Abstract

Irium is a purpose-built proof-of-work blockchain designed to maximize network independence and long-term survivability. The protocol eliminates reliance on DNS infrastructure, enforces transparent founder vesting via on-chain timelocks, incentivizes transaction relay quality without inflation, and prioritizes light client usability from genesis. This whitepaper outlines the core design principles, system architecture, monetary policy, and implementation status of the IRM asset and its supporting network.

Current Implementation: Production mainnet is LIVE with all 8 core innovations operational.

1. Introduction

Most established proof-of-work networks inherit architectural assumptions from Bitcoin, including DNS-based bootstrapping, addrman-driven peer discovery, and an absence of protocol-level incentives for fast relay. Irium rethinks these components to produce a mainnet that can launch and sustain itself even if all founding infrastructure disappears.

Irium launched on January 5, 2026 with:

• Mined genesis block (5.4 billion hashes, 7 hours)
• Zero DNS dependencies
• Complete P2P networking
• All services operational

1.1 Goals

1. Permanent bootstrap viability without DNS dependencies or trusted third-party domains
2. Transparent founder vesting with consensus-enforced, irreversible timelocks
3. Incentivized relay network with optional fee-sharing rewards for propagation quality
4. Sybil-resistant peer discovery hardened against botnet saturation
5. Mobile-first architecture with NiPoPoW-ready light clients from block 1
6. On-chain notarization layer for off-chain metadata commitments

Status: All 6 goals achieved and operational.

1.2 Technical Specifications

2. System Architecture

Irium separates responsibilities into modular subsystems:

2.1 Core Modules (irium-node-rs/src)

• block.rs - Block and BlockHeader structures
• chain.rs - ChainState, ChainParams, consensus validation
• tx.rs - Transaction, TxInput, TxOutput classes
• wallet.rs - Key management, signing, WIF format
• pow.rs - SHA-256d hashing, Target difficulty
• network.rs - PeerDirectory, SeedlistManager
• protocol.rs - P2P binary message protocol
• p2p.rs - P2P node with peer management
• mempool.rs - Transaction pool with fee prioritization
• reputation.rs - Peer reputation and uptime proofs
• sybil.rs - Sybil-resistant handshake protocol
• relay.rs - Relay reward calculation and tracking
• anchors.rs - Checkpoint verification, eclipse protection
• spv.rs - SPV client with NiPoPoW support

2.2 Rust Binaries

• iriumd - Full node with P2P networking
• irium-miner - PoW miner with block broadcasting
• irium-wallet-api - Wallet REST API server (100% portable)
• irium-explorer - Blockchain explorer API (zero dependencies)
• irium-genesis - Genesis block mining tool

3. Consensus Mechanics

3.1 Proof-of-Work (SHA-256d)

Irium uses double SHA-256 hashing, identical to Bitcoin:

Benefits:

• 16+ years of battle-testing
• Compatible with Bitcoin mining hardware (ASICs, GPUs)
• Well-understood security properties
• Existing mining infrastructure

3.2 Difficulty Adjustment

Target: 600 seconds per block (10 minutes)
Retarget Interval: Every 2016 blocks (~14 days)

3.3 Block Validation

Each block must satisfy:

1. block_hash < target (proof-of-work)
2. Merkle root matches transaction tree
3. Timestamp within consensus range
4. All transactions valid (no double-spends)
5. Coinbase reward ≤ subsidy + fees
6. Block connects to valid chain tip

4. Economic Model

4.1 Supply Distribution

Total Supply: 100,000,000 IRM (hard cap)

Genesis Vesting (3.5%): 3,500,000 IRM

• 1,000,000 IRM unlocks at block 52,560 (~1 year)
• 1,250,000 IRM unlocks at block 105,120 (~2 years)
• 1,250,000 IRM unlocks at block 157,680 (~3 years)

Mineable Supply (96.5%): 96,500,000 IRM

4.2 Block Rewards Schedule

4.3 Transaction Fees

Minimum Fee: 0.0001 IRM (10,000 satoshis)

Fee Distribution:

• 90% to block miner
• 10% to relay nodes (up to 3 relays)
  • First relay: 50% of relay pool
  • Second relay: 30% of relay pool
  • Third relay: 20% of relay pool

5. The 8 Core Innovations

5.1 Zero-DNS Bootstrap

Problem: DNS is centralized, censorable, and a single point of failure.

Irium Solution:

• Signed seedlist.txt with raw IP multiaddrs (IPv4 + IPv6)
• Signed anchors.json with checkpoint block headers
• Bootstrap script: irium-zero.sh (no DNS queries)
• Distributed via GitHub, IPFS, torrents
• Signature verification with secp256k1

Status: ✅ Implemented and operational

5.2 Self-Healing Peer Discovery

Problem: Networks need stable, honest peers; centralized trackers create vulnerabilities.

Irium Solution:

• Uptime proof system (HMAC challenges)
• Peer reputation scoring (0-1000 scale)
• Automatic peer promotion/demotion
• Network 'remembers' reliable peers
• seedlist.runtime updated automatically

Status: ✅ Implemented (src/reputation.rs, src/network.rs)

5.3 Genesis Vesting with On-chain CLTV

Problem: Founder allocations often lack transparency or enforcement.

Irium Solution:

• 3.5M IRM locked in genesis block
• 3 separate UTXOs with OP_CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY
• Unlock heights: 52,560 / 105,120 / 157,680 blocks
• Consensus-enforced (cannot be spent early)
• Fully transparent in genesis.json

Status: ✅ Implemented in genesis block

5.4 Per-Transaction Relay Rewards

Problem: No incentive to run relay nodes; slow transaction propagation.

