blog: release v0.11 beta 5

content/blog/release-v0.11-beta-5.md

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+title = "RGB v0.11 Beta 5 is out"
+date = 2024-03-29
+authors = ["Maxim Orlovsky"]
+description = "A new beta release of Bitcoin and Lightning smart contract protocol"
++++
+
+LNP/BP Standards Association is happy to announce the fifth beta release of RGB protocol version 0.11.
+
+This is another milestone on the stabilization of the new v0.11 RGB version. It is the first
+complete beta release of both consensus-level libraries, standard libraries and tools happening
+in 2024, opening a way for independent developers integrating with RGB to test all the new
+functionality.
+
+
+## What's new in Beta 5
+
+In preparing Beta 5 release we were focusing on performing internal audit of all consensus-critical
+code, ensuring both its security and ability to do a protocol upgrades in