Tezos is an open-source platform for assets and applications that can evolve by upgrading itself. Stakeholders govern upgrades to the core protocol, including upgrades to the amendment process itself.
Self-amendment allows Tezos to upgrade itself without having to split (“fork”) the network into two different blockchains. This is important as the suggestion or expectation of a fork can divide the community, alter stakeholder ...read more
incentives, and disrupt the network effects that are formed over time. Because of self-amendment, coordination and execution costs for protocol upgrades are reduced and future innovations can be seamlessly implemented.
On-Chain Governance
In Tezos, all stakeholders can participate in governing the protocol. The election cycle provides a formal and systematic procedure for stakeholders to reach agreement on proposed protocol amendments. By combining this on-chain mechanism with self-amendment, Tezos can change this initial election process to adopt better governance mechanisms when they are discovered.
Decentralized Innovation
Proposed amendments that are accepted by stakeholders can include payment to individuals or groups that improve the protocol. This funding mechanism encourages robust participation and decentralizes the maintenance of the network. Fostering an active, open, and diverse developer ecosystem that is incentivized to contribute to the protocol will facilitate Tezos development and adoption.
Smart Contracts & Formal Verification
Tezos offers a platform to create smart contracts and build decentralized applications that cannot be censored or shut-down by third parties. Furthermore, Tezos facilitates formal verification, a technique used to improve security by mathematically proving properties about programs such as smart contracts. This technique, if used properly, can help avoid costly bugs and the contentious debates that follow.
Proof-of-Stake (PoS)
Participants (“nodes”) in decentralized, peer-to-peer networks provide the necessary computational resources that keep a network up and running. Proof-of-Stake (PoS) is the mechanism by which the various participants in Tezos reach consensus on the state of the blockchain. Unlike other PoS protocols, any stakeholder can participate in the consensus process in Tezos and be rewarded by the protocol itself for contributing to the security and stability of the network. Additionally, PoS is less costly than other consensus mechanisms and lowers the barriers to entry for involvement.
Delegation
In PoS, a security deposit is required to participate in the consensus process and avoid being diluted by inflation. As in proof-of-work, the consensus protocol relies on an honest majority for its security which is incentivized directly by the Tezos protocol by penalizing dishonest behavior and rewarding honest behavior. If a participant behaves dishonestly, they can lose their deposit. Users who do not wish to participate directly in the consensus protocol have the option to delegate their rights to other users to participate on their behalf.
Resources:
Store & Use
Holding Tezos tokens (“tez”) enables one to interact with the Tezos blockchain. There are many wallets with which to store and use tez. Wallets listed below have undergone at least one independent external security audit.
Always remember: if you do not control your private keys, you do not control your tokens. Every user should make sure to exercise extreme care and take all available safety precautions when entering private key information anywhere. Any party or software, such as a wallet, that gains knowledge of private key information will have access to the tez controlled by the corresponding public key hash.
Note: Contributors to the Tezos Foundation’s fundraiser can get started via the Activate tab
Software Wallets
Galleon Wallet
(macOS, Windows, Linux)
Tezbox
(macOS, Windows, Web, Android)
Kukai
(Web)
Hardware Wallets
Ledger
(Obsidian Systems)
Trezor
Command Line
Tezos CLI
*These links for wallets are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Tezos Foundation of any of the products or services provided by those sites. The Tezos Foundation bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external sites or for that of subsequent links, or for the performance or lack thereof of any wallets provided by those sites. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
Bake (Validate)
Help secure the ledger
“Baking” is the act of signing and publishing blocks to the Tezos blockchain. Bakers are a crucial component of the Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism by ensuring that all transactions in a block are correct, that the order of transactions is agreed upon, and that no double-spending has occurred.
Validate Transactions
Bakers validate all transactions and add them to the blockchain. If a baker behaves dishonestly, the protocol has a built-in mechanism that can cause them to lose their security deposit.
Earn Rewards
Bakers are rewarded with additional tez for securing the network.
Become a Baker
Request to join the baker chat room if you are building a baking operation. A community member runs the chat room and acts on these requests.
Join the Tezos Baking Slack
Resources to get started with baking:
Hardware Wallets for Baking
Obsidian Systems
(Ledger)
Activate
How To Get Started
1) Check Your Contribution
Click on the "Check Your Contribution" button below to check the recommended allocation of a given public key hash. Contributors may find their public key hashes on the PDF documents they created during the Foundation's fundraiser.
2) Obtain Your Activation Code
Activation codes are required to access the recommended allocations of the corresponding public key hashes. In order to obtain these codes, contributors must complete the Foundation’s Know Your Customer / Anti-Money Laundering (“KYC/AML”) process. Contributors who have not completed this process may do so now.
Begin KYC/AMLKYC/AML FAQ
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Activate Your Recommended Allocation
Recommended allocations from the fundraiser must be activated before they can be accessed. A contributor may activate the recommended allocation of a given public key hash by using the Activation Tool. This tool may also reveal the blinded key of the given public key hash. Blinded keys, not public key hashes, are the keys that appear in the genesis block proposed by the Foundation, which may be found here
A balance for a public key hash that was recommended an allocation will not appear on a Tezos block explorer until it has been activated. After a contributor has activated its recommended allocation, it may view the “Store and Use” page for information regarding storing and using its Tezos tokens (“tez”).
