VEX Chain - Proof of Stake Implementation

A Python-based blockchain implementation with Proof of Stake consensus, smart contracts, P2P networking, and a comprehensive CLI interface.

Features

• ✅ Proof of Stake Consensus - Energy-efficient validation mechanism
• 🤖 Smart Contract Support - Custom VM with gas accounting
• 🌐 P2P Networking - Peer discovery and blockchain synchronization
• 💻 Interactive CLI - User-friendly node management interface
• 📊 REST API - Programmatic access to blockchain functions
• 🔒 Cryptographic Security - ECDSA signatures for blocks and transactions
• 📦 SQLite Database - Persistent storage for blockchain data

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Key Components

Blockchain Core

• PoS Consensus: Validator selection based on stake weight
• Smart Contracts: Custom VM with gas accounting
• Mempool Management: Transaction pooling with expiration
• State Management: Persistent storage for accounts and contracts

Networking

• Peer discovery and connection management
• Blockchain synchronization
• Transaction and block broadcasting

Interfaces

• CLI: Interactive node management
• REST API: HTTP endpoints for integration
• Service Monitoring: Health checks and diagnostics

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+
• SQLite 3.x
• Required packages: pip install -r requirements.txt

Installation

git clone https://github.com/RaitonRed/vex-chain.git
cd vex-chain
pip install -r requirements.txt

Running a Node

# Start node with interactive CLI
python main.py

# Start in headless mode
python main.py --no-menu

# Start with custom ports
python main.py --host 0.0.0.0 --p2p-port 6000 --api-port 5000

CLI Usage

The interactive CLI provides full node management capabilities:

==================== Blockchain Node CLI ====================

1.  📊 Node Status
2.  ⛓ Blockchain Info
3.  📝 Mempool Transactions
4.  🌐 Network Peers
5.  🛡️ Validator Status
10. 💸 Send Transaction
20. 💰 Stake Coins
30. 🛠️ Deploy Contract
40. 🔄 Sync Network
99. 🚪 Exit

Select option: 

API Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
/	GET	Node status
/blocks	GET	List blocks (paginated)
/blocks/{index}	GET	Get block details
/transactions	POST	Submit new transaction
/mine	POST	Mine a new block
/health	GET	Node health status

Project Structure

blockchain-node/
├── src/
│   ├── blockchain/          # Core blockchain implementation
│   │   ├── consensus/       # Proof of Stake consensus
│   │   ├── contracts/       # Smart contract system
│   │   ├── db/              # Database repositories
│   │   └── ...              # Core components
│   ├── cli/                 # Command line interface
│   ├── p2p/                 # P2P networking
│   ├── api/                 # REST API server
│   └── utils/               # Utility modules
├── tests/                   # Unit and integration tests
├── data/                    # Database storage
├── requirements.txt         # Python dependencies
└── main.py                  # Entry point

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a new branch (git checkout -b feature/your-feature)

3. Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Add some feature')

4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/your-feature)

5. Create a new Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Future Roadmap

Implement cross-shard transactions

Add privacy features (zk-SNARKs)

Develop browser-based wallet

Create testnet deployment scripts

Add Docker support for easy deployment

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Note: This is a simplified implementation for educational purposes. Not recommended for production use without extensive security audits.