The Stacks blockchain enables a user-owned internet connected to Bitcoin. Bitcoin is the most durable and secure blockchain that is minimal by design. Stacks extends the design of Bitcoin to enable smart contracts and applications without modifying Bitcoin, and with minimal transaction load on Bitcoin. Thousands of Stacks transactions result in a single hash on the Bitcoin blockchain, and Stacks microblocks offer fast confirmations of streaming blocks.

The Stacks cryptocurrency (STX) is used as fuel for smart contract execution, transaction processing, and digital identity and asset registrations. STX is a unique crypto asset that can also be locked by STX holders to actively participate in consensus and earn Bitcoin (BTC) rewards.

STX is a yield generating asset when used in consensus and functions as a utility token when consumed as fuel. Stacks cryptocurrency was distributed to the general public through the first-ever SEC qualified token offering in US history.

For a recent overview of the Stacks ecosystem see this July 2020 update presentation slides.

The Stacks 2.0 blockchain implements Proof-of-Transfer (PoX) consensus. PoX is a novel consensus mechanism that uses Bitcoin's Proof of Work (PoW) to launch new blockchains that are anchored in Bitcoin's security. Further, PoX can give incentives to participants on the Stacks Chain in the form of earning Bitcoin. The Bitcoin blockchain is the most durable and secure base-layer, and a separate blockchain like Stacks can connect to it to enable more secure smart contracts and applications. With PoX there is no need to modify Bitcoin to enable smart contracts or any other unique features of the new network.

STX Mining is simple, and doesn't require any special hardware. It is more similar to trading than traditional PoW mining. Conceptually, STX Mining works the same as Bitcoin Mining: miners commit a valuable resource in order to compete to mint a new digital asset. In the case of STX, that valuable resource is Bitcoin itself, not electricity.

Anyone can compete to mine STX by sending BTC to the protocol along with a proposed block. There is no minimum amount of BTC that must be sent. These Bitcoin payments are combined with a Verifiable Random Function (VRF) to select the winning miner to write the next block on the Stacks chain. The more Bitcoin spent, the higher the probability of being selected the winning miner. Stacks miners get newly minted STX (coinbase rewards), and transaction fees and Clarity contract execution fees of each block.

STX Miners receive a base reward of 500 STX tokens for each block they successfully mine, plus transaction fees and smart contract execution fees.

Under current market conditions, committing as little as $1 in BTC per Stacks Block to mine could result in a base monthly return of $12k+ USD, and an annual return of $150,000+ USD.*

*Returns are rough estimates and not promises or predictions of any kind. Returns are highly dependent on secondary market conditions

Stacking is an innovative incentive mechanism that rewards STX holders with Bitcoin for participating in the consensus process. STX Holders who participate in Stacking are called Stackers. Every time a new block is mined on the Stacks chain, the protocol sends the BTC paid by miners to Stackers as a reward. Stacking runs on a 7 day reward cycle. This Stacking Calculator can help you estimate your potential earnings from Stacking.

For more information on the requirements for Stacking, please see SIP-007.

Clarity is a new language for smart contracts. Clarity is a decidable language, meaning you know, with certainty, from the code itself what the program will do. Clarity is interpreted, not compiled, and the source code is published on the blockchain.

Daemon Technologies will be exploring DeFi use cases, along with it's partners in the future. See the Clarity website and Clarity Github for more details.