed explanation of our development roadmap, check out this post.

The ALPHANET

An alphanet is a test network composed of computers running an alpha version of the Ellcrys client. This is a network for testing and studying new features in a live environment.

Test networks are essential as they allow the developing team to build without worrying about making catastrophic changes that could cause people to lose money.

Our test network is currently live. To join, you only need to download the latest Elld executable and launch it. The executable includes seed addresses that will immediately connect the client to the network. Visit our “Getting Started Guide” to learn how to obtain the executable and join the network.

Request of Test Coins

If you are interested in creating transactions on the testnet, you will need some test coins. Please create an Ellcrys address and fill this request form. To learn how to create an address, please take a look at the “Getting Started Guide”.

Along with the release of our alphanet, there are other important companion applications and updates:

New Website

We redesigned our website to be more informative, beautiful and user-friendly than the previous version.

One of the most common issues with the previous version was the ambiguous value proposition. We have had much time to think about the problem, vision and identified root issues and solutions and are confident that users will gain more clarity and understanding of our purpose and solutions.

Additionally, we have now adopted the .org TLD as the home for the Ellcrys protocol. All non-profit, decentralised solutions will be hosted or accessed under this TLD. Why you will still be able to access the website through the .co domain, we may not be able to do so in the future.

Check out the website — https://ellcrys.org

Documentation

You can find the documentation for Elld here. Additionally, the documentation for the Elld codebase can be found here. The codebase on Github can also be an excellent place to learn how Elld functions.

Block Explorer

Ellscan is our official block explorer that allows users to track their actions and browse the alphanet blockchain. You can:

• Find and view transactions.
• Find and view blocks.
• Find and view addresses.

Ellscan will continue to receive improvements and new capabilities as development on the network advance.

Alphanet Partnership Programme

In January 2019, we will be launching a programme aimed at encouraging and incentivizing members of our community to support the project by running nodes connected to the various testnets to be launched.

We consider the testnets as a vital platform for building a robust community and sound technology. The community will help the team test new features and provide valuable feedback in preparation for the mainnet launch.

Miners who sign up to this programme will be rewarded with the native coin which will be redeemable during the stable operation of the distribution network.

Pre-Registration

If you are interested in participating in our miner partnership programme, please visit the testnet page for more information.

You do not need to join the miner programme to run a node that joins the alphanet. Please follow the instructions in the “Getting Started” guide to learn how to start a node.

The Ellcrys team is always happy to take questions, discuss and listen to suggestions. Feel free to reach out to us:

• Website: https://ellcrys.org
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ellcryshq
• Discord: https://discord.gg/PdeJcUD
• Telegram: https://t.me/ellcrysHQ
• Email: hello [at] ellcrys.co