| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Chain ID | 20803 |
| Consensus | Clique Proof-of-Authority |
| Block period | 15 seconds |
| Epoch | 30 000 blocks |
| Address format | Quantum Chain address (derived from post-quantum public key) |
| Execution layer | QVM (Quantum Virtual Machine) — partially EVM-compatible. See QVM vs EVM. |
| Native currency | Quantum (symbol QUANTUM) |
| Reference client | geth (this repository) |
Why post-quantum
A sufficiently large quantum computer running Shor’s algorithm can derive an ECDSA private key from a public key. That is fatal for blockchains: every spent UTXO or transaction-signed account exposes its public key and becomes spendable by an adversary with quantum capability. Quantum Chain replaces the signature primitive with a lattice-based post-quantum signature scheme that has no known efficient quantum attack. Public keys, signatures, and transaction layouts are all updated; the QVM bytecode and opcode set is unchanged.What stays the same
If you have built on Ethereum, almost everything you know carries over:- Solidity, EVM bytecode, and gas accounting are identical.
- JSON-RPC methods (
eth_*,net_*,web3_*,debug_*) work the same way. - Block structure, receipts, logs, and events follow the Ethereum schema.
- Tools such as Hardhat, Foundry, and ethers.js work — they just need a Quantum Chain RPC endpoint and an external signer (since the cryptographic primitives differ).
What changes
| Area | Change |
|---|---|
| Account creation | A new account has a post-quantum keypair, not a secp256k1 keypair. |
| Transaction signing | Signatures are produced by the post-quantum scheme and are larger than ECDSA signatures. |
| Address derivation | Addresses are derived from the post-quantum public key, but the 20-byte hex format is unchanged. |
| Block validation | After quantumVerificationBlock, full nodes verify post-quantum signatures on every transaction. |
| Validator extraData | The Clique extra-data field carries post-quantum sealer signatures. |
ecrecover precompile | Removed. A new precompile at 0x0b verifies post-quantum signatures. See QVM vs EVM. |
Components
geth— Quantum Chain reference node, mining, RPC, archive.keygenerator— generate post-quantum keypairs and mnemonic recovery phrases.ethkey— manipulate keystore files.clef— external signer for hot wallets.- Qustody — multi-tenant institutional custody platform.
Where to go next
Run a node
Build geth and connect to mainnet or a local devnet.
Create accounts
Generate post-quantum keypairs and mnemonics.
Send transactions
Build, sign, and broadcast Quantum Chain transactions.
Operate a network
Genesis files, validators, and PoA operations.