Architecture Overview
Relix is structured in layers so builders don’t have to think about every detail of the protocol when all they want is a reliable place to deploy contracts. At a high level, the chain is made up of three main pieces:
Networking – how nodes discover each other and exchange blocks and transactions
Consensus – how validators agree on the next block and secure the chain using RLX
Execution – how the EVM runs smart contracts and updates state
These parts are tightly integrated, but they each have a clear responsibility.
Nodes and Roles
There are several types of nodes in the Relix network:
Validator nodes Nodes that participate in Proof of Stake, propose new blocks, and vote on their validity. They stake RLX and are expected to stay online, follow the protocol, and propagate blocks quickly.
Full nodes Nodes that keep a full copy of the blockchain state, verify all blocks and transactions, and serve data to wallets, dApps, and other nodes. Full nodes do not have to stake but still enforce the rules of the protocol.
RPC / Gateway nodes Nodes that expose public JSON-RPC endpoints (such as
https://rpc-testnet.relixchain.com). These are often full nodes with additional rate limiting, monitoring, and infrastructure around them. Developers and wallets typically connect to these nodes instead of running their own.
This separation makes it possible to scale read traffic through RPC nodes while keeping consensus focused on a smaller, secure validator set.
Consensus Layer
Relix uses a Proof of Stake model where RLX is the asset that backs the security of the chain. Validators lock RLX as stake and participate in block production according to the rules of the consensus engine.
At a conceptual level:
Time is split into blocks, each containing a batch of transactions.
Validators take turns proposing blocks and broadcasting them to the network.
Other validators check the block, vote on it, and only then it is considered finalized.
Misbehavior (double signing, invalid blocks, etc.) can be punished at the protocol level through slashing or removal from the active set, depending on the final configuration.
The goal is to provide fast, predictable finality while keeping the validator set decentralized over time as more participants join.
Execution Layer (EVM)
On top of consensus, Relix runs an execution environment that is fully compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine. This means:
The account model mirrors Ethereum:
Externally Owned Accounts (EOAs) controlled by private keys
Contract accounts that contain code and state
Transactions specify:
to,value,data,gasLimit, andgasPrice/maxFee-style fields
Gas is metered and paid in RLX, with unused gas refunded to the sender.
Solidity and other EVM languages work out-of-the-box, so contracts can often be deployed with little or no change.
Because Relix follows the EVM specification, existing tooling (Hardhat, Foundry, Truffle, many wallets and libraries) can be used with Relix simply by pointing them to the correct network and RPC endpoint.
State, Storage, and Data
Every block contains a state root that represents the entire chain state after all transactions in that block. This state includes:
Account balances in RLX
Contract code and storage
Nonces, logs, and other metadata
Full nodes rebuild this state from genesis by executing each block in order, while light clients can rely on headers and proofs when those features are exposed.
For developers, the important part is that Relix behaves like a familiar EVM chain: contract storage works the same way, events are emitted as logs, and dApps can query data through standard JSON-RPC methods or the official explorer at https://testnet.relixchain.com.
Accessing the Network
On the edge of the architecture is the interface layer:
JSON-RPC: the main way wallets, scripts, and backends talk to Relix. The public testnet endpoint is
https://rpc-testnet.relixchain.com(chain ID 4127).Explorer:
https://testnet.relixchain.comprovides a human-friendly view of blocks, transactions, and contract addresses.Wallets: any EVM wallet that supports custom networks can connect by using the Relix chain ID, RPC URL, and RLX as the native currency.
This combination PoS security, EVM execution, and standard RPC tooling gives Relix a clear, understandable architecture while leaving room to evolve the internals without breaking the developer experience.
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