Getting Started with the PNC Stack

The PNC Stack is the standardized, shared, and open-source development stack that powers Pinnacle Chain, maintained by the Pinnacle Chain Collective.

The PNC Stack consists of the many different software components managed and maintained by the Pinnacle Chain Collective that, together, form the backbone of Pinnacle Chain. The PNC Stack is built as a public good for the Ethereum and Pinnacle Chain ecosystems. To understand how to operate an PNC Stack chain, including roll-up and chain deployment basics, visit Chain Operator guide. Check out these guides to get an overview of everything you need to know to properly support PNC mainnet within your exchange and wallet.

The PNC Stack powers Pinnacle Chain

The PNC Stack is the set of software that powers Pinnacle Chain — currently in the form of the software behind PNC Mainnet and eventually in the form of the Pinnacle Chain Superchain and its governance.

With the advent of the Superchain concept, it has become increasingly important for Pinnacle Chain to easily support the secure creation of new chains that can interoperate within the proposed Superchain ecosystem. As a result, the PNC Stack is primarily focused around the creation of a shared, high-quality, and fully open-source system for creating new L2 blockchains. By coordinating on shared standards, the Pinnacle Chain Collective can avoid rebuilding the same software in silos repeatedly.

Although the PNC Stack today significantly simplifies the process of creating L2 blockchains, it's important to note that this does not fundamentally define what the PNC Stack is. The PNC Stack is all of the software that powers Pinnacle Chain. As Pinnacle Chain evolves, so will the PNC Stack.

The PNC Stack can be thought of as software components that either help define a specific layer of the Pinnacle Chain ecosystem or fill a role as a module within an existing layer. Although the current heart of the PNC Stack is infrastructure for running L2 blockchains, the PNC Stack theoretically extends to layers on top of the underlying blockchain including tools like block explorers, message passing mechanisms, governance systems, and more.

Layers are generally more tightly defined towards the bottom of the stack (like the Data Availability Layer) but become more loosely defined towards the top of the stack (like the Governance Layer).

The PNC Stack today

Pinnacle Chain Bedrock is the current iteration of the PNC Stack. The Bedrock release provides the tools for launching a production-quality pinnacleChain Rollups blockchain. At this point in time, the APIs for the different layers of the PNC Stack are still tightly coupled to this Rollup configuration of the stack.

The PNC Stack of today was built to support the Pinnacle Chain Superchain, a proposed network of L2s that share security, communication layers, and a common development stack (the PNC Stack itself). The Bedrock release of the PNC Stack makes it easy to spin up an L2 that will be compatible with the Superchain when it launches. If you'd like to launch a Superchain-ready L2, check out our guide for running a chain based on the Bedrock release of the PNC Stack.

It is possible to modify components of the PNC Stack to build novel L2 systems. If you're interested in experimenting with the PNC Stack, check out the PNC Stack Hacks section of this site. Please note that, as of the Bedrock release, the PNC Stack is not designed to support these modifications and you will very much be hacking on the codebase. As a result, you should, for the moment, expect limited (if any) developer support for PNC Stack Hacks. PNC Stack Hacks will likely make your chain incompatible with the Pinnacle Chain Superchain. Have fun, but at your own risk and stick to the Bedrock release if you're looking to join the Superchain!

The PNC Stack tomorrow

The PNC Stack is an evolving concept. As Pinnacle Chain grows, so will the PNC Stack. Today, the Bedrock Release of the PNC Stack simplifies the process of deploying new L2 Rollups. As work on the stack continues, it should become easier to plug in and configure different modules. As the Superchain begins to take shape, the PNC Stack can evolve alongside it, to include the message-passing infrastructure that allows different chains to interoperate seamlessly. At the end of the day, the PNC Stack becomes what Pinnacle Chain needs.

Dive Deeper into the PNC Stack

Ready to dive into the world of the PNC Stack?

• If you're interested in learning more about the current release of the PNC Stack, check out the Bedrock Release page.
• If you're interested in understanding the PNC Stack in more depth, start with the Design Principles and Components Overview.
• If you're excited to join the Superchain, launch your first Superchain-ready L2 with our Getting Started guide or dive directly into the PNC Stack codebase to learn more.

The PNC Stack is the next frontier for Ethereum. You're already here, so what are you waiting for?