What is Alph Network?

Alph Network is an innovative solution to the scalability problem of the Ethereum blockchain, and other current blockchain platforms. Alph Network relies on a system of 10 Masternodes with Alph Delegated Proof of authority (d-POA)consensus that can support low transaction fees and 10-second transaction confirmation times. Security, stability and chain finality are guaranteed via novel techniques such as double validation, staking via smart-contracts and true randomization processes.

Alph Network supports all EVM-compatible smart-contracts, protocols, and atomic cross-chain token transfers. New scaling techniques such as sharding, EVM parallelisation, private-chain generation, hardware integration will be continuously researched and incorporated into Alph Network's Masternode architecture. It will be an ideal scalable smart-contract public blockchain for decentralized apps, token issuances and token integrations for small and big businesses.

Does Alph Network use PoS?

Alph plans to use Prove of Authority (PA) as consensus of Alph blockchain. Alph strives to build a ecosystem which has strong governance structure and distributed architecture, this would significantly prevent the design or development direction disputes from happening.

What are your plans for listing on other exchanges, are any major western exchanges in the pipeline?

We are now listed on Binance, OKX, Kucoin, HitBTC, Lbank, Huobi and Bitfinex.

With more real case implementations and further development of Alph community, we believe our project will definitely get more exposures and attentions from exchanges.

What kind of Dapps are you expecting to be developed on the Alph network?

Regarding the Dapps built on Alph, we are open to all different kinds of ideas and proposals. By utilizing the combination of Smart Contract and Smart Money to improve the efficiency and reduce the cost would be a desirable direction of Dapps.

What problem is Alph Network aiming to solve?

The problems that Alph Network aims to solve can be summarized as follows:

• The network congestion on Ethereum (high transaction time)
• High transaction fees on Ethereum
• Most other blockchains are highly centralized and/or do not have interoperability with Ethereum system

Blockchain has become one of the most disruptive technologies that enables many decentralized applications, including but not limited to cryptocurrencies, smart-contracts and supply-chain management. Blockchain proponents have been trying to inject it into this Industry 4.0 revolution era. In order to reach this goal, the current blockchain infrastructure must at least be able to compete with many mainstream technologies, such as Visa and MasterCard processors in financial services. Nevertheless, the reality is disappointing: Bitcoin and Ethereum can only process around 7 and 15 transactions per second, respectively. Remember that, these numbers in Visa and MasterCard are around 5'000-6'000 transactions per second.

Alph Network is continuously working and researching several scaling solutions. Regarding on-chain scaling, Sharding and Proof-of-Authority-based consensus are of potential that can significantly improve transaction processing performance while trying to maintain security requirements of the system.

How does Alph Network work? What is the architecture and consensus used?

Alph Network relies on a system of 10 Masternodes with Alph Delegated Proof of Authority (d-POA) consensus that can support low fees (approx. 1/100 of that of Ethereum's) and 2-second transaction confirmation times. Security, stability and chain finality are guaranteed via novel techniques such as Double Validation.

Can you tell more about Alph Delegated Proof of Authority (d-POA)? What is it?

At the heart of Alph Network, the Alph Delegated Proof of Authority (d-POA) consensus enables Alph Network as an EVM-compatible and scalable public blockchain, on which every Ethereum smart contract can be effectively run with almost instant transaction confirmation.

d-POA features its Masternode architecture in which token holders deposit 10,000,000 $ALPH to become a masternode. masternode are selected for block creation within a period, called epoch. Each masternode takes its block creation in a round-robin manner every 2-second and follows the double validation technique for security reinforcement. A block is finalised if it is signed off by 3/4 masternodes. At the end of each epoch, the masternodes that have signed finalised blocks are rewarded.

What is Double Validation?

Double Validation provides an additional trustless validation layer for security enhancement through a provable uniform distribution decentralized randomization. Specifically, when a block is created by a masternode, it must be verified by another masternode that is randomly selected among the set of masternodes before being added to the blockchain. Double validation strengthens Alph Blockchain security, reduces fork and makes Alph Network unique among other Delegated Proof of Authority based blockchains.

What is an 'epoch'?

An epoch is a 900-block period of 2-second block time starting from block #1 (900 blocks x 2s/block = around 1800s or ~30 minutes).

Which scaling solutions will Alph Network implement? Will you have sharding?

Alph Network solutions are based on on-chain scaling built into an architecture of 18 masternodes with our Alph Delegated Proof of Authority (d-POA) consensus protocol. We achieve 2-second block-time and almost instant transaction confirmation.

To scale further our infrastructure, we have presented our Sharding proposal for uniquely integrating Sharding into our current architecture and consensus.

