What Is Obyte?

Byteball Bytes, now rebranded as Obyte (GBYTE), is a decentralized platform that uses a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) data structure instead of a traditional blockchain. Created by Anton Churyumov and launched in December 2016, the platform was designed to enable tamper-proof storage of data, feeless transactions between users, and smart contracts without relying on miners or block producers. In the DAG structure, there are no blocks -- each transaction directly references one or more previous transactions, forming an interconnected web rather than a sequential chain. This eliminates the block size bottleneck that constrains throughput on blockchain-based systems like Bitcoin.

Overview - Table of Contents
What Is Obyte?
Getting Started With Obyte
How To Get An Obyte Wallet?
Obyte Resources
How To Buy Obyte?
Latest Obyte News

Unlike blockchain-based systems where miners or validators collect fees and determine transaction ordering, Obyte uses a system of Order Providers (formerly called witnesses) to establish a total ordering of transactions on the DAG. These are trusted entities chosen by users whose transactions serve as reference points for determining the sequence of all other transactions. This design eliminates mining entirely, meaning there are no mining fees for peer-to-peer transactions between users. It also provides deterministic finality -- once a transaction is confirmed by the Order Provider chain, it is final, unlike Bitcoin's probabilistic finality where deeper confirmations only reduce (but never eliminate) the chance of reversal.

The native currency, bytes, also functions as the unit of storage payment: sending a transaction costs exactly as many bytes as the size of the data being stored, so 1,000 bytes of data costs 1,000 bytes of the currency. Obyte supports several distinctive features including conditional payments (where funds are released only when specified conditions are met, enabling use cases like P2P insurance, prediction markets, and P2P betting), oracles (which bring external data onto the DAG for use in smart contracts), and chatbot-based interactions. The platform's smart contract system uses a human-readable language that makes contracts more accessible and verifiable than code-based alternatives. Users can create contracts directly through the wallet interface using plain-language templates.

Obyte also includes Blackbytes, a privacy currency that operates alongside the public bytes. Blackbytes transactions are sent directly between peers rather than published on the DAG, making them untraceable. The platform supports configurable asset issuance, where creators can define transferability rules for tokens -- including restrictions required for regulated financial instruments -- as well as multisig addresses for shared custody.

The initial distribution of Bytes was conducted through a series of free airdrops to Bitcoin holders and later to Obyte users, with no ICO or token sale. The platform's native currency is measured in bytes (the smallest unit), with 1 GBYTE equaling 1 billion bytes. The total supply is fixed at approximately 1 million GBYTE, all of which were distributed through the airdrop process.

Getting Started With Obyte

Step 1: Learn About Obyte. Visit obyte.org to understand the DAG-based architecture, the Order Provider system, and the platform's approach to smart contracts and conditional payments.
Step 2: Download the Wallet. Install the Obyte wallet application, available for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. The wallet serves as your gateway to the Obyte ecosystem and includes built-in chatbot, smart contract, and messaging features.
Step 3: Acquire GBYTE. Purchase GBYTE on a supported exchange or through peer-to-peer trading within the Obyte wallet. The wallet includes a built-in exchange interface for acquiring tokens.
Step 4: Explore Features. Try creating conditional payments, interact with chatbots for various services, or explore the decentralized applications available within the Obyte wallet ecosystem.

How to Get an Obyte Wallet?

Obyte Wallet (Desktop)

The official Obyte desktop wallet is a full-featured application available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It includes a DAG explorer, smart contract creation tools, chatbot integration, and support for all Obyte-based tokens and assets.

Obyte Mobile Wallet

The Obyte mobile wallet is available for iOS and Android, providing a lighter-weight interface for sending, receiving, and managing GBYTE on the go. It includes chatbot functionality and basic smart contract interaction.

Paper Wallet

Obyte supports paper wallet generation for cold storage of GBYTE. This is suitable for long-term holders who want to keep their funds completely offline.

Obyte Resources

How to Buy Obyte?

GBYTE can be purchased on select exchanges including Bittrex and OSWAP (Obyte's native decentralized exchange). Availability may be more limited compared to larger cryptocurrencies, so check current exchange listings for the best options.

Within the Obyte wallet, you can use the built-in OSWAP decentralized exchange to trade various assets for GBYTE directly on the DAG without intermediaries. This is one of the most convenient ways to acquire the token.

Latest Obyte News

Obyte (formerly Byteball) continues to develop its DAG-based platform with a focus on unique use cases that leverage its feeless transaction model and conditional payment capabilities. The project has been expanding its decentralized finance features through OSWAP and other on-DAG applications. The development team remains committed to the DAG architecture as an alternative to traditional blockchain designs, focusing on use cases where the absence of mining and feeless peer-to-peer transactions provide clear advantages.