Ergo Platform Blockchain Integration Guide
This guide explains every step required to connect software and services to the Ergo blockchain. It keeps all original detail while arranging information in a logical build‑order: concepts → infrastructure → transactions → operations → reference.
Send questions or suggestions to [email protected] or join the #development Discord channel.
1. Core Concepts
| Topic | Essential facts |
|---|---|
| Transaction Model | Each transaction spends one‑time “boxes” (UTXOs) and creates new boxes. Examine the full Ergo Box model. |
| Addresses | Standard P2PK scripts appear at regular wallets. The address scheme documents every variant. |
| Boxes & Registers | A box stores an ERG amount and an optional list of {tokenId, tokenAmount} pairs inside typed registers. Details live in the register guide. |
| Precision | Smallest unit = 0.000 000 001 ERG (10⁻⁹ ERG). |
| Block Interval | Average block time ≈ 2 minutes. |
2. Infrastructure & Tooling
2.1 Ergo Node
- Installation — follow the node install guide.
- Public alternative —
http://213.239.193.208:9053(dynamic list at api.tokenjay.app/peers/list). - Disk space — secure at least 100 GB.
- Web panel — open
127.0.0.1:9053/panelon main‑net or127.0.0.1:9052/panelon test‑net. - Pruned mode — accelerate sync with a pruned node snapshot plus NiPoPoWs.
127.0.0.1:9053/swagger or experiment with it here. An optional indexed node API is also available.Major wallet functionalities include:
- Wallet creation (
/wallet/init) and mnemonic generation - Wallet restoration (
/wallet/restore) from mnemonic - Wallet unlock (
/wallet/unlock) for transaction signing - Wallet lock (
/wallet/lock) - Sending a simple payment (
/wallet/payment/send) - Checking wallet status (
/wallet/status) - Deriving a new key according to EIP-3 (
/wallet/deriveNextKey) - Checking wallet balance (
/wallet/balances) for all addresses - Retrieving wallet transactions (
/wallet/transactions) for all addresses
2.2 Wallet Configuration (for exchanges & pools)
2.3 Explorers & GraphQL Endpoints
- Official Explorer (UI + REST) — explorer.ergoplatform.com
- Community Explorer — ergexplorer.com
- Community Explorer — sigmaspace.io
- Public GraphQL API —
https://explore.sigmaspace.io/api/graphql - Self‑hosted Indexed Node — enable indexing via Indexed Node Setup to expose explorer‑style REST and GraphQL endpoints directly from your own node—no separate explorer UI needed (recommended for exchanges & other high‑volume backends).
High‑volume operators should run a private indexed node so queries never depend on external rate limits or third‑party uptime.
3. Transactions & Wallet Operations
Before accepting or returning funds, you’ll need addresses. The Transaction Lifecycle section walks through an Ergo transaction step by step:
- Generate an address for incoming funds
- Select UTXOs and build an unsigned transaction
- Sign—via the node wallet or an offline key store
- Broadcast and track confirmations
4. Protocol Governance & Security Essentials
4.1 Forking & Upgrade Mechanisms
| Mode | Who must upgrade? | Back‑compatibility | Typical use | More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft‑fork | Miner majority (≥ 90 %) | ✅ old nodes keep syncing | Protocol tweaks like EIP‑37 re‑emission | Soft‑fork |
| Velvet‑fork | Minority of miners | ✅ 100 % backward compatible | Opt‑in features (e.g., NiPoPoW interlinks) | Velvet‑fork |
| Hard‑fork | All nodes | ❌ split if some stay old | Only for critical consensus changes | Hard‑fork |
Ergo deliberately keeps hard‑fork risk low by pushing complexity to the application layer and preferring soft‑ or velvet‑forks whenever possible.
4.2 51 %‑Attack Resistance
Ergo’s ASIC‑resistant Autolykos PoW requires large memory and favours off‑exchange solo mining, making hashrate capture expensive. Diversified pools (see pools.md) further dilute control.
4.3 Storage Rent
Unspent boxes older than ≈ 4 years pay storage rent (~0.14 ERG for a simple box). This recycles lost coins and keeps the UTXO set bounded. Rent rules live in storage‑rent.md.