Besides sharding, we are actively researching scalability solutions like EVM parallelization and Plasma. New scaling techniques such as sharding, EVM parallelisation, private-chain generation, hardware integration will be evaluated before being integrated into Alph Network's masternode architecture.

What makes Alph Network different?

The unique point of Alph Network comes from technology, the products and the ecosystem.

Novel technology: includes

• Alph Delegated Proof of Authority (d-POA) consensus
• Build in governance D-app
• Double Validation and Randomization
• Sharding based on a stable masternode artichitecture

This enables Alph Network to achieve:

• Cheap transactions: approx. 1/100 of that of Ethereum
• 2000 TPS to handle a robust d-app and token ecosystem.
• 2 second block time for fast transactions
• EVM-compatibility allows for interoperability with Ethereum ecosystem.

Our unique products

• AlphScan: Shows all blocks, transactions, finality, smart contracts, D-Apps and token information
• AlphMaster: Allows users to apply for a Masternode Candidate position; and shows Masternode performance statistics
• alphwallet: Securely store, send, receive Alph and other tokens issued on Alph Network; Allows users to track rewards

Our own ecosystem

• Alph Network also is working vigorously on building its ecosystem and has sealed many partnerships from all fields such as agriculture, robotics, gaming, IT solution providers, advertising, pharmaceutical tracking, education and research, payment, communication, name service, food traceability and tourism.

Which blockchain(s) are Alph Network's main competitors?

On the one hand, all base layer blockchains such as Ethereum, EOS, NEM, NEO etc are competitors because app developers/token issuers will generally choose only one blockchain to work on. On the other hand, it is too early to focus on competition as it is more important to expand the whole blockchain ecosystem rather than to compete.

Alph Network has a unique position in which it adds value to the Ethereum ecosystem by addressing scalability and governance issues while keeping the same smart-contracts and general architecture.

Alph Network is EVM-compatible. What does that mean?

EVM means Ethereum Virtual Machine. Alph Network supports all EVM-compatible smart-contracts, protocols, and atomic cross-chain token transfers. This means that any smart-contract written in Ethereum protocol can be easily ported to Alph Network. Any d-App written in Ethereum can be seamlessly ported to Alph Network.

Is Alph Network a side-chain of Ethereum?

Alph Network has its own blockchain which is live since June 1, 2019.

Is Alph Network compatible with Ethereum?

Yes, any smart-contract written in Ethereum protocol can be easily ported to Alph Network. This is one strength appealing to some dApp developers and some of our partners.

Can developers make hybrid dApps using both Ethereum and Alph Network in one single dApp?

Yes, they can make an app, and deploy it to both Ethereum, and Alph Network. It can be done relatively easy since Alph Network supports EVM, and share a common architecture with Ethereum.

How do you solve 'security problems' when using Alph Network?

In terms of security of consensus protocol, Alph Network proposes Double Validation and Randomization to protect the system.

Alph Network solves some consensus-related security aspects:

1. This problem is commonly discussed in PoS-based blockchain consensus and just like 51% attacks in PoW. Alph Network solves it by using Double Validation and Randomization. The details are shown in our technical paper.
2. Long-range attacks: Attackers can try to recreate all blocks from a very far position to the current block. Attackers can do that because PoS-based consensus does not require extra-ordinary hashing power to re-write the whole blockchain. Alph Network addresses by providing finality. Once a block is signed by at least 3/4 masternodes, it is consider irreversible, meaning that any attempt to re-write the blockchain history will be rejected.
3. DDoS and spamming attacks: Alph Network's transaction fee is not zero (even it is very low), attackers still require a significant amount of $ALPH in order to flood the network for only a short time.

Where is Alph Network registered?

You can check our company Alph Network Pte. Ltd. information on the Singaporean registry

You can also check the ACRA copy if you need more details.

Where are Alph Network offices?

Alph's current office is located in Singapore.

• SINGAPORE

Check us out on our main website!

Where can I take a look at Alph Network code? Is there a GitHub repository?

All the code regarding Alph Network is free to consult on our GitHub. This includes the code for the Alph Network blockchain client, governance DApp, block explorer, tools, docker images, documentation, etc.

However, other blockchain related projects like ReplyBlock or drafts, work-in-progress and not yet disclosed projects are usually kept in private repositories.

We like to publish code publicly when it reaches a certain level of development and/or when we think auditing and contributions are beneficial to the codebase. Keeping early projects private is probably more responsible for now due to our scale. It might change in the future.

We are also working with some third parties with which we signed a non-disclosure-agreements for code development.

Where can I contact you to get support?

If you need support, please contact us on [email protected]

Which are Alph Network's official channels for communication and information?

