Nervos Network (CKB): how it works, supply and reviews
In short
- Type
- Public, permissionless layer-1 blockchain (the base layer of Nervos Network)
- Issuance
- Base issuance of 33.6 billion CKB in total to miners, plus a fixed secondary issuance of 1.344 billion CKB per year
- Risks and caveats
- CKB has no hard cap: secondary issuance of 1.344 billion CKB a year dilutes holders who do not lock their CKB in the NervosDAO.
- Checked
- 28 October 2026
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Key facts
- Ticker
- CKB
- Network
- own blockchain
- Official site
- nervos.org
- Source code
- github.com/nervosnetwork
Data: CoinGecko (trading activity) and CoinPaprika (links), 2026-10-27. Only projects that still trade with meaningful volume are listed.
What is Nervos Network
Nervos Network's Common Knowledge Base (CKB) is a public, permissionless proof-of-work layer-1 blockchain built around the Cell Model and a RISC-V virtual machine (CKB-VM). Its native token, CKByte (CKB), is both a currency and a claim on on-chain storage: 1 CKB lets its holder occupy 1 byte of state.
Network and consensus
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Public, permissionless layer-1 blockchain (the base layer of Nervos Network) |
| Consensus | Proof of work using NC-Max, an improved Nakamoto consensus, with the Eaglesong mining algorithm |
| Launched | Mainnet (Lina) launched on 16 November 2019 |
| Smart contracts | Scripts run in CKB-VM, a virtual machine based on the RISC-V instruction set, under the Cell Model |
| Programming language | On-chain scripts mainly in Rust or JavaScript; node software open source under the MIT licence |
Supply and issuance
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Issuance | Base issuance of 33.6 billion CKB in total to miners, plus a fixed secondary issuance of 1.344 billion CKB per year |
| Inflation | 1.344 billion CKB a year of secondary issuance, indefinitely; split between miners, NervosDAO depositors and a community-governed share by usage |
| Halving | Base issuance halves every 8,760 epochs (about 4 years); the first halving was on 19 November 2023 |
| Maximum supply | No hard cap because of secondary issuance; base issuance ends around 2103 |
| Staking rewards | CKB locked in the NervosDAO receives a share of secondary issuance, offsetting its dilution |
On 28 October 2026: 49,786,116,580 CKB in circulation, 50,647,243,873 CKB in total (source: CKB Explorer API (explorer.nervos.org)).
What CKB is used for
- Occupying on-chain storage: the CKB a user holds sets how much data they can store in Cells.
- Paying transaction fees to miners.
- Depositing in the NervosDAO to receive a share of secondary issuance.
Who develops and governs Nervos Network
- Foundation
- Nervos Foundation publishes the official documentation
- Governance
- Protocol changes are proposed as public Nervos RFCs and activated through scheduled hard forks at a set epoch
- Open source
- Yes, MIT licence
History
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 16 November 2019 | CKB mainnet (Lina) launched with the genesis block. |
| 10 May 2022 | First hard fork, CKB Edition Mirana (2021), activated on mainnet, introducing CKB-VM v1. |
| 19 November 2023 | First halving of base issuance. |
| 1 July 2025 | Second hard fork, CKB Edition Meepo (2024), activated on mainnet, adding Spawn for direct cross-script calls. |
Security and audits
- The consensus protocol, NC-Max, is described in a peer-reviewed NDSS paper and is designed to raise throughput while resisting selfish mining.
- CKB publishes a security policy for reporting vulnerabilities in its GitHub repository.
Risks and caveats
- CKB has no hard cap: secondary issuance of 1.344 billion CKB a year dilutes holders who do not lock their CKB in the NervosDAO.
- Proof-of-work security depends on miners' rewards, which fall at each halving of base issuance.
Official links
- Docs: docs.nervos.org
- Source code: github.com/nervosnetwork/ckb
- Whitepaper: github.com/nervosnetwork/rfcs
- Website: www.nervos.org
- Block explorer: explorer.nervos.org
Questions and answers
What is Nervos Network (CKB)?
Nervos CKB is a proof-of-work layer-1 blockchain using the Cell Model and a RISC-V virtual machine. Its token, CKByte, is a currency and a claim on on-chain storage.
What is the maximum supply of CKB?
There is no hard cap. Base issuance totals 33.6 billion CKB with halvings every four years, plus a permanent secondary issuance of 1.344 billion CKB per year.
How does CKB reach consensus?
Miners secure CKB with proof of work using NC-Max, an improved Nakamoto consensus, and the Eaglesong hash function.
When did Nervos CKB launch?
The mainnet launched on 16 November 2019; the first halving was on 19 November 2023.
Sources
- CoinGecko — Nervos Network
- CoinPaprika — Nervos Network
- Nervos CKB Docs — How CKB Works
- Nervos CKB Docs — Mining rewards
- Nervos CKB Docs — Halving
- Nervos CKB Docs — Algorithm & difficulty
- Nervos CKB Docs — CKB hard fork history
- Nervos RFC 0015 — Crypto-Economics of the Nervos CKB
- Nervos RFC 0020 — CKB Consensus Protocol
- nervosnetwork/ckb — README
- CKB Explorer API — circulating supply
- CKB Explorer API — total supply
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