Overview

Definition

=nil; is an Ethereum layer-2 blockchain powered by zkSharding. The design of =nil; embodies three core qualities:

• Horizontal scalability. =nil; unlocks the power of many machines by partitioning state across shards with cross-shard communications being a built-in feature of the protocol.
• Modularity. =nil; acts as an execution layer while using Ethereum for data availability and consensus.
• Verifiable security. The entire =nil; network can be verified with a single zero-knowledge proof attesting to the correctness of all shards.

The design of =nil; transcends the typical monolithic vs. modular discourse as it emphasizes horizontal scalability above all else. =nil; scales out beyond the constraints of a single machine's processing power, by leveraging zkSharding, a new type of sharding architecture. In zkSharding, execution shards produce zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) verifying intra-shard state transitions while the state of the cluster is managed by a designated consensus shard. The consensus shard is responsible for synchronizing execution shards and producing a 'master' ZKP that is sent to Ethereum for global state verification.

=nil; offers an effective strategy for scaling Ethereum while avoiding the limitations typically associated with the modular approach such as state and liquidity fragmentation.

Structure of the documentation

Introduction

Learn the basics of what =nil; is and how it works.

Thesis

Read about the "how" and "why" of =nil;

Principles

Grasp the architecture of =nil;

Getting started

Start working with =nil; and learn the essentials of its implementation.

Prerequisites

Complete the initial steps for working with =nil;

=nil; 101

Read a 5-minute primer on interacting with the network

Essentials

Perform essential operations on the cluster

Working with smart contracts

Write, deploy, and call smart contracts

Tools

Access the developer tools supplied with =nil;.

=nil; CLI

Configure the =nil; CLI

Hardhat

Set up the =nil; Hardhat plugin

Solidity library

Learn more about Nil.sol

Block explorer

Monitor blocks, accounts, and message

Core concepts

Familiarize yourself with the key components of the architecture of =nil;.

Accounts

Learn about how =nil; handles accounts

Transaction lifecycle

Follow a transaction to finality

Shards and parallelized execution

See how =nil; achieves scalability

Guides

Read about the inner workings of the =nil; implementation and access advanced tutorials.

Architecture

Learn more about ETH compatibility

References

=nil; CLI reference

See all commands, flags, and outputs

Nil.js reference

Read about key classes and functions

JSON-RPC API

Access RPC requests, params, and responses

Specification

Learn more about how =nil; plans to resolve issues central to any blockchain.

WIP provisions

The materials in this section may describe features and components that are not yet part of =nil;.

Sequencing

Read about how =nil; adopts the PBS model

Finality

Learn about the strong security guarantees of =nil;

Data availability

See how =nil; achieves DA at all levels

Contract placement

Ensure account placement on the same shard