You can keep in touch with our latest news here:

1. Twitter
2. Telegram Announcements
3. Youtube
4. Website
5. Medium
6. Linkedin

What incentives do the partners and dApp developers have to build on Alph Network?

Alph Network supports all EVM-compatible smart-contracts, protocols, and atomic cross-chain token transfers. This means that any smart-contract written in Ethereum protocol can be easily ported to Alph Network.

Any d-App written in Ethereum can be seamlessly ported to Alph Network, instantly enjoying all Alph Network advantages: almost zero-transaction fee; 2-second confirmation time; 2'000 TPS.

D-app developers also have dedicated technical support from Alph Network developers.

Besides the technical aspects, our partners will also benefit from the Alph Network community support and fundraising opportunities, thanks to Alph Network very good relationships with well-known investors.

Where can I see Alph Network partnerships?

Alph Network is working vigorously on building its ecosystem and has sealed 10 partnerships from all fields such as agriculture, robotics, gaming, IT solution providers, advertising, pharmaceutical tracking, education and research, payment, communication, name service, food traceability, tourism (as of Jan 2019).

All partnership announcements can be found Medium and our official Twitter account for partnership announcements.

You can also find a list of partners willing to run D-apps on Alph Network. This list will be updated in the future.

Where can I check the actual products, ecosystem?

If you want to access it directly, you can find the links to our different products deployed in Mainnet on our Block Explorer.

The list of Alph Network Products is as follows: AlphScan, AlphStats, AlphMaster, AlphWebWallet.

What is Alph? Can you describe the functions and purposes of Alph?

$ALPH is the native cryptocurrency of Alph Network and will be the reserve cryptocurrency for all third-party apps running on Alph Network. Being the protocol token for the Alph Network infrastructure, $ALPH will be needed by all parties utilising Alph Network to build apps or issue and integrate cryptographic tokens into their apps.

The supply of $ALPH is fixed, long-term and non-inflationary.

In addition to the above, $ALPH is an integral part of the Alph Network network for a number of reasons.

• $ALPH will be used to fund the development of Alph Network and its ecosystem (AlphScan, AlphMaster, AlphWebWallet, etc.).
• $ALPH will be used as a incentivise the building of the Alph Network engine/ecosystem.
• $ALPH will be used as a long-term, decentralized governance instrument of the Alph Network network.

You can check our technical whitepaper for more details.

Can I mine $ALPH?

$ALPH is not mineable but mintable by masternodes. Masternodes are responsible for creating, verifying and finalizing the blocks created within a period, called epoch. Masternodes will receive block rewards.

How often are block rewards paid out?

Block rewards will be paid every epoch, which lasts for 900 of two-second-block time (~30 minutes)

When will $ALPH be listed on new exchanges?

We do not discuss about exchange related questions due to the regulation. We will announce every exchange news on our official channels on due time.

Is $ALPH an ERC-20 token?

No, $ALPH is the native coin of the Alph Network blockchain ($ALPH01 Protocol).

Where to store $ALPH? How can I send $ALPH to my wallet?

You can store $ALPH in Alph Web Wallet, $ALPH Android wallet and Walleteum.

Where can I buy $ALPH? (exchanges)

We will list exchanges for trade $ALPH soon.

Does Alph Network have Masternodes? How do they work?

Yes, Alph Network has a maximum of 10 Masternodes with Alph Delegated Proof of Authority (d-POA) consensus for low transaction fee, and instant transaction confirmation. Masternodes create, verify and validate new blocks in Alph platform.

Alph Network masternodes started signing blocks and receiving block rewards on Mainnet.

What is a masternode in the Alph Network ecosystem?

A Alph Network masternode is a server which uses its computing power to contribute to the network. Its job is to create and sign blocks. For this contribution to the network, masternodes receive rewards in the form of $ALPH.

When are Masternode rewards paid out?

Masternode operators will receive rewards every epoch. An epoch is a 900-block period of 2-second block time (~30 minutes).

How can I check my rewards?

You can check your masternode rewards using Alph WebWallet. Alternatively you can use AlphScan.

Do I need to use my own computer to run a node?

We recommend using an IaaS ("cloud") provider of your choice (like Amazon AWS, Digital Ocean, Google Cloud GCE, Vultr, etc). The machine must be directly facing internet (public IP, no NAT) and with 100% uptime.

Which are the hardware requirements to run a node?

Processing transactions is mostly CPU bound. Therefore we recommend running CPU optimized servers.

