v0.6.0 — Alpha Test

Quantum-Safe from Day One

The first EVM-compatible blockchain with native post-quantum cryptography. No migration. No compromise.

853+
Tests Passing
69
Audit Fixes
13
Modular Crates
v0.6.0
Current Version

Built for the Post-Quantum Era

Every layer — from cryptography to consensus — engineered for a quantum-computing future.

Post-Quantum Signatures

CRYSTALS-Dilithium (ML-DSA) as default, SPHINCS+ as conservative fallback. NIST Level 3 standard — quantum-resistant from day one.

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EVM Compatible

Cancun-spec EVM. Run your Solidity contracts with Hardhat, ethers.js, and MetaMask — zero migration cost.

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Native Account Abstraction

Protocol-level smart accounts with 3-layer validation, pq1... Bech32m addresses, key rotation without address changes, and custom validator hooks — no ERC-4337 bundler needed.

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PQ Precompiles

On-chain Dilithium/SPHINCS+ verification, Kyber decapsulation, and STARK proof verification as native precompiles.

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PoA Consensus

Epoch-based Proof-of-Authority with dynamic validator management, finality tracking, and planned decentralization path.

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Full JSON-RPC

Complete Ethereum-compatible API (eth_*, web3_*, net_*, debug_*) plus Shell-specific endpoints for node and network stats.

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Protocol-Level

Native Account Abstraction

Every account is a smart account from day one — post-quantum signatures validated at the protocol layer, not through an overlay contract.

Three-Layer Validation Flow

Layer 1

First-Use Validation

Derive address from (version, algo_id, pubkey) via BLAKE3 and verify PQ signature — account created on first transaction.

Layer 2

Default PQ Validation

Existing accounts verify pubkey_hash + PQ signature. Key rotation changes the key but keeps the same address.

Layer 3

Custom Validator

Delegate validation to account-specific EVM logic — multisig, social recovery, time locks, or any custom policy.

No Bundler Required

Validation is part of the base protocol — no ERC-4337 EntryPoint or separate alt-mempool.

pq1... Addresses

Bech32m encoding with PQ HRP — visually distinct from Ethereum, binds to the signing algorithm.

Key Rotation

Rotate keypair or switch PQ algorithm — your on-chain address and identity stay the same.

Custom Validators

Multisig, social recovery, time locks — deploy your own validation logic as an EVM contract.

Shell AA vs ERC-4337

Validation Location

ShellProtocol-level
4337EntryPoint contract

Bundler Required

ShellNo
4337Yes

Separate Alt-Mempool

ShellNo
4337Usually yes

Default Validator

ShellBuilt into the chain
4337Wallet contract-defined

Address Format

Shellpq1... (Bech32m)
43370x... (hex)

Performance

Designed for speed, security, and EVM compatibility — without compromise.

2s
Block Time

Consistent 2-second block intervals

30M
Gas Limit

Per-block gas matching Ethereum mainnet

~4s
Finality

Attestation-based within 2 confirmations

Estimated TPS by Transaction Type

~714Simple Transfer
~300ERC-20 Transfer
~150Contract Call
~75Complex DeFi

Based on 30M gas/block · 2s block time · CPU overhead < 15ms per block

Benchmark Results

Alpha Test

Cryptography

Dilithium3 (ML-DSA)
Key Generation56 µs
Sign67 µs
Verify39 µs
Batch Verify (100 sigs)958 µs
Theoretical Verify/sec~25,000

Transaction Processing

shell-core
TX RLP Encode71 ns
TX RLP Decode118 ns
TX Hash (SHA3)372 ns
Base Fee Calc2 ns
SHA3-256 (1 MB)1.17 ms

Storage & State

shell-storage
Block Encode835 ns
Block Decode1.56 µs
ChainStore Write3.4 µs
ChainStore Read1.85 µs
Merkle Trie Insert290 ns

