Drivechain ObservatoryConnecting…Waiting for data.
  1. 1What is a drivechain?
  2. 2Blocks: the heartbeat
  3. 3Slots and sidechains
  4. 4Creating a sidechain
  5. 5Deposits and the treasury
  6. 6Withdrawals by miner vote
  7. 7Blind merged mining
  8. 8How we know
Concept 1 of 8

What is a drivechain?

One main chain, many sidechains, and coins that move between them.

4 min read

The problem

Bitcoin changes slowly on purpose. Every node must agree on the same rules, so adding a new feature to the main chain is hard and risky.

A sidechainSidechain (L2)A separate blockchain whose coins are locked on the L1 and released only by a slow miner vote. It has its own software and rules. is a separate blockchain with its own software and features, which uses coins brought over from the main chain. If something goes wrong on a sidechain, the main chain is not affected.

The idea

A drivechain connects the main chain (L1L1 (mainchain)The base blockchain. On this site it is eCash Betanet.) with sidechains (L2) using two proposals:

  • BIP300, hashrate escrows. Coins sent to a sidechain are locked on L1. Getting them back out requires L1 miners to approve the withdrawal in a slow, public vote.
  • BIP301, blind merged mining. L1 miners help produce sidechain blocks and collect their fees, without running any sidechain software.

Think of a shared vault for each sidechain. Anyone can put coins in. The door only opens after the miners have voted for months, in the open, block by block.

How a drivechain works, in 4 steps

Follow one coin through a sidechain, with real numbers from eCash Betanet.

Step 1 of 4: Lock coins on L1SIDECHAIN · L2L1 · ECASH BETANETSidechain treasurylocked coinsYousidechain balanceL1 walletL1 minersdeposit →credited on L2seals 1 blockvotes← withdrawal

1 · Lock coins on L1

You send coins to a sidechain's treasury: a single locked output on the main chain. It is an ordinary L1 transaction, so no vote is needed.

Learn it: Deposits and the treasury

What you are looking at

This site watches eCash Betanet as it runs. Everything inside a Live on Betanet panel comes from a monitor connected to a Betanet node and the official enforcerEnforcerThe program that checks the BIP300/301 rules alongside the L1 node. The Observatory reads its official API.. See the proof opens the exact record behind a value.

Live on Betanet

eCash Betanet right now

Loading live data…

The block is observed directly. The other three are separate readings of current state taken at the chain tip, so each has its own label and proof.
Check yourself

Who decides whether coins may leave a sidechain and return to L1?

Read the source

The rules in this lesson come from these documents and code:

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