ALX Protocol
An open protocol for composable digital Blocks.
The Block Model
A Block is the core primitive of ALX Protocol. A Block binds JSON-serializable content and declared parent Block identities into two deterministic identifiers: contentHash and blockHash.
The protocol defines four required fields that establish a Block’s content, declared lineage, and deterministic identity:
- content: The application-defined payload, treated as opaque data by the protocol.
- contentHash: Identifies the canonicalized content.
- parentHashes: A normalized list of declared parent Block identities.
- blockHash: Identifies the canonicalized content together with the Block’s declared parent relationships.
Equivalent protocol inputs produce equivalent identities across conforming implementations. Conforming implementations recompute contentHash and blockHash and validate available Block and Graph structure using protocol data.
Block Graphs
Applications create Blocks for source materials, model outputs, agent handoffs, evaluations, software artifacts, and other digital records. The Blocks form derivation Graphs through declared parent relationships when the required Block data is available.
XNDR Network provides the infrastructure to discover, index, and query ALX Blocks. XNDR Network indexes conforming Blocks from configured sources, then combines canonical Block facts with source-scoped observations to create searchable views of Block Graphs.
Independent Implementation
ALX Protocol publishes rules, schemas, and canonical test vectors for independent conforming implementations. Implementations can create and verify Blocks locally from protocol data.
Creating or verifying a conforming Block requires no hosted service, blockchain, storage network, or XNDR token.
Protocol Scope
Applications and external systems provide the services and interpretations around Block structure and declared relationships.
| Layer | Role |
|---|---|
| ALX Protocol | Block structure, canonicalization, deterministic identity, declared lineage, and structural verification. |
| Applications | Content meaning, domain schemas, workflows, presentation, and acceptance criteria. |
| Storage and Indexing | Persistence, retrieval, discovery, source observations, and availability. |
| Trust and Governance | Authorship, ownership, attestations, permissions, policy, legal status, and semantic evaluation. |