A database the whole network agrees on.
Apps keep data in tables. Computers run by different companies check every change. Past records can't be rewritten; every change is a new signed record.
Final in one to two seconds.
You sign a change. It's final once over two-thirds of signers agree. It still works if under a third are faulty.
Four of five sign: final.
Each app’s blocks are copied into two more chains.
Most apps need two systems. Chromia: one.
2 systems · split trust
An off-chain copy of the data. The app reads the copy.
1 system · one source of truth
Database tables. The app reads the chain directly.
Source: Hosting · Node architecture
One transaction, start to finish.
- 01Sign
op: create_book("978…", …) - 02Send
POST /tx/<chain-id> - 03Check
signatures ✓ · queued - 04Propose
block #n proposed - 05Agree
4/5 signed → commit - 06Store
SELECT … → 1 row
Source: Nodes and the transaction lifecycle (read 31 Oct 2026).
The design, in plain answers.
Who runs the nodes?
Providers, on their own servers. Existing providers vote new ones in. Nodes
What if the app is quiet?
Blocks come faster under load, further apart when quiet. Dynamic block creation
What are the trade-offs?
Each group of nodes (a cluster) protects its own apps, not the whole network. So who runs the nodes matters. Architecture
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