Nyx Blockchain
Nyx is a Cosmos SDK blockchain that coordinates the Nym Network. It maintains the topology of active nodes, manages token economics, and hosts the smart contracts that power the credential system.
To interact with the chain, see Interacting with Nyx. To run a Validator, see the Operator Documentation.
Role in the network
The blockchain serves several functions, including maintaining the topology registry: the list of active nodes and their public keys. This eliminates the need for a centralized directory server and prevents attacks that plague peer-to-peer directory systems.
It manages token economics, where the NYM token is a native token of the chain, used for staking, rewards, and credential payments. Validators secure the chain via proof-of-stake consensus.
And it hosts smart contracts for mixnet coordination and the zk-nym credential system.
Validators
Nyx Validators run the nyxd binary to maintain the blockchain. They process transactions, execute smart contracts, and participate in consensus. A subset of validators also run Nym API instances for credential issuance.
Nym API
For setup instructions, see the Nym API Operator Guide.
The Nym API is operated by a subset of validators forming the "Quorum." This group performs network monitoring: sending test packets through the mixnet and calculating reliability scores for nodes. More critically, it handles credential issuance, generating the partial blind signatures that form zk-nyms.
The Quorum uses threshold cryptography. No single member can issue credentials alone. The system remains functional even if some members are offline. This distributes trust across multiple independent parties.
Smart contracts
The Nyx chain is CosmWasm-enabled. The Mixnet Contract stores bonded node information, provides network topology for client routing, and tracks delegations and rewards. The Vesting Contract manages NYM token vesting schedules. The zk-nym Contract tracks deposits for credential generation and manages the blacklist for double-spend attempts.
Contract addresses for different networks can be queried via the Nym API.
Querying the chain
The Nym API provides HTTP endpoints for querying network topology, node status, rewards, and credential information. For direct contract interaction, see the Developer Documentation.