What is Rootstock?

Rootstock is a Layer 2 solution for Bitcoin. It incorporates smart contract functionality into the protocol, allowing for the implementation of fast, cost-effective, and scalable decentralized applications (dApps) while maintaining the security of Bitcoin.

Rootstock is secured by over 80% of Bitcoin's hash power through merged mining, ensuring that each transaction benefits from the same Proof-of-Work security as Bitcoin itself. Unlike the Lightning Network, which is optimized for fast payments, Rootstock is the DeFi layer of Bitcoin. It allows developers to create everything from lending protocols to decentralized exchanges, using Bitcoin as collateral.

Thanks to compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), Rootstock supports smart contracts based on Solidity and popular Ethereum tools, making it easier for developers to migrate their applications from Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, and other EVM-compatible networks. The first Rootstock whitepaper was published in 2015, and the network began operating in 2018.