• Directly facing internet (public IP, no NAT)
• 16 cores CPU
• 32GB of RAM
• SSD storage

We recommend using popular cloud providers as their reliability and uptime are close to 100%. Those servers would be a good starting point:

• DigitalOcean: CPU optimized droplet 32GB/16CPU
• Amazon EC2: C5 instance
• Google Cloud Engine: n1-highcpu-16

Setting up a masternode candidate on a weaker machine might result in poor performances, significantly impacting owner's rewards and the chain performance.

Note: If you are running a node in Testnet, 2CPU/8GB of RAM is sufficient.

What is the 'coinbase address'?

'Coinbase address' is the public address used to run your node and register it to the system.

We recommend using two addresses when running your nodes. The public address or 'coinbase address' will only receive transaction fees. The private address is from where you make the initial 10,000,000 $ALPH deposit and where the block rewards will be collected.

How can I create a public 'coinbase address' wallet? Is it only with alphwallet for Android? Are there other options?

You need to create a wallet for the masternode public address. This wallet does not need to contain any $ALPH, think of it as a shell address. You will then Authority $ALPH into the masternode address via your main Alph Web wallet.

You can use the Android apps. Also you can create wallets with Alph Web Wallet.

You can also use Official Alph Wallet to create an empty wallet, then use it as coinbase address.

I noticed that we need another wallet for masternode?

It is recommended to use a separate empty account for your masternode as it only receive transactions fees - what we call public or 'coinbase address' on the documentation.

The block rewards are sent to the account connected to AlphMaster who make the initial deposit - the 'private' address.

Can I use the same address pair (Alph-Node or One-Click-Installer public address + initial deposit address) for all my nodes? Or I have to transfer tokens to another wallet and start the second node?

No. Must use different public 'coinbase' addresses. But you can use the same initial deposit ('private') address, then all rewards will be transferred to only one address.

I have finished all steps of setting up node. Why I don't see my node on Alph Master?

You must apply to become a masternode candidate.

How do I check the blockchain sync status from the node?

You can watch the logs, but it is easier from the AlphStats website or its eth.blockNumber API call.

Why is a node flagged as 'Slashed'?

A masternode will be automatically slashed by the Slashing Mechanism if the node doesn't validate any block within an epoch.

Some reasons for this might be that the masternode does not have the correct Alph Network software, lack of memory or masternode crashes due to the lack of e-maintenance and operation by the masternode owner.

A Slashed node will be 'kicked out' for the next 4 epochs. At the 5th epoch after being slashed, the slashed masternode can go back to the candidate list.

How many nodes I am allowed to run?

As many as you can.

Can I close the node entirely, then start a new one with a totally separate coinbase address without being penalized?

No. Your old node will be penalized (10,000,000 $ALPH initial deposit 30-day lockup) and your new node has to apply again.

Is it possible to move a masternode later, like backup and start it from another IP address?

Yes.

What is AlphScan?

AlphScan is our block explorer. It is pretty similar to EtherScan if you are already familiar with it.

AlphScan provides a user friendly, details and perfection-oriented user interface for Alph Network block explorer. From a user perspective, AlphScan brings AlphChain’s transparency to users, because all block, transaction, finality, smart contracts, dApp and token information are read from Alph Network and shown to users. Furthermore, AlphScan also offers technical visualisations and does useful statistics about the Alph Network performance, token holders and other functionalities.

What is a TxHash? How to check a TxHash?

TxHash stands for 'transaction hash', and is also known as a transaction ID.

An example of what a TxHash looks like: 0xc4fa7949b93099d85a827e8a940f3360c339cfc0cd6bb5d05d0ba6280fd7802e

To check a TxHash, follow the steps below:

On AlphScan, go to the search bar with the magnifying glass icon. Paste your transaction hash (TxHash) in the search bar and click the icon or press ENTER. Your transaction details will show up.

What is AlphStats?

AlphStats shows the various metrics regarding the current mainnet including the current number of masternodes, masternodes performance, current TPS, block-time, confirmation time, finality and other useful metrics.

How much is the average time to see my node appear on Alph Stats?

It should be less than a minute after One-Click-Installer command is executed and finished.

Stats page wasn't working and showed a 70-second block. What happened?

The stats page is javascript code running in your browser. If your computer loses internet connection or the page is not active anymore for some reasons, the time will increase forever. In this case just refresh the page.

What is a 'checkpoint'?

For each iteration of 900 blocks (called epoch), a checkpoint block is created, which implements only reward works. The masternode, who takes turn in the circular and sequential order to create blocks, has to scan all of the created blocks in the epoch and count number of signatures.

It is worth noting that token holders who unvote before the checkpoint block will not receive any shared reward in the Staking Reward portion.

I want to stop running my node.

If you don't want to run your masternode anymore, please remember to resign before shutting down the node.