FAQ

GENERAL
GENERAL
  • What is Orbs?

    The Orbs Network is an open, decentralized and public blockchain infrastructure executed by a secure network of permissionless validators using Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus.

    Orbs is set up as a separate decentralized execution layer operating between existing L1/L2 solutions and the application layer, as part of a tiered blockchain stack, without moving liquidity onto a new chain. Orbs acts as a “decentralized backend”, enhancing the capabilities of existing smart contracts and opening up a whole new spectrum of possibilities for Web 3.0, DeFi, NFTs and GameFi.

    Orbs was founded in 2017 and launched its mainnet and token in March 2019. Orbs is being developed by a team of more than 30 people, with team members working in Tel Aviv, London, New York, Tokyo, and Seoul.

    Read more here.

  • What is the connection between Orbs and Ethereum / polygon?

    Orbs is an ERC20 token but has its own mainnet.

    Orbs is designed as a hybrid blockchain, maintaining both an independent blockchain and PoS architecture, as well as utilizing the Ethereum network as an external objective blockchain for the PoS logic. ORBS token, staking, delegation and voting operate over Ethereum contracts. This PoS over Ethereum architecture provides multiple advantages, including a high level of transparency, ease of subscription payments and staking, additional security and ensuring the integrity of elections.

    Recently, Orbs has also added PoS staking on Polygon as part of its Orbs PoS V3: Multichain staking protocol upgrade.

  • What is the ORBS tokens distribution?

    This document explains the use of the ORBS token, the total supply, and distribution pools.

  • Which exchanges support orbs?

    Orbs is listed on tier 1 exchanges such as KuCoin, Huobi, OKX, and more…

    You can find the full list here

    In addition, Orbs is integrated into many of the top DeFi DEX-AMMs across many of the leading DeFi chains. These include among others: Uniswap, SushiSwap, QuickSwap, PancakeSwap, Trader Joe, SpookySwap and many more.

    You can view the entire list in the Orbs ecosystem map.

  • Where can I find developer documentation?

    You can find it in the following link.

    Orbs is an open-source, permissionless project, open to anyone to be part of the ecosystem.

    The Orbs Developer Documentation is meant to be the primary source of knowledge for contributing and building on the Orbs network.

  • What is Orbs’ Governance?

    Orbs governance is a crucial part of the project and includes major components such as: Formal governance votes, community development, Orbs improvement proposals (OIPs) and community development budget.

    You can learn more about the Orbs governance here and see Orbs past and present governance votes on Snapshot. If you have an idea for a governance proposal, feel free to submit an OIP.

  • Does Orbs have a grant program?

    As a decentralized project, Orbs understands the power of community contributions and is always looking for ways to further expand the number of contributors developing the network and ecosystem.

    You can find ongoing Orbs Ecosystem Grant Programs (OEGP) on the Orbs whitepapers page.

L3 Technology
L3 Technology
  • What is a layer 3 (L3)?

    The current blockchain stack consists of 2 main layers: The first infrastructure layer, L1 (like Ethereum), is in charge of security. The second infrastructure layer, L2 (like Polygon), is in charge of scalability.

    Orbs is based on the vision of a third infrastructure layer, L3, which is in charge of executing complex logic and scripts that cannot be implemented on smart contracts alone. This layer provides services to existing DeFi applications for further decentralization and enhanced capabilities.

    Find out more here.

  • Why is L3 even needed?

    The main goal of Orbs’ L3 is to remove centralized points of failure.

    DeFi, Web 3.0 protocols and dApps are becoming more and more complex, while smart contracts are still inherently limited by design. This means that many DeFi and Web 3.0 projects still rely on centralized backend infrastructure, which is not ideal from security, liability and community perspectives.

    The Orbs Network solves this pain by operating as a decentralized serverless cloud, allowing developers to extend smart contracts with L3 decentralized backend services. These are deployed to be executed by Orbs PoS validators (known as Guardians) and relieve projects of the need to rely on centralized backend solutions.

  • What is Orbs Lambda?

    Orbs offers 2 main executing services: Orbs VM and Orbs Lambda.

    Orbs Lambda is an event driven, serverless and decentralized cloud function, similar in concept to AWS Lambda - only decentralized.

    Cloud functions are implemented in a few lines of code, deployed to the Orbs Network and then executed by the network validators. Much like AWS Lambda, there is no DevOps involved and no instances to worry about. Unlike AWS Lambda, the protocol is fully transparent and decentralized, providing execution guaranteed to the user community by relying on dozens of independent network validators that participate in the protocol.

    You can find a deep dive to Orbs Lambda here.

  • What is Orbs VM?

    Orbs offers 2 main executing services: Orbs VM and Orbs Lambda.