Irium Solution:

• Relay nodes earn 10% of transaction fees
• Up to 3 relays per transaction
• Distribution: 50%, 30%, 20%
• Included in coinbase transaction
• No supply inflation (comes from tx fees)

Status: ✅ Implemented (src/relay.rs)

5.5 Sybil-Resistant P2P Handshake

Problem: Botnets can saturate networks with fake peers.

Irium Solution:

• Proof-of-work challenge during handshake
• Ephemeral key signing
• Timestamp validation (5 minute window)
• Configurable difficulty (default: 8 bits)
• Trivial for legitimate nodes, prohibitive for bots

Status: ✅ Implemented (src/sybil.rs)

5.6 Anchor-File Consensus

Problem: Eclipse attacks can feed new nodes false chains.

Irium Solution:

• Signed checkpoint headers (anchors.json)
• Multiple trusted signers
• New nodes verify chain against anchors
• Protects even if all peers are malicious

Status: ✅ Implemented (src/anchors.rs)

5.7 Light Client First (SPV + NiPoPoW)

Problem: Mobile devices can't store full blockchain.

Irium Solution:

• SPV (Simplified Payment Verification)
• NiPoPoW (Non-Interactive Proofs of Proof-of-Work)
• Header-only sync
• Merkle proof verification
• Superblock proofs for ultra-light clients

Status: ✅ Implemented (src/spv.rs)

5.8 On-chain Metadata Commitments

Problem: No native way to timestamp documents.

Irium Solution:

• Coinbase metadata field
• Hash pointers to off-chain data
• Notarization layer
• Immutable timestamp proofs

Status: ✅ Structure ready, integrated

6. P2P Network Architecture

6.1 Protocol & Peer Management

Message Format:

Message Types (13 total): HANDSHAKE, PING/PONG, GET_PEERS/PEERS, GET_BLOCKS/BLOCK, TX, DISCONNECT, GET_HEADERS, HEADERS, MEMPOOL

6.2 NAT Traversal Support

Irium fully supports nodes behind NAT/firewalls (same as Bitcoin):

• NAT Nodes: Can mine, sync, and broadcast via outbound connections
• Public Nodes: Accept inbound connections, help bootstrap network
• Network Topology: Mesh network through public nodes
• Adaptive Keepalive: 60s for public nodes, 30s for NAT (session persistence)
• Limitation: NAT-to-NAT direct connections not possible (network limitation)

6.3 Runtime Seedlist

Nodes maintain a dynamic peer list (bootstrap/seedlist.runtime):

• Automatically saves discovered peers (incoming + outgoing)
• Persists between restarts for network resilience
• Enables decentralized peer discovery
• Reduces dependency on hardcoded bootstrap nodes

6.4 Configuration

7. Security Analysis

7.1 Consensus Security

51% Attack: Requires majority of network hashpower; economically infeasible for established network

Double-Spend: Prevented by UTXO model; each output can only be spent once

Long-Range Attack: Mitigated by anchor checkpoints and multiple trusted signers

7.2 Network Security

Eclipse Attack: Mitigated by anchor file verification and suspicious peer detection

Sybil Attack: PoW handshake prevents mass bot connections; peer reputation system

DoS Attack: Message size limits (100KB max per tx), mempool limits (1000 tx), connection limits

7.3 Wallet Security

• Standard secp256k1 key derivation
• WIF private key format
• Local storage only (no custodial)
• User-controlled backups

Security Audit Summary:

• ✅ Consensus: Secure
• ✅ P2P Network: Secure
• ✅ Transactions: Secure
• ✅ Wallet: Secure

8. Implementation Status

8.1 Completed Features (100%)

• ✅ Core blockchain (genesis, validation, chain state)
• ✅ SHA-256d proof-of-work
• ✅ P2P networking (13 message types, PUSH-based)
• ✅ NAT traversal support
• ✅ Runtime seedlist (dynamic peer discovery)
• ✅ Wallet system (key management, REST API)
• ✅ All 8 core innovations
• ✅ Blockchain explorer API (100% portable)
• ✅ Advanced mempool with fee prioritization

8.2 Public Services

• Explorer API: https://api.iriumlabs.org/api" target="_blank">https://api.iriumlabs.org/api
• Wallet API: https://api.iriumlabs.org/wallet/" target="_blank">https://api.iriumlabs.org/wallet/
• P2P Bootstrap: 207.244.247.86:38291

9. Future Roadmap

• ✅ Core blockchain implementation
• ✅ All 8 innovations
• ✅ Mainnet genesis & launch
• ⏳ Mobile wallet app
• ⏳ Mining pool software
• ⏳ Hardware wallet integration
• ⏳ Exchange listings
• ⏳ Block explorer web UI

10. Conclusion

Irium represents a new generation of blockchain technology that addresses fundamental challenges in decentralization, security, and accessibility. With all 8 core innovations implemented and operational, Irium is ready to serve as a foundation for the next era of cryptocurrency.

Network Status: Mainnet LIVE and operational
Code Status: Production-ready, open source
Community: Welcome to join and contribute

Appendix A: Genesis Block

Coinbase Message: Irium Genesis Block - SHA256d PoW

Coinbase Transaction (raw hex):

Mining Stats:

• Mining stats are hardware-dependent
• Genesis mined at Bitcoin-standard difficulty (0x1d00ffff)

Irium Blockchain © 2025
MIT License - Open Source

Built for true decentralization