FAQ

Antelope is an open framework for building Web3 products and services. Its community-run codebase is behind some of the fastest, most secure, and user-friendly blockchains, reliably fulfilling millions of daily transactions with its innovative DPoS algorithm.

EOS, Telos, UX Network & WAX are all individual blockchains that utilize the underlying Antelope framework in their architecture. Each of these networks have their own set of network validators and unique selling points. Thanks to Antelope inter-blockchain communication, all of these networks are able to reach consensus on the state of assets across each chain, in a trustless fashion. This enables items like cross-chain transfers and horizontal scallion through side-chains.

The Antelope Coalition is a working group made up of representatives from the EOS, Telos, UX Network & WAX blockchains. Together, these communities share resources and funding necessary to maintain the Antelope tech stack as a decentralized, open source blockchain protocol. 

There are many differences between Antelope and Ethereum blockchain. First, the two networks use different consensus mechanisms. Ethereum uses Proof of Stake (PoS) to reach consensus and Antelope blockchains utilize Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS). There are many advantages to DPoS as a consensus mechanism including higher transaction speeds, increased throughput and quicker finality.

The two networks utilize different smart contract languages at the base layer, with Antelope utilizing C++ and Ethereum utilizing Solidity. C++ is arguably much more performant for executing functions and contributes to the higher capacity of Antelope smart contracts, when compared to Ethereum.

Antelope smart contracts can be developed with DUNE and the C++ programming language. Docker Utilities for Node Execution (DUNE) is a client tool that allows blockchain developers and node operators to perform boilerplate tasks related to smart contract development and node management functions. Learn more about the Anteloper smart contract basics here.

Currently, both the EOS and Telos blockchain’s host Ethereum Virtual Machines (EVMs), which allow developers to deploy Solidity based contracts in environments with feature parity to the Ethereum ecosystem. This allows Solidity developers to take advantage of the robust suite of libraries available in the Ethereum community, while also leveraging the high speeds and increased performance of the Antelope protocol.

In April of 2022, the EOS Network Foundation open-sourced the codebase for the EOS EVM, enabling all Antelope powered blockchains to also launch similar EVMs. These are expected to roll out in the future with WAX also having announced an upcoming EVM on their 2023 roadmap. Anyone interested in accessing the EOS EVM codebase to deploy their own Antelope powered EVM can find it on the EOS EVM GitHub

The Antelope protocol does not have its own token. However, Antelope blockchains require a token as part of the DPoS consensus mechanism. Because of this, each of the blockchain networks within the Antelope Coalition have their own tokens that power them. These are also the tokens that are used to fund the Antelope Coalition treasury for development of the protocol.

A great place to start learning about the Antelope codebase is through the Antelope GitHub. The Greymass team is also currently developing a Webclient SDK for Antelope chains. Finally there is plenty of documentation to learn more about the technical ins and outs of Antelope within the documentation for each of the Antelope Coalition chains:

• EOS Documentation
• Telos Documentation
• WAX Documentation
• UX Documentation

IBC stands for inter-blockchain communication and it is a tool that allows blockchains with separate consensus layers to communicate with each other. Antelope IBC is an inter-blockchain communication protocol that is fully trustless. The end user is the carrier of all of the proof elements required to demonstrate that the action took place on the source blockchain and prove it on the destination blockchain.

Utilizing this, Antelope blockchains can reach consensus on the state of assets across other networks in the ecosystem, without the need for third-party bridges or oracles. This enables functions such as cross-chain bridging and side-chains for horizontal scaling, in a way that is much more secure and immutable than other solutions on the market.

Developers and businesses worldwide use Antelope for a diverse range of applications, from DeFi and supply chain management through to NFTs and games. We envision a world empowered by blockchain technology to be more open, efficient, and transparent.