Protocol Architecture
ALX separates deterministic Block processing from the infrastructure that stores, transports, indexes, and governs Blocks. Block creation, identity derivation, parent normalization, and verification follow protocol rules and run without storage, networking, authentication, indexing, governance, or blockchain infrastructure.
Architecture Model
The protocol layer has no dependency on the application and infrastructure layer. A Block keeps the same contentHash and blockHash when an application moves the Block between storage, transport, or index systems, and any conforming implementation can verify the Block in each system.
| Layer | Responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Protocol | Block structure, canonicalization, identity derivation, parent normalization, declared parent relationships, and verification |
| Application and infrastructure | Storage, transport, APIs, authentication, permissions, indexing, governance, user experience, and optional blockchain commitments |
Protocol Boundary
ALX standardizes Block data and the deterministic rules for identity and verification. Applications define the meaning of Block content and the policies for its use. Independent applications, agents, organizations, and infrastructure providers exchange Blocks without a shared application stack.
Protocol Data Model
The Block is the sole protocol primitive. Each v1 Block contains content, parentHashes, contentHash, blockHash, and protocolVersion. The Block shows complete examples, and Block defines each field.
A Block stores only its declared direct parents. Reverse children, descendants, and other index views are derived by applications and indexers and are not stored on the Block. See Block Identity and Lineage Graphs for identity derivation and Graph verification.
Blockchain Commitments
Blockchain commitments are optional. Creating, identifying, and verifying an ALX Block does not require a blockchain.
Blockchain Commitments defines a chain-neutral way to publish a Block hash or a Merkle root hash as commitment evidence and to prove that a Block hash is included in the leaf collection represented by a Merkle root hash. Blockchain Implementation defines the responsibilities of an optional, application-selected blockchain implementation.