FAQ

PolkaVM is a relatively new, high-performance virtual machine based on the RISC-V instruction set architecture, designed for blockchain environments. It has been chosen for Timechain EVM due to its potential benefits in areas like execution speed, compilation/startup time, and a simpler instruction set validation process compared to WASM for certain smart contract use cases. pallet-revive is leveraged to compile Solidity code (via YUL) to run on PolkaVM, thus providing EVM compatibility.

Timechain EVM distinguishes itself through its integration within the broader Analog network, which is designed as a decentralized liquidity network. Its use of PolkaVM as the execution engine, rather than a direct fork of go-ethereum or a WASM-based EVM interpreter, is also a key differentiator.

This architecture aims to leverage Substrate's modularity and security, with a future goal of enabling direct interaction between Solidity contracts and native Substrate primitives, as well as Analog's cross-chain functionalities.

pallet-revive is a Substrate pallet (a runtime module) that integrates the revive compiler into the Timechain. The revive compiler is responsible for taking Solidity smart contract code (specifically, its intermediate language YUL) and transforming it into RISC-V instructions that can be executed by PolkaVM. It is the critical component that bridges the Solidity language and Ethereum tooling with the PolkaVM execution environment on the Timechain, enabling EVM compatibility.

Not yet. Timechain EVM is currently in beta and intended primarily for testing, exploration, and gathering feedback. While it has not yet undergone formal audits and isn’t recommended for applications managing significant value, it’s actively being improved based on community input. Users are encouraged to experiment with it in non-critical environments and share their feedback with the Analog team.

The Analog Integration Environment uses DANLOG as its native gas token for EVM transactions, configured with 12 decimals in MetaMask. This 12-decimal precision is a key difference from the 18-decimal precision often found in other EVM networks. Remember this when handling DANLOG to avoid incorrect value representation in transactions and smart contracts. Note that DANLOG is distinct from TANLOG (Analog Testnet) and ANLOG, which apply to the Mainnet.

Currently, Remix IDE   is fully supported for smart contract development and deployment. Support for Hardhat is experimental and under active development. Support for other tools like Truffle or Foundry may be considered in the future as the platform matures.

Information on obtaining test DANLOG for the Analog Integration Environment (e.g., through a faucet or from designated pre-funded accounts) will be provided by the Analog team through their official communication channels. For local development nodes started with the --dev flag, accounts like Alice, Bob, etc., are typically pre-funded with DANLOG.