What Is Elastos?
Elastos is not a single blockchain. It is a decentralized internet infrastructure built on four pillars:
| Pillar | What it does |
|---|---|
| Blockchain | The trust layer — transfers, smart contracts, identity, governance |
| PC2 | Personal cloud computing on your own hardware |
| Runtime | A secure execution environment for apps and AI agents |
| Carrier | Peer-to-peer networking with no central server |
This section covers the Blockchain pillar.
The Three Chains
The Elastos blockchain is not a single chain. It is a multi-chain architecture with three layers, each purpose-built:
The Main Chain (ELA) is the foundation. It is a UTXO blockchain, like Bitcoin, secured by Bitcoin's own mining power through merged mining. It handles ELA transfers, staking, governance, and validator elections. It uses P-256 cryptography — not the secp256k1 curve used by Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The Smart Chain (ESC) is an EVM-compatible sidechain for smart contracts. If you have built on Ethereum, you already know how to build on ESC. It uses secp256k1 keys, so MetaMask, Hardhat, and ethers.js all work. Chain ID 20.
The Identity Chain (EID) is a sidechain dedicated to decentralized identity. It hosts W3C DID documents on-chain through precompiled contracts. Also EVM-compatible (Chain ID 22).
The main chain focuses on security, not throughput. The sidechains handle the heavy lifting — smart contracts, identity, storage integrations — while inheriting the main chain's security through the cross-chain bridge and shared validator set.
Why Does Elastos Exist?
The internet today is centralized. When you use Gmail, your email lives on Google's servers. When you use WhatsApp, your messages pass through Meta's infrastructure. When you log into a website, a company controls your username and password.
Elastos provides infrastructure where:
| Today (Web2) | Elastos (Web3) | |
|---|---|---|
| Data | Companies own your data | You own your data (via DIDs and Hive vaults) |
| Identity | Usernames controlled by platforms | Self-sovereign identity you generate yourself |
| Trust | Trust the company | Trust the math (cryptography) |
| Money | Banks can freeze your account | Blockchain — no intermediary |
| Governance | Board of directors decides | Proportional to your stake |
Whether this vision is fully realized depends on adoption and continued development. What this documentation covers is what the code actually implements today.
The source code is distributed across two GitHub organizations: elastos and CyberRepublic.
Where to Go Next
- Use it — Set up a wallet and start using ELA
- Learn how it works — Main Chain, Smart Chain, Identity
- Build on it — Developer Getting Started
- Run a node — Node Operations