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The Aptos Blockchain: Safe, Scalable, and Upgradeable Web3 Infrastructure

The Aptos whitepaper details the architectural design of a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain aimed at mass adoption. Central to its design is the Move program

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Abstract

The Aptos whitepaper details the architectural design of a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain aimed at mass adoption. Central to its design is the Move programming language, which emphasizes safety and formal verification of smart contracts. The protocol employs a modular architecture that separates the consensus, execution, and data storage layers to maximize parallel transaction processing. By utilizing the Block-STM execution engine, Aptos achieves high throughput and low latency for complex transaction sets. The paper highlights the importance of upgradeability and state-management efficiency through a distributed key-value store. Furthermore, the consensus mechanism, AptosBFT, leverages a modernized HotStuff-based protocol to optimize block production times and improve network resilience. This whitepaper establishes a foundational framework for an infrastructure layer that prioritizes user safety and developer experience through a rigorous approach to execution parallelism and state management. Authors: Avery Ching, Mo Shaikh, Alden Hu, Dahlia Malkhi Publication: Project Whitepaper Publication date: 2022-01-01

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Key findings

  • Integrates the Move language for enhanced smart contract security.
  • Uses the Block-STM engine to facilitate massive parallel transaction execution.
  • Employs a modular architecture to support frequent network upgrades.
  • Optimizes consensus with the AptosBFT protocol.

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Citation

Avery Ching, Mo Shaikh, Alden Hu, Dahlia Malkhi (2022). The Aptos Blockchain: Safe, Scalable, and Upgradeable Web3 Infrastructure. Project Whitepaper. https://aptos.foundation/whitepaper/aptos-whitepaper-en.pdf
Canonical knowledge ID: research:the-aptos-blockchain-safe-scalable-and-upgradeable-web3-infrastructure