    Orbs VM is a dedicated and decentralized virtual machine, similar in concept to AWS EC2 - only decentralized.

    Orbs VM services are implemented as Docker containers, deployed to the Orbs Network and then executed by the network validators. Much like AWS EC2 container services, there is minimal DevOps involved as orchestration is automated. Unlike AWS EC2, the protocol is fully transparent and decentralized, providing execution guaranteed to the user community by relying on dozens of independent network validators that participate in the protocol.

    You can find a deep dive into Orbs VM here.

Orbs POS
Orbs POS
  • What is Orbs POS V3: Multi chain staking?

    Orbs PoS V3: Multi-chain staking, utilizes Orbs hybrid architecture and cross-chain properties to deploy a novel multi-chain PoS staking on both Ethereum and Polygon.

    Adding Orbs PoS staking on Polygon means that the Orbs network utilizes the Ethereum stack to its fullest potential: The security of Ethereum as the base layer, and the scalability & low fees of Polygon as L2.

    In this way, Orbs PoS V3 addresses one of the key feedbacks from the community and is expected to mitigate the problem of Ethereum’s gas spikes leading to high costs for Orbs delegators interacting with the Orbs staking contracts.

  • Is there a difference in staking between Ethereum and Polygon?

    There are no differences in the Orbs staking mechanism between Ethereum and Polygon. Orbs Delegators have the ability to choose between staking on Ethereum and staking on Polygon, based on their own personal preferences and considerations.

    However, each network has its own characteristics that can appeal to different Delegators:

    Ethereum is the native chain for the ORBS ERC20 token. As such, ORBS tokens on Ethereum are compatible with any other Ethereum wallet or protocols or services using ERC20 standard.

    Polygon, being a scalable L2 solution on top of Ethereum, offers significantly lower gas fees when interacting with the Orbs staking contracts. This enables certain special features such as staking rewards auto-compounding which is only available for Polygon staking.

    Note that each network requires its own token for transaction fees: ETH for Ethereum and MATIC for Polygon.

  • What are the Orbs PoS staking rewards?

    Orbs PoS V3 adjusts the staking rewards to a fixed 10% APR of the Delegators staked ORBS tokens.

    Depending on each Guardian's setting, staking rewards are split between the Guardian and his Delegator. Currently, all Guardians are choosing the default setting (⅓ for guardian, ⅔ for Delegator) making the final reward rate for delegators is 6.67% and 10% for guardians.

  • Is there a locking period when unstaking?

    Yes, Orbs PoS has a locking period of 14 days to assure that participants in the PoS ecosystem are committed to the network and maintain its security. Delegators are not expected to unstake their tokens until they decide to leave the PoS ecosystem and transfer them to another use or an exchange. If a delegator does decide to leave, only then there will be a 14 days cooldown during which the tokens are not staked anymore and do not receive rewards. This is similar to other leading PoS systems such as Cosmos or PolkaDot.

    Here is a comprehensive paper on the Orbs PoS locking mechanism.

  • Is there a minimum amount to stake?

    No. However, it is recommended that Delegators take into account several variables such as transaction gas fee costs (particularly if choosing to stake on Ethereum), and bridging fees (if wanting to bridge ORBS tokens to stake on Polygon).

  • How do I choose an Orbs Guardian?

    In order to participate in the Orbs universe, token holders are required to stake their tokens and select a Guardian to delegate their voting power to. Orbs Guardians represent the Orbs community; they maintain the security of the network and uphold its long-term vision. Therefore, it is important for Orbs Delegators to choose a trustworthy and active Guardian and monitor their performance.

    Delegators should note that Guardians are entitled to change the rewards ratio to their Delegators within the allowed range of 66.667% to 0%. Therefore, it is important to note that staking rewards may vary between Guardians, so choose your Guardian carefully!

    The full Guardians list for staking on Ethereum and Polygon can be seen in the Tetra staking wallet.

    You can learn more on how to choose an Orbs Guardian here.

  • How can I become a Guardian?

    Orbs Guardians represent the Orbs community; they maintain the security of the network and uphold its long-term vision. As the most significant stakeholders in the network, they are most suitable to provide enterprise business applications the required security and availability.

    Guardians are expected to build a community of Delegators that trust them to truthfully represent their and the network’s interests.

    For instructions use this link.

Tetra Staking Wallet
Tetra Staking Wallet
  • What is Tetra?

    In order to participate in the Orbs universe, token holders are required to stake their tokens and select a Guardian to delegate their voting power to. To simplify the interaction with the staking contract, the Orbs team developed the Tetra wallet, with a simple and convenient interface. The Tetra staking wallet allows you to stake your tokens and select a Guardian to delegate to.

