Nervos Network

Nervos Network (CKB) is a proof-of-work Layer 1 blockchain called the Common Knowledge Base that generalizes Bitcoin's UTXO design into a flexible Cell model and runs a RISC-V based virtual machine. Its layered architecture anchors security on Layer 1 while RGB++ and the Fiber Network connect it to Bitcoin assets and Lightning-style payments.

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What Is Nervos Network?

Nervos Network (ticker CKB) is a proof-of-work Layer 1 blockchain known as the Common Knowledge Base. It takes a deliberately Bitcoin-aligned approach: instead of Ethereum's account model, it uses a generalized version of Bitcoin's UTXO design called the Cell model, and it relies on the same kind of open, permissionless mining that secures Bitcoin. The network is built around a layered philosophy in which the base chain prioritizes security and decentralization, while faster Layer 2 networks built on top handle scale.

Overview - Table of Contents
What Is Nervos Network?
Getting Started With Nervos Network
How To Get A Nervos Network Wallet?
Nervos Network Resources
How To Buy Nervos Network?
Latest Nervos Network News

Nervos was founded in 2018 by a team of Chinese blockchain veterans including Jan Xie, Terry Tai, and Kevin Wang. Jan Xie was previously an Ethereum researcher who worked on Vitalik Buterin's research team and contributed to projects such as Casper and sharding before concluding that a different architecture was needed. Terry Tai was a core developer at the early Chinese exchange Yunbi and its open-source exchange software Peatio, while Kevin Wang came from IBM. The project raised 28 million dollars in 2018 from investors including Polychain Capital and Sequoia China, followed by a roughly 72 million dollar public token sale in 2019. The CKB mainnet, codenamed Lina, launched in November 2019.

Technically, the heart of Nervos is the Cell model and the CKB-VM. A cell is like a Bitcoin UTXO that can hold arbitrary data and code rather than just a coin balance, which makes the chain a general-purpose store of assets and state while keeping the parallelism and simple verification of the UTXO design. The CKB-VM is a virtual machine based on RISC-V, an open hardware instruction set, which means developers can write smart contracts (called scripts) in mainstream languages such as Rust or C and even deploy new cryptographic primitives without waiting for a protocol upgrade. Consensus uses a Nakamoto-style consensus protocol called NC-Max with the Eaglesong hash function.

The native token is the CKByte, and its economics tie directly to the chain's purpose: one CKByte grants its holder the right to occupy one byte of space in the blockchain's global state. Issuance has two parts. Base issuance is hard-capped at 33.6 billion CKB and halves roughly every four years like Bitcoin, with the first halving in November 2023; all of it goes to miners. A genesis allocation of 33.6 billion CKB was created at launch, of which 8.4 billion was immediately burned. Secondary issuance adds a fixed 1.344 billion CKB per year forever, paying miners for preserving state even after base issuance ends. Holders who are not using their CKB for storage can lock it in the NervosDAO, an on-chain contract that pays out a proportional share of secondary issuance, effectively sheltering long-term holders from that inflation.

In recent years Nervos has leaned strongly into the Bitcoin ecosystem. The RGB++ protocol, introduced in 2024, uses a technique called isomorphic binding to map Bitcoin UTXOs to CKB cells, letting assets issued on Bitcoin gain smart-contract capabilities on CKB without a traditional custodial bridge. The RGB++ Layer extends this idea to other UTXO chains and turns CKB into an execution layer for Bitcoin assets.

The other major pillar is the Fiber Network, a payment channel network on CKB that launched on mainnet in early 2025. Fiber is compatible with Bitcoin's Lightning Network, supports multiple assets including stablecoins rather than a single currency, and enables fast, low-cost peer-to-peer payments and atomic swaps. Together with RGB++, it positions Nervos as infrastructure for Bitcoin-centric finance: Bitcoin provides the assets and ultimate security, CKB provides programmability, and Fiber provides cheap, instant payments.

Getting Started With Nervos Network

Getting started with Nervos usually means holding CKB, depositing in the NervosDAO, or exploring the Bitcoin-linked ecosystem built on the chain:

Step 1: Choose a wallet. Neuron, the official desktop wallet, is the most full-featured option, while JoyID and mobile wallets are simpler starting points.
Step 2: Acquire CKB on an exchange and withdraw it to your own wallet address.
Step 3: Consider locking idle CKB in the NervosDAO to earn a share of secondary issuance and protect your holdings from dilution.
Step 4: Explore the ecosystem, including RGB++ assets bridged from Bitcoin, the Fiber payment network, and dApps built on CKB.

How to Get a Nervos Network Wallet?

CKB lives on its own Layer 1 chain, so you need a CKB-compatible wallet. There are several good options across desktop, web, and hardware.

Neuron

Neuron is the official Nervos desktop wallet for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It bundles a CKB node, supports NervosDAO deposits and withdrawals, and is the most complete way to interact with the chain directly.

JoyID

JoyID is a passkey-based web wallet that uses device biometrics instead of seed phrases, making it one of the easiest ways for newcomers to hold CKB and RGB++ assets.

Mobile and Browser Wallets

CKBull is a mobile wallet built for the Nervos ecosystem, UTXO Global offers a browser-extension wallet covering CKB and Bitcoin, and imToken and SafePal also support CKB on mobile.

Hardware Wallets

Ledger and OneKey hardware devices support CKB, keeping private keys offline; this is the recommended setup for larger or long-term holdings.

Nervos Network Resources

How to Buy Nervos Network?

CKB has been trading since late 2019 and is widely available on centralized exchanges, with a growing set of native decentralized options.

Centralized Exchanges

CKB is listed on major exchanges including Binance, OKX, KuCoin, Gate, HTX, MEXC, and Upbit, most commonly traded against USDT.

Decentralized Exchanges

On-chain, UTXOSwap is an intent-based decentralized exchange built on CKB and RGB++ that lets users swap CKB and Bitcoin-ecosystem assets directly from their own wallets.

Latest Nervos Network News

Nervos's recent development has centered on its Bitcoin strategy and core protocol upgrades. The Meepo hard fork, activated in 2025, deployed CKB-VM version 2 with a new Spawn syscall that lets scripts call each other directly, significantly improving smart-contract composability. The Fiber Network went live on mainnet in early 2025, bringing Lightning-compatible, multi-asset payment channels to CKB, and the RGB++ Layer continues to expand the set of Bitcoin assets that can use CKB for smart contracts.

Not all recent news has been positive. In June 2025 Force Bridge, an older cross-chain bridge connecting CKB to Ethereum and BNB Chain, was exploited for roughly 3.7 million dollars. Around the same time the team announced the wind-down of Force Bridge and the Godwoken EVM sidechain to focus on UTXO-native projects like RGB++ and Fiber, and the community advanced a compensation plan for affected users.

In early 2026 the community shipped a major NervosDAO upgrade adding on-chain treasury and governance functions, allowing CKB holders to propose, fund, and vote on protocol decisions. Because issuance schedules, staking-style DAO rates, and ecosystem tooling evolve over time, the official documentation and the CKB Explorer are the best sources for the current state of the network.