Last September, David Schwartz introduced his thoughts on an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) sidechain to bring Ethereum smart contracts to the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and lower the barriers to entry for developers wanting to build apps with cross-chain interoperability.

Today, Peersyst is announcing that it has released the first phase of the EVM sidechain for the XRPL now live on XRPL Devnet.

This milestone means more developers can easily access the XRPL’s feature set (such as its speed, sustainability and low-cost transactions) and bring Solidity-based smart contracts to the XRPL. As part of the phase 1 launch, we’re also introducing a bridge between an EVM-compatible chain and the XRP Ledger Devnet.

The release means developers no longer have to choose between XRPL or EVM-compatible blockchains; they can have the best of both worlds.

The Road(map) Ahead
This first phase of the EVM sidechain is currently available for testing on the XRPL Devnet. Using a bridge, developers can test the exchange of Devnet XRP between the EVM sidechain and XRP Ledger to:

1. Assess available technologies
2. Deploy their existing Solidity apps on the EVM sidechain and access the XRPL Devnet userbase

Phase two of the project, on track for early 2023, will feature a permissionless EVM sidechain and bridge with a unique design that connects to the XRPL Devnet to expand participation and test scalability within a controlled environment. The end goal is phase three: a permissionless EVM sidechain and bridge available on the XRPL Mainnet slated to follow.

Throughout all three phases, the EVM sidechain will feature block and finality times comparable to the XRPL Mainnet and support Ethereum smart contracts and applications like Metamask, Remix and Truffle.

Bridging Between the Best of Both Worlds

Many crypto developers today choose to build on Ethereum or EVM-compatible chains because of the popularity of Solidity for programming smart contracts and a robust ecosystem of available developer tools and dApps (decentralized applications). On the other hand, the XRPL appeals to developers because of its speed, low cost, sustainability and other features.

However, making the XRP Ledger EVM-compatible could undermine its efficiency, scalability and security. So, instead of forcing developers to choose between chains, Peersyst and Ripple partnered to create an EVM sidechain connected to the main XRPL.

By building an EVM sidechain and bridge, we are making XRPL features accessible to more developers that would benefit from XRPL advantages like fast, low-cost transactions at scale. Developers can also leverage the sidechain and bridge to use XRP within the EVM sidechain environment.

Between Ethereum smart contracts, Hooks and Smart Transactors, XRPL developers will have the flexibility to build the next generation of blockchain-driven apps.

Experiment Today
Developers can try out the new EVM sidechain today by connecting XRPL Devnet with a XUMM wallet, connecting Metamask with the EVM sidechain, then transferring XRP from XRPL Devnet to the EVM sidechain and back again.

• Name: EVM Sidechain - Devnet
• RPC URL: https://rpc-evm-sidechain.xrpl.org
• Network identifier: 1440001
• Digital Asset: eXRP
• EVM Block Explorer URL: https://evm-sidechain.xrpl.org
• Bridge URL: https://bridge.devnet.xrpl.org

Developers, we invite you to experiment with the EVM sidechain on Devnet and join the XRPL Developers Discord to provide your feedback/suggestions.

You can also learn more about the redesigned XRPL sidechains here and watch Peersyst’s demo on how to design an EVM sidechain at Apex 2022.