    For the release of Orbs 3.0, Tetra has been updated to enable staking on Polygon with a simple and intuitive UI to switch between the Ethereum and Polygon networks.

  • Can I use Tetra from my favorite wallet?

    Yes! Tetra has now also been made available on desktop and mobile (android and iOS) through a variety of other platforms, enabling the community to stake with even greater ease, including:

    Metamask Status Wallet Trust Wallet Coinbase Wallet MyEtherWallet

    You can find the full list in the Orbs ecosystem map.

    Note that all of the above are Ethereum-compatible wallets and therefore enable the use of Tetra for staking on Ethereum. For Polygon staking - be sure that the wallet supports the Polygon network.

  • How do I use the Tetra wallet?

    You can find a comprehensive tutorial here

    Don’t hesitate to contact us on the Orbs official telegram channel if you require further support.

  • Does the “ORBS PoS Wallet” support Polygon staking?

    Yes! The Orbs PoS wallet app supports ORBS staking on both Ethereum and Polygon, as well as Ethereum <-> Polygon bridging for easy transfer of ORBS tokens between the two networks.

    The Orbs PoS wallet is an android native staking app which is connected to the Samsung blockchain keystore and can also be used with a Ledger hardware wallet.

    Find out more info here.

  • Does Tetra wallet charge any fees?

    The Tetra staking wallet does not charge any fees. However, the staking process involves using smart contracts on the Ethereum and Polygon networks subject to gas fees which should be taken into consideration. In addition, the rewards distributed by Guardians may vary, so be sure to choose your Guardian carefully.

Use Cases & Applications
Use Cases & Applications
  • dTWAP

    dTWAP (decentralized time-weight average price) is a decentralized protocol powered by Orbs for DEXs.

    dTWAP is an algorithmic trading order that divides a trading order into a number of smaller trades and executes these trades at regular intervals over a specified period of time.

    dTWAP enables DEX users to execute more sophisticated trading orders such as price impact reduction and DCA (dollar cost averaging).

    Learn more here.

  • The Open DeFi Notification Protocol

    The Open DeFi Notification Protocol, powered by the Orbs network, is an open initiative to provide users with decentralized and free mobile notifications for on-chain events:

    • Free for use — no subscription fees or ads!
    • Dependable — never miss an alert
    • Multi-network support — Ethereum, BSC, Polygon and more
    • Community-led and open — public and decentralized alert nodes

    Find out more here.

  • TON Access

    TON Access is the most reliable decentralized RPC network for TON dApps making HTTP queries to blockchain state from the browser. It offers unrestricted anonymous access without an API key.

    Learn more here.

  • How can I create my own L3 applications?

    The best place to start would be the Orbs Developer Documentation, which can be found here.

The Open Network (TON)
The Open Network (TON)
  • What is the connection between Orbs and TON?

    Since its inception in 2017, the mission of Orbs Network has been to empower developers to build better protocols and products without sacrificing decentralization or their ability to reach mass audiences.

    When operating as L3, Orbs is naturally augmenting an existing base L1 blockchain layer and builds on top of it. TON is the infrastructure for apps targeting the masses. Much like Telegram, it is mobile first, consumer oriented and built for the Internet scale of billions. If blockchain ever reaches the masses, it will likely be via TON, which is why Orbs strives to become a major player and stakeholder in the TON ecosystem

    Find out more about Orbs strategic expansion to TON here.

  • Can I bridge ORBS tokens to the TON chain?

    Yes, you can bridge ORBS to TON using the Orbit bridge.

    Orbit Bridge by Ozys is an interchain communication protocol that allows communication between heterogeneous blockchains using Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) technology.

    Find out more here.

  • What is TON Access?

    TON Access is the most reliable decentralized RPC network for TON dApps making HTTP queries to blockchain state from the browser. It offers unrestricted anonymous access without an API key.

    Learn more here.

  • What is TON Verifier?

    TON Verifier is an open-source application to publish verified source code for on-chain contracts on the TON chain.

    Ton Verifier is a tool developed by the Orbs team and powered by Orbs decentralized network of permissionless PoS Guardians.

    Find out more here.

  • What is TON Minter?

    TON Minter is an open-source tool to launch jettons (similar to ERC-20 tokens on EVM networks) on the Ton network. Minter was previously known as jetton.live and was created by the Orbs team.

    Learn more here.

  • What is TON Single Nominator?

    The Single Nominator smart contract enables secure validation for TON blockchain via cold wallet - a simple firewall contract that is easy to review.

    This is an alternative simplified implementation for the Nominator Pool smart contract that supports a single nominator only. The benefit of this implementation is that it's more secure since the attack surface is considerably smaller. This is due to massive reduction in complexity of the Nominator Pool that has to support multiple third-party nominators. Learn more here.

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