Today, just now, @lorenzonical updated a blog on why @unisat_wallet supports the #Alkanes protocol, written very objectively. After reading, here's a brief summary: First of all, all asset ownership is directly bound to UTXO, allowing users to send assets directly during transactions. Unlike trading various tokens on EVM where you need to first send to the contract address and then the contract address performs the next step of the transaction, Alkanes innovatively integrates the Runes protocol so that a transfer transaction can be done without calling a smart contract. This advantage is particularly important on BTC, significantly reducing costs. Additionally, because Alkanes is fully compatible with Runes' asset identification standards, the development difficulty is greatly reduced when implementing wallet and blockchain explorer functionalities, etc. What about Wasm? What is Wasm? Another important point mentioned in the article is that Alkanes has implemented a relatively usable open-source framework for smart contracts on the BTC mainnet using WebAssembly, also known as Wasm, and the completion level is very high. Many people are hearing about WebAssembly for the first time, so let me briefly introduce: Wasm is an efficient, low-level bytecode format designed for developers to run code on the Web with near-native performance. Wasm allows coding in languages like C, C++, and Rust, far surpassing traditional JavaScript in performance. It can run in various environments and operates in a sandboxed environment, compatible with the browser's security model, ensuring that code execution does not harm user devices. Meanwhile, Wasm can seamlessly cooperate with JavaScript (which I don't quite understand and need to study more). In short, WebAssembly is a technology that makes web development more efficient and powerful, compensating for JavaScript's performance shortcomings while maintaining cross-platform and security features. Lorenzo's blog is quite objective because Alkanes indeed has its drawbacks. First, there are security issues with token contracts; since it’s a new protocol, there’s no audit platform in the development environment, and users cannot determine if the token contract is safe, such as if it can be minted. Therefore, developers from the project side need to actively provide the source code. Similarly, because it uses a UTXO-based asset model, if OP_RETURN is not included during the transaction, the asset will be burned. For instance, if you transfer and treat a UTXO containing #Methane assets simply as BTC or consume it as gas, the asset cannot be recovered. Therefore, everyone must use wallets that support the protocol for asset management, and I recommend using @unisat_wallet, the best wallet in the BTC ecosystem.
First, all asset ownership is directly bound to UTXO, allowing users to send assets directly during transactions. Unlike trading various tokens on EVM where you need to first send to the contract address and then the contract address performs the next step of the transaction, Alkanes innovatively integrates the Runes protocol so that a transfer transaction can be done without calling a smart contract. This advantage is particularly important on BTC, significantly reducing costs. Additionally, because Alkanes is fully compatible with Runes' asset identification standards, the development difficulty is greatly reduced when implementing wallet and blockchain explorer functionalities, etc.
About Wasm? What is Wasm?
Another important point mentioned in the article is that Alkanes has implemented a relatively usable open-source framework for smart contracts on the BTC mainnet using WebAssembly, also known as Wasm, and the completion level is very high. Many people are hearing about WebAssembly for the first time, so let me briefly introduce: Wasm is an efficient, low-level bytecode format designed for developers to run code on the Web with near-native performance. Wasm allows coding in languages like C, C++, and Rust, far surpassing traditional JavaScript in performance. It can run in various environments and operates in a sandboxed environment, compatible with the browser's security model, ensuring that code execution does not harm user devices. Meanwhile, Wasm can seamlessly cooperate with JavaScript (which I don't quite understand and need to study more).
In short, WebAssembly is a technology that makes web development more efficient and powerful, compensating for JavaScript's performance shortcomings while maintaining cross-platform and security features.
It is objective to say Lorenzo's blog because Alkanes indeed has drawbacks. First, there are security issues with token contracts; since it’s a new protocol, there’s no audit platform in the development environment, and users cannot determine if the token contract is safe, such as if it can be minted. Therefore, developers from the project side need to actively provide the source code.
Similarly, because it uses a UTXO-based asset model, if OP_RETURN is not included during the transaction, the asset will be burned. For instance, if you transfer and treat a UTXO containing #Methane assets simply as BTC or consume it as gas, the asset cannot be recovered.
Therefore, everyone must use wallets that support the protocol for asset management. I recommend using @unisat_wallet, the best wallet in the BTC ecosystem.
Additionally, since the protocol is in its early stages, its maturity needs refining, and there are still many areas for improvement in the entire system.
Here is the link to the blog, you can also check it out: lorenzonical.net/p/2025-06-why-…
#Alkanes is still just a child learning to walk, needing time to grow. The programmability of BTC is being realized, and if this step is achieved on the entire $2 trillion worth of assets, it can allow BTC to see a broader future.
#Alkanes protocol may fail like its predecessors, but if successful, it will bring a qualitative change to BTC. Even if faced with setbacks, we must continue to forge ahead, never stopping our attempts.