Bootstrapping the chain
1. Bootstrap
Every ledger starts with a one-time genesis block: it registers the first set of WebAuthn signers and the rules that will govern the chain (sign thresholds, modes, entitlements).
2. Build & Sign Blocks
Requests (transfers, content, entitlements) queue up, get bundled into a block, and the block hash is signed with the same WebAuthn credential used for login — proving who authorized this exact state.
3. Immutability
Because every block embeds the previous block's hash, changing any past block would break every hash after it — the same tamper-evidence idea as a public block chain, without needing a public token network.
Two ledger modes, same chain mechanics
Token incentive mode
Ledger issues its own unit of value (credits / tokens) that signers and contributors earn for building and signing blocks. Useful for community or public-facing ledgers that need an incentive to keep participants active.
- Balances tracked per account inside the ledger
- Rewards paid out per signed block / content submission
- Good fit: public utility ledgers, community networks
Corporate mode
No token or balance layer at all — the ledger only records and signs the organization's own data (contracts, approvals, audit events). Signing is a compliance/audit action, not an economic one.
- No balances, no incentive accounting
- Signers are employees / officers with entitlements
- Good fit: internal audit trails, regulated record keeping
The block-building and WebAuthn-signing engine underneath is identical — only the request types and reward logic differ per mode.
Cross-propagation across many ledgers
The platform can run 100+ independent ledgers side by side. Each ledger can anchor another ledger's latest block hash into its own next block — so tampering with one ledger becomes visible to every ledger that anchored it.
Why cross-propagation matters
Single ledger
Tamper-evident on its own — a rewritten block breaks every hash after it, but only within that one ledger.
Cross-anchored ledgers
Every anchoring ledger holds an independent, signed copy of a peer's hash — rewriting history would also require rewriting every ledger that anchored it.
block.hash = SHA512(prev_hash + txns + block_number)
block.anchor = { ledger_id: peer_latest_hash, ... }
signature = webauthn_sign(block.hash)