Definition
Rootstock (RSK) is a long-running Bitcoin sidechain that adds a smart-contract platform compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). It lets developers deploy Solidity contracts and run decentralized applications while settling value pegged to Bitcoin. BTC moved onto Rootstock becomes RBTC, a token backed 1:1 by bitcoin locked through the sidechain's two-way peg.
Merged mining and security
Rootstock is secured by merged mining with Bitcoin: the same proof-of-work that secures Bitcoin blocks can also produce Rootstock blocks, so the sidechain inherits a large fraction of Bitcoin's hashrate at no extra energy cost to participating miners. Rootstock blocks target roughly 30-second intervals, much faster than Bitcoin's ten minutes.
The Powpeg
The two-way peg, called Powpeg, locks BTC on the Bitcoin mainchain and issues an equivalent amount of RBTC on the sidechain, with the reverse on peg-out. The peg is operated by a set of HSM-protected nodes whose behavior is constrained by Bitcoin's proof-of-work, reducing reliance on any single operator. This makes RBTC a Bitcoin-pegged asset usable in programmable finance.
For mining operators, Rootstock is a concrete example of how the same hashrate can earn fees on more than one chain. D-Central covers it neutrally alongside other base-layer extensions such as the federated off-chain designs and the proposed Drivechain. See Rootstock's own documentation for current peg and node details.
In Simple Terms
Rootstock (RSK) is a long-running Bitcoin sidechain that adds a smart-contract platform compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). It lets developers deploy Solidity contracts…