norn protocol
You hold
the thread.
Norn is a blockchain where users control their state through personal cryptographic chains — only your signature can authorize changes. The network validates transitions and guarantees correctness.
Every blockchain charges you to move your own money. Gas fees, base fees, tips — your coffee costs more in transaction fees than milk.
You sign a transfer. The network validates it. Done. Near-zero fees. No waiting. The chain validates state, settles disputes, and anchors history — but only your signature controls your money.
<$0.01
Transfer fee
~3s
Block finality
~2 GB
RAM to start a full node
3s
Block time
SMT
State verification
Wasm
Smart contracts
architecture
Six primitives, one protocol
Users control their state. The chain validates transitions, settles disputes, and anchors history.
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╚═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╝Threads
Personal state chains. Each user maintains their own cryptographically owned history of state transitions, replicated across the network.
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/ | | | \Knots
Atomic state transitions. Signed transfers that update Thread state, validated by the network.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ BEAM │ │ │ └──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┬──┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ───┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼─── │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ═══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪═══ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ───┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼─── │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │◁━━━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━╋━━━▷ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ───┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼─── │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ═══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪══╪═══ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ───┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼──┼─── │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ┌──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──┐ │ │ │ CLOTH │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Weave
The anchor chain. A minimal BFT blockchain that orders transactions and anchors state.
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│Looms
WASM smart contracts. Programs that execute on validators with fraud proof guarantees.
╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ╷ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ │ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ┼─┼ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵ ╵
Spindles
Watchtower services. Monitor the Weave and submit fraud proofs when misbehavior is detected.
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│Relays
P2P message buffers. Asynchronous delivery between Threads via the libp2p stack.
Get started in 30 seconds
Everything runs from a single binary.
$ cargo install norn-node && norn run --dev$ norn wallet create
$ norn wallet faucet
$ norn wallet balance$ norn wallet transfer --to alice --amount 10How Norn compares
| Norn | Bitcoin | Ethereum | Solana | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finality | ~3s | ~60 min | ~13 min | ~0.4s |
| Transfer Cost | ~$0.001 | ~$1–50 | ~$0.50–30 | ~$0.001 |
| Lightweight Node | Yes | No | No | No |
| State Verification | Merkle proofs | Full node | Full node | Full node |
| Smart Contracts | Wasm | Script | EVM | SVM |
Ecosystem
Explorer
Browse blocks, transactions, and accounts in real time.
explorer.norn.networkWeb Wallet
Passkey-secured browser wallet — no extension needed.
wallet.norn.networkWallet CLI
Create wallets, send NORN, register names from the terminal.
DocumentationTypeScript SDK
Wallet primitives, RPC client, and WebSocket subscriptions.
DocumentationToken Economics
Fixed supply of 1,000,000,000 NORN.
Protocol actions burn NORN permanently: names (1), tokens (10), contracts (50).
Norn is open source. Read the docs, run a node, build something.