> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.valuechain.xyz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.valuechain.xyz/part-i-introduction/1.-overview.md).

# 1. Overview

ValueChain is a Layer 1 blockchain built to host financial applications that need exchange-grade performance without giving up decentralization. Its core idea is **application-driven chain design**: instead of trying to make a general-purpose virtual machine fast enough for every workload, ValueChain starts from what real financial applications require and builds the infrastructure backwards from there.The network has three layers:

* **A host chain.** It provides consensus and shared security. It is secured by CometBFT and settles every block with single-slot finality.
* **An EVM system chain.** It is fully compatible with Ethereum tooling and serves as the unified account and settlement layer for the whole network.
* **Application chains (appchains).** Each runs one high-performance, deterministic application. The first two appchains power SoDEX Spot and SoDEX Perpetuals. They produce a block every 100 ms, and each currently supports 100,000 orders per second.

All subchains share one account system and live inside the same host-chain blocks. Assets can therefore move between the EVM and the trading appchains without a bridge. External assets come onto ValueChain through **Mirror Protocol**, which mints assets held by institutional custodians or locked in source-chain bridges 1:1 as tokens on ValueChain.SOSO is ValueChain's native asset. It pays gas, secures consensus through validator staking, and backs asset issuers (Curators) on the network.