Introduction
Avalanche is an open-source platform for building decentralized applications (Dapps) in one interoperable, highly scalable ecosystem. Avalanche is the first ecosystem designed to accommodate the scale of global finance, with near-instant transaction finality.
Avalanche empowers developers to join a rich ecosystem of blockchains known as Subnets. Subnets are subsets of the Avalanche Primary Network that validate a set of blockchains. Each Subnet's failures and performance are isolated from other Subnets in the ecosystem, so increased usage on a single Subnet doesn't affect other Subnets. Subnets can be permissioned or permission-less, enabling arbitrary levels of customization for any use-case.
Dapps run on Virtual Machines (VMs), which serve as definitions for blockchain applications. Solidity developers can build on Avalanche's implementation of the EVM straight out-of-the box, or build their own custom Virtual Machine (VM) for advanced use cases that require more flexibility or performance. VMs are supported in multiple languages including Go and Rust, giving developers unparalleled amounts of flexibility in their implementation.
Avalanche employs a novel consensus algorithm which offers strong safety guarantees, quick finality times, and high throughput, without compromising decentralization. Avalanche uses proof-of-stake and is incredibly energy-efficient and sustainable compared to proof-of-work blockchains. Avalanche can run on easily accessible consumer-grade hardware, and consumes the same amount of energy as 46 US households. The entire Avalanche network consumes only 0.0005% of the amount of energy consumed by Bitcoin.
Building on Avalanche
Virtual Machines
Blockchains are defined using the Virtual Machine (VM) framework. VMs are language agnostic and give developers unmatched levels of flexibility and customization in the implementation of their applications. Developers can choose to build on existing VMs that provide EVM-compatibility, or build their own custom VMs in the languages and frameworks of their choice.
To learn more about VMs, click here.
Subnets
Subnets are Avalanche's solution to scaling, and allow Avalanche to scale to create a massive amount of interoperable Dapps in its ecosystem.
To learn more about Subnets, click here.
Technology
Consensus
Avalanche uses a revolutionary consensus algorithm that is scalable, robust, and energy-efficient. Avalanche consensus offers stronger security guarantees well-above the 51% standard of other networks.
To learn more about consensus, click here.