Built as the first ZK-Proof-of-Work (zkPoW) protocol, Nockchain turns cryptographic proving into the core of consensus. Verifiable computation directly secures execution and settlement at the base layer.
Today, Nockchain operates the largest ZK proving network in the world, forming the foundation for a scalable, programmable, and ultimately private proof-based economy.
2026 is the year Nockchain becomes a full platform.
This roadmap is intentionally narrow, technical, and execution-focused. The objective is to compound fundamentals through careful sequencing.
Harden the base layer → unlock the programmability platform → prove it with real applications → add privacy
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Phase I — Harden the Base Layer
Q1 2026
The first priority is to make Nockchain fast, cheap, scalable, and easy to run.
This phase focuses on protocol-level operational excellence.
Engineering Focus
- High-performance networking and faster initial sync
- Lower transaction fees through protocol-level optimizations
- Higher throughput with reduced node memory requirements
- Improved data layouts and commitment structures
Key Deliverables
- Demand Paging for low-memory nodes
- Networking upgrades for faster sync and batching of transactions
- Robust bridge withdrawal support
Protocol upgrades:
- Proper commitment to witness-lock Merkle proofs
- Transaction fee reduction
- Data storage efficiency improvements
By the end of Phase I, Nockchain should be inexpensive to transact on, fast to sync, and simple to operate.
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Phase II — Programmability via Optimistic Execution
Q2 2026
Phase II expands Nockchain into a general-purpose programmable platform for applications while preserving base-layer simplicity and verifiability.
Core Architecture
• Optimistic execution with fraud proofs
• Intent-based programmability
• Application logic expressed as verifiable spend conditions
This model enables expressive off-chain computation secured by on-chain proofs.
Platform Capabilities
• Expanded Nockchain Intent Script
• Fraud-proof-enforced execution correctness
• Expressive transaction logic
• Clear separation between settlement and computation
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DeFi Primitives: Oracles & Prediction Markets
Beginning Q2
Programmability is demonstrated through economically meaningful primitives.
Oracles
- Disputeable, economically secured oracle primitives
Support for:
- Price feeds
- Event outcomes
- Time-based and off-chain facts
- Native integration with optimistic execution
Prediction Markets
- A canonical application of the full stack
- Optimistic resolution with challenge periods
- Low fees and scalable market creation
- Native settlement with minimized trust assumptions
These systems serve as stress tests for fraud proofs, incentive design, and correctness under adversarial conditions.
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Phase III — Privacy & Asset Standards
H2 2026
With scalability and programmability established, Nockchain adds privacy at the transaction layer.
Core Deliverables
- Private Nock transactions
- A native token standard
- Foundations for private applications and financial primitives
- Privacy integrated directly into transaction semantics
This phase enables real-world financial use cases where confidentiality is a structural requirement.
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End-State Vision (End of 2026)
By the end of 2026, Nockchain is:
- A scalable, low-cost, proof-based L1
- A programmable platform built on optimistic execution
- A home for oracle-driven and information-based markets
- A privacy-capable settlement layer
- A system designed to compress historical state into proofs