A next-generation, memory-safe Layer 1 blockchain engineered from the ground up in Rust. Ferrous combines the battle-tested security of Bitcoin-like Proof-of-Work consensus with a modern, modular architecture designed for high performance and long-term extensibility.
Featuring a custom-built, asynchronous P2P networking stack with automatic partition recovery, persistent RocksDB storage, and a strict "zero-warnings" code quality policy, Ferrous serves as both a production-ready foundation for decentralized applications and a reference implementation for future cryptographic upgrades (Post-Quantum signatures, RingCT privacy).
- Consensus: SHA256d Proof-of-Work with per-block difficulty adjustment (150s target).
- Networking: Full P2P stack with headers-first sync, block relay, and inventory protocol.
- Storage: Persistent blockchain state using RocksDB.
- Architecture: Modular design separating consensus, networking, and storage logic.
- Interface: JSON-RPC API and TUI Dashboard for node monitoring.
- Safety: 100% safe Rust code with strict linting (
deny(warnings)).
- Rust 1.70+ (stable)
- Clang (for RocksDB bindings)
- CMake
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/ChronoCoders/ferrous
cd ferrous
# Run the full node with TUI dashboard (Regtest mode)
cargo run --example node -- --dashboard --network regtest
# Run on Mainnet
cargo run --example node -- --network mainnetFerrous includes a standalone monitoring TUI that polls multiple remote nodes over JSON-RPC via SSH tunnels.
- Open SSH tunnels (these commands will appear to “do nothing” and should be left running):
ssh -N -L 18331:127.0.0.1:8332 root@45.77.153.141
ssh -N -L 18332:127.0.0.1:8332 root@45.77.64.221- Verify tunnels (PowerShell):
curl.exe -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:18331 -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"getblockchaininfo","params":[],"id":1}'
curl.exe -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:18332 -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"getblockchaininfo","params":[],"id":1}'- Run the monitor:
cargo run --release --example monitorTo mine blocks instantly in regtest mode, open a second terminal and use the RPC interface:
# PowerShell
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri http://127.0.0.1:8332 -Method Post -Body '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "mineblocks", "params": [10], "id": 1}' -ContentType "application/json"# Bash
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8332 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"mineblocks","params":[10],"id":1}'Version: 0.2.0 (Alpha) Phase: P2P Network Implementation (Complete)
- Core: Block/Tx validation, Merkle roots, UTXO set management.
- Networking:
- Handshake (Version/Verack)
- Headers-first synchronization
- Block propagation (Inv/GetData/Block)
- Transaction relay & Mempool
- Peer discovery (Addr/GetAddr)
- Network Recovery:
- Automatic partition detection and reconnection.
- Health monitoring and stale block detection.
- RPC commands:
getrecoverystatus,forcereconnect,resetnetwork.
- Storage: RocksDB integration for chain state and block index.
- RPC: Full suite of control commands (
getblockchaininfo,getmininginfo,mineblocks,getpeerinfo, etc.). - UI: Terminal User Interface (TUI) for real-time statistics.
- Phase 1 (Current): Bitcoin-like foundation (PoW, UTXO, P2P).
- Phase 2: Wallet integration and transaction management.
- Phase 3: Post-Quantum Cryptography (CRYSTALS-Dilithium signatures).
- Phase 4: Privacy Features (Ring Confidential Transactions).
The project maintains a strict "zero warnings" policy.
# Run unit and integration tests
cargo test
# Run specific P2P integration tests
cargo test --test p2p_integration
# Run strict linting checks
cargo clippy --all-targets --all-features -- -D warnings
cargo fmt --checkMIT License. See LICENSE for details.
Maintained by ChronoCoders.
