Skip to main content

Core Concepts

ALX Protocol defines Blocks with deterministic identities and declared parent relationships. Applications create Blocks, connect them into derivation Graphs, and verify them independently of the system that created them.

Block​

An ALX Block is a verifiable data object containing JSON-serializable content, declared parent relationships, and deterministic identities. A Block with an empty parentHashes array is a root Block. A Block that lists parent blockHash values in parentHashes declares a dependency on each of those Blocks.

Explore the Block

Block Identity​

ALX defines two deterministic hashes for each Block:

  • contentHash — Identifies canonicalized Block content.
  • blockHash — Identifies canonicalized Block content and the normalized parent set.

A change to content changes both hashes. A change to the normalized parent set changes blockHash and leaves contentHash unchanged. Conforming implementations derive identical hashes from equivalent protocol inputs.

Explore Block Identity

Block Lineage​

parentHashes declares a Block's direct parents. ALX normalizes the parent set and includes it in blockHash, so a Block's identity depends on its declared parents.

Connected Blocks form a directed derivation Graph. Applications traverse and verify a derivation Graph when the required Blocks are available.

Explore Block Lineage

Composable Context​

Agents and applications retrieve prior Blocks, verify their identities, inspect declared relationships, and create new Blocks that list earlier Blocks as parents. Each new Block extends the derivation Graph, so later steps in a multi-step workflow can trace and reuse earlier results.

Explore Composable Context

Verification​

  • Block validation recomputes contentHash and blockHash and checks Block structure against protocol requirements.
  • Graph verification examines Blocks reachable from a seed Block within a Verification Context and returns one status: valid, invalid, incomplete, or resource_limit_reached. Missing parent Blocks produce incomplete, not invalid.

Any conforming implementation can verify a Block without access to the originating application. Verification confirms consistency between recorded content, hashes, and declared relationships; verification does not establish factual accuracy, ownership, authorization, safety, availability, or application intent.

Explore Verification

Protocol and Application Responsibilities​

ALX Protocol defines Block structure, canonicalization, deterministic identities, declared parent relationships, Block validation, Graph verification, and Attribution Traces. Applications manage content interpretation, storage, retrieval, indexing, access control, retention, and moderation. Applications store and distribute Blocks through IPFS, object storage, databases, or other storage systems. Optional extensions add evidence without changing Block identity: Block Attestations sign a blockHash, and blockchain commitments record blockHash values or Merkle root hashes.