In a blockchain world dominated by transparency-first design, Dusk Network takes a fundamentally different approach: privacy by default, compliance by design. Rather than adding privacy as a layer on top, Dusk embeds confidentiality, auditability, and performance directly into its core architecture—making it suitable for real-world finance, tokenized assets, and regulated markets.
At the heart of the ecosystem lies DuskDS, the network’s settlement and consensus layer. DuskDS is responsible for block production, finality, and data availability, while simultaneously supporting both public and private transactions. This duality is achieved through Phoenix and Moonlight transaction models, enabling transparent transfers where needed and shielded transfers where privacy is essential. Importantly, DuskDS also supports native bridging for execution environments like DuskVM and DuskEVM, allowing different smart contract systems to coexist under a single settlement layer.
Powering the network is Rusk, the Rust-based reference node implementation and operational engine of Dusk. Rusk integrates consensus, networking, virtual machine interfaces, and genesis contracts into a unified system. It also exposes network events and data via the Rusk Universal Event System (RUES), making it easier for developers and infrastructure providers to interact with the chain in real time.
Consensus on Dusk is achieved through Succinct Attestation (SA), a Proof-of-Stake mechanism designed for fast finality and strong security guarantees. SA uses a committee-based structure, ensuring efficient block production while meeting the latency and reliability requirements expected by institutional participants.
Networking is handled by Kadcast, a custom peer-to-peer protocol that replaces traditional gossip-based propagation with structured routing. This significantly improves bandwidth efficiency, reduces latency, and increases resilience against node churn—key for scalable and reliable infrastructure.
On top of this foundation, Dusk offers dual execution environments. Dusk VM is a WASM-based, zero-knowledge–friendly virtual machine optimized for privacy-preserving smart contracts, while Dusk EVM, built on the OP Stack, delivers Ethereum compatibility without sacrificing Dusk’s compliance and settlement guarantees.
Finally, genesis contracts such as the Stake and Transfer contracts anchor the network from launch, managing validator participation and enabling both shielded and transparent DUSK transfers.
Together, these components position Dusk as a next-generation Layer 1—where privacy, compliance, and performance are not trade-offs, but core features.
