What is ARPA?

ARPA, also known as ARPA Network, is a decentralized computation network that strives to enhance the fairness and privacy of blockchains. It utilizes a threshold BLS signature network as the infrastructure for a variety of applications, including a verifiable Random Number Generator (RNG), a wallet with enhanced security, a cross-chain bridge, and decentralized custody across multiple blockchains. ARPA Network is designed with flexibility and verifiability in mind, with the ability to adapt to multiple blockchains, catering to developers' needs in the multiverse.

How does ARPA work?

ARPA Network operates through a unique system architecture of threshold signature scheme (TSS). It employs an innovative protocol design and multiple unique mechanisms, allowing it to adapt the threshold BLS scheme for blockchain. The network is decentralized, with multiple entities in different regions running individual nodes, making it resistant to tampering from a physical perspective. All signatures generated by ARPA Network are verified on-chain before fulfilling the request, ensuring the integrity of the system. The network also adopts an asynchronous non-interactive communication design for the signature generation, aiming to guarantee responsive service and high availability.

What are the potential use cases for ARPA?

ARPA Network has a wide range of potential use cases. Its first application, Randcast, a verifiable Random Number Generator (RNG), offers a cryptographically generated random source with enhanced security and low cost. This randomness, which is resistant to tampering, can be beneficial for metaverse, game, lottery, NFT minting and whitelisting, key generation, and blockchain validator task distribution. Additionally, ARPA Network can serve as the infrastructure for wallets with enhanced security, cross-chain bridges, and decentralized custody across multiple blockchains. It also supports various applications utilizing the threshold signature schemes due to its flexible network topology.

What is the history of ARPA?

ARPA was initially known as ARPA Chain, a privacy-preserving Multi-party Computation (MPC) network founded in 2018. Over the years, ARPA Mainnet has completed over 224,000 computation tasks, gaining experience in MPC and other cryptography. This experience laid the foundation for the innovative threshold BLS signature schemes (TSS-BLS) system design, which played a part in the creation of today’s ARPA Network. The network is built by cryptographers, engineers, and entrepreneurs, participating in a decentralized blockchain ecosystem together with the community.