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Layer 1

Alephium

Alephium is an open-source Scala reference client for a sharded proof-of-work Layer 1 blockchain. Its BlockFlow algorithm uses a UTXO-based model for cross-shard transactions, while a stateful UTXO model and virtual machine support programmable transactions and decentralized applications.

Explore the practical guide ↓

Independent OpenViST project profile, based on linked sources.

Alephium — OpenViST project profile in Layer 1.
OpenViST project illustration. See the linked sources for product details.
Understand the project

Practical overview

When it fits

Use Alephium when the task concerns operating or extending the Alephium blockchain itself, rather than deploying an application on another chain. It is especially relevant when sharding, proof-of-work, UTXO-based ownership or protocol-level smart-contract execution are central requirements.

Who it is for

  • Operators building or running self-hosted Alephium blockchain infrastructure
  • Developers exploring Alephium smart-contract and transaction capabilities
  • Scala developers and contributors working on the reference client
  • Engineers creating tests or tooling around the node implementation

Documented uses

  • Run the Alephium reference client from a supplied JAR distribution
  • Build a JAR, universal ZIP package or Docker image from source
  • Develop programmable transactions or dApps against the stateful UTXO model
  • Experiment with cross-shard transaction behavior implemented by BlockFlow
  • Run unit, property-based and integration test commands while contributing to the client
Before you choose

Requirements & limits

The repository is public and licensed under LGPL-3.0. The README documents a release JAR path and source builds using Java 11 or newer; SBT is required for source builds. Docker is supported as a build path.

  • The client is a complete Layer 1 reference implementation, not a tool that scales or operates another blockchain.
  • BlockFlow combines sharding with a UTXO-based design and documented single-step cross-shard transactions.
  • The stateful UTXO model supports tokens, multiple participants in a smart-contract transaction and programmable application logic.
  • Source builds offer JAR, universal ZIP and Docker output paths.
  • Mainnet configuration has a documented single-broker requirement.

Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.

Source-based practical guide

Build a self-hosted Alephium client distribution

Create a runnable Alephium JAR, universal ZIP package or Docker image from the source repository.

Before you start

  • Java 11 or newer
  • SBT for source builds
  • A checkout of the Alephium repository
  • Docker for the Docker image path

Steps

  1. Install Java 11 or newer and SBT when building from source.

  2. Run the command below to build a single runnable JAR, or the command below to build the universal ZIP distribution.

    Documented command
    make assembly
    Documented command
    make package

  3. Use the command below to build a Docker image when Docker is available.

    Documented command
    make docker

  4. Use the resulting distribution according to the repository’s configuration instructions, including the $ALEPHIUM_HOME/user.conf location.

Expected outcome

A locally built Alephium client distribution in the repository’s documented output path, or a locally built Docker image.

Guide limitations

  • The supplied instructions do not provide production deployment requirements or a complete node-operation procedure.
  • A mainnet node must use a single broker; multi-broker mainnet configuration is not supported for production.
  • The build steps are documented source instructions, not a compatibility or execution guarantee.
Documentation 1 ↗
Evidence and transparency

Sources & review

Official repository ↗
Source record details
Source availability
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Sources checked
2 October 2026
Original website title
alephium/alephium · Official homepage title · retained in its source language
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