The Orbs hybrid blockchain is a revolutionary addition to the industry, capable of functioning as a secondary processing layer on top of Ethereum and other systems. Our design partners are dApps with millions of users and daily transactions who are looking for scalability without compromising security and decentralization.

We have so far processed 280,000 combined transactions over the two virtual chains, one each for Kin and PumaPay. With app-developers’ needs in mind, the Orbs virtual chain was designed with two strategic functions. First, it is the blockchain answer to virtualization, allowing a network to be intelligently sharded so that users aboard the same app are grouped together to maximize speed and efficiency.

This stands in contrast to more randomized sharding mechanisms in development (this will be explained in greater depth in an upcoming post). Additionally, virtual chains let dApps maintain certain governance autonomy based on their specific needs (turns out not all apps are the same — who knew?), and also protect them from network hazards by confining potential bugs to each virtual chain.

Each virtual chain is processing an average of 10 transactions per second (tps). Alpha has capacity for 100 virtual chains, meaning the current Alpha iteration of the network should be able to process about 1,000 tps.

By the end of Q3, Orbs plans to simultaneously launch its token in conjunction with the release of our Beta mainnet to our design partners. Then, with a target for December, the V1 public mainnet — written in the Go language — is scheduled for release.

The V1 release anticipates exponential growth in both tps capacity and overall number of virtual chains. Stay tuned for roadmap announcements for V1, or checkout the specs currently under peer review.

Orbs is a public blockchain that follows a permissionless governance model where new nodes that join the network participate in the Orbs federation. We anticipate the expansion of the federation in the months to come.

This form of intelligent sharding will be complemented by efficiency brought on by randomized proof-of-stake (rPoS). This process, governed by the Helix Consensus Algorithm and as described in more depth by the Helix white paper, has a unique formula for achieving speed without compromising security and decentralization.

The Orbs network is designed for high performance with a large node count — supporting well over 1,000 nodes. Initial committee sizes for fast consensus are planned to be based on 21 nodes but can be increased on a per-app basis, a customizable feature for apps running on Orbs.

We look forward to sharing more exciting updates with you in the next few weeks on new partnerships and progress for the Orbs Network.