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What is ALX?

ALX Protocol defines Blocks: data objects with deterministic identities and declared parent relationships. Each Block contains application-defined JSON-serializable content, its contentHash and blockHash, the parentHashes of its direct parent Blocks, and a protocolVersion.

ALX defines Block structure, canonicalization, deterministic identity, declared parent relationships, and verification. Applications define Block content and its meaning. Storage, transport, and blockchain infrastructure remain outside the protocol. Verification confirms that Block identities and declared relationships satisfy ALX rules; verification does not establish factual accuracy, authorship, ownership, authorization, or trust. See Core Concepts for contentHash and blockHash, and Trust Boundary for the limits of verification.

Traceable Context for Intelligent Systems​

Applications record sources, intermediate results, model outputs, agent handoffs, evaluations, and decisions as Blocks. Each Block lists the Blocks it derives from in parentHashes, and connected Blocks form a derivation Graph.

Applications traverse a derivation Graph to retrieve reachable Blocks, validate Block identities and Graph structure, and select content for subsequent operations. Application policies determine relevance, ordering, permissions, context limits, and interpretation. See Lineage Graphs for Graph operations and Build Context from Blocks for an executable example.

When to Use ALX​

Use ALX when data objects need deterministic identities and verifiable relationships across systems and workflows. Use Cases describes AI and agent workflows, software provenance, research data, and compliance and audit records. ALX supports:

  • Cross-system exchange: Agents, applications, and organizations exchange Blocks and recompute Block identities without relying on the originating system.
  • Derivation tracking: parentHashes record declared relationships between sources, intermediate results, and outputs; Graph verification checks those relationships within a Verification Context.
  • Iterative workflows: New Blocks reference earlier Blocks as parents.
  • Context assembly: Applications retrieve related Blocks and select content for subsequent processing.