Benchmarked with Criterion.rs on Apple Silicon · Single-core results · v0.6.0

Modular Architecture

13 purpose-built Rust crates, layered for clarity

Application
shell-cli
CLI binary & TOML config
shell-node
Async node harness
shell-rpc
JSON-RPC server
Protocol
shell-consensus
PoA consensus engine
shell-evm
Cancun-spec EVM
shell-mempool
PQ-validated tx pool
shell-network
libp2p P2P layer
Foundation
shell-core
Block, Tx, Account types
shell-storage
RocksDB + Merkle Trie
shell-crypto
Dilithium & SPHINCS+
shell-genesis
Genesis block init
shell-keystore
PQ keystore
shell-primitives
Keccak, H256, Address

Up and Running in Minutes

Standard Ethereum tooling. Post-quantum security. No compromises.

shell-chain
# Install and run Shell Chain in minutes
 
# 1. Build from source
$ git clone https://github.com/ShellDAO/shell-chain.git
$ cd shell-chain && cargo build --release
 
# 2. Generate a post-quantum keypair
$ shell-node key generate --output my-key.json
✓ Generated Dilithium3 keypair
✓ Address: pq1qz8v70k5lqgq9rjsm7xh5s6jfw60...
 
# 3. Initialize and run your node
$ shell-node init --genesis genesis.json
$ shell-node run --key my-key.json
🚀 Shell Chain node started on port 30303
📡 JSON-RPC available at http://127.0.0.1:8545

Zero Config

Your existing Solidity contracts deploy without changes

Familiar Tools

Hardhat, Foundry, ethers.js, MetaMask — they all just work

Quantum-Safe by Default

Every transaction signed with Dilithium3, addressed as pq1...

Native Account Abstraction

Smart accounts at the protocol layer — key rotation, custom validators, no bundler

Why Shell Chain?

A side-by-side look at how Shell Chain compares to existing blockchains.

Cryptographic Security

BitcoinECDSA (vulnerable to quantum)
EthereumECDSA (vulnerable to quantum)
Shell ✦ML-DSA (Dilithium3) — NIST post-quantum standard

Account Abstraction

BitcoinNone
EthereumERC-4337 overlay (bundler required)
Shell ✦Native protocol-level AA — no bundler needed

Smart Contracts

BitcoinNone (basic Script only)
EthereumFull EVM support
Shell ✦Full EVM (Cancun-spec) — zero-cost migration

Consensus

BitcoinPoW (high energy, mining pools)
EthereumPoS (stake centralization)
Shell ✦Pluggable PoA → planned decentralization

Storage

BitcoinUTXO slow indexing
EthereumLevelDB / MPT hybrid
Shell ✦Custom RocksDB — multi-CF read/write isolation

Shell Chain: designed for the post-quantum era from the ground up

Roadmap

From zero to alpha test — each milestone battle-tested.

M1

Crypto + Core

Complete62 tests

PQ signatures, core types, 62 tests

M1a

Solo Chain

Complete211 tests

Single-node block production, 211 tests

M1b

Multi-Node Network

Complete231 tests

P2P networking, gossip, 231 tests

M2

Usable Chain

Complete296 tests

Transaction gossip, logs, events, 296 tests

M3

Production Hardening

Complete450 tests

P2P DHT, governance, 450 tests

M4

Advanced Features

Complete659 tests

Finality, snapshots, debug API, 659 tests

M5

EVM & Security

Complete853 tests

Cancun EVM, 69 audit fixes, 853 tests

M6

Account Abstraction

Complete6,028 tests

Native AA, pq1... addresses, 3-layer validation, key rotation

M7

Alpha Test

In Progress

Alpha test launch, Block Explorer & Faucet

M8

Beta Test

Upcoming

Public beta launch, stress testing, bug bounty program

M9

Token & Wallet

Upcoming

Native token economics, browser wallet extension, faucet service

M10

Smart Contract Platform

Upcoming

Solidity toolchain, verified contract explorer, developer SDK

M11

Mainnet Launch

Upcoming

Genesis block, validator onboarding, full decentralization

The future is quantum-safe. Start building today.

Deploy your first quantum-safe smart contract in minutes. Full EVM compatibility means your existing tools just work.

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