The Pactus blockchain starts from scratch, with no pre-existing accounts or pre-allocated tokens. Its starting point is known as the Genesis block, which is created by the bootstrap validators.
The Pactus blockchain starts with four bootstrap validators. These bootstrap validators do not have any stake, however their voting power is set to one within the consensus algorithm. Their primary role is to initiate the blockchain during a brief period known as the bootstrapping phase. As the bootstrapping phase progresses, these validators are able to earn rewards, which they can later use to invite other validators to join the network.
Once the network reaches 21 validators, the bootstrap validators will retire, and the blockchain will be secured by other validators.
The genesis block is the first block in the Pactus blockchain, and it is created by the bootstrap validators. This block marks the beginning of the blockchain and serves as the foundation for subsequent blocks.
The previous block hash in the genesis block sets to 0, indicating that it has no predecessor. Additionally, the genesis block does not have a previous certificate.
In the Pactus, the genesis information is pre-defined and indicates the initial state of the network. These parameters are hardcoded into the project and include:
You can find the pre-defined Genesis Information for the Testnet of the Pactus blockchain in the genesis.json
file,
which is located in the project repository, here.