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Protocol Specification

The ALX specification defines how supported JSON content becomes a Block, how declared parent relationships determine lineage-bound identity, and how implementations verify Blocks and their declared relationships.

Independent implementations can apply the protocol rules without relying on a specific storage, transport, application, or blockchain system.

Read the Specification​

Start with canonicalization and the Block model to understand how protocol data is represented. Then follow Block identity into parent relationships and derivation graphs.

Continue with lineage and attribution, verification, and trust boundaries to understand what ALX can establish from protocol data and what remains the responsibility of applications and external systems.

Review signing and protocol non-goals for optional evidence and explicit boundaries. Finish with conformance when building or evaluating an independent ALX implementation.

Explore​

  1. Canonicalization — How supported JSON is transformed into deterministic canonical form.
  2. Block — The core protocol object and its required fields.
  3. Block Identity — How contentHash and blockHash are derived.
  4. Parent Relationships — How Blocks declare direct parent relationships.
  5. Lineage Graphs — How declared parent relationships form derivation graphs.
  6. Lineage and Attribution — The distinction between structural lineage and attribution claims.
  7. Verification — Protocol checks for Blocks and available graph structure.
  8. Trust Boundary — What ALX verifies and what remains outside the protocol.
  9. Signing (Optional Evidence) — Optional cryptographic evidence associated with Blocks.
  10. Protocol Non-Goals — Capabilities intentionally left to applications and infrastructure.
  11. Conformance — Requirements for compatible implementations.

For a runnable introduction, Create Your First Block.