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Core Values

This page summarizes the principles behind Dusk and the tradeoffs they imply for builders, operators, and market participants. If you’re new, start with Overview and then read Core Components.

Dusk is built for markets where rules are part of the workflow:

  • eligibility and access controls
  • disclosure and reporting requirements
  • constraints like limits, holds, and transfer restrictions
  • settlement rules that connect assets, payments, and participants

Dusk treats privacy as a protocol feature, not an application add-on:

  • confidential balances and shielded transfers where needed
  • public accounts and transparent flows where useful
  • the ability to reveal specific information to authorized parties when required

For details, see Cryptography and Transaction Models.

Market infrastructure needs predictable finality. DuskDS is designed for fast, deterministic settlement suitable for regulated venues, payment workflows, and tokenized assets.

Dusk separates settlement from execution so you can match the right environment to each use case:

  • DuskDS for consensus, settlement, data availability, and Dusk transaction models
  • DuskVM for Rust/WASM smart contracts executed directly on the Dusk L1
  • DuskEVM for EVM-compatible application development settled through DuskDS

We aim to be clear and rigorous in the way we build:

  • write things down (docs, specs, and concrete examples)
  • prefer secure-by-design primitives over “bolt-on” complexity
  • keep developer UX practical (DuskEVM where compatibility helps, DuskVM where direct L1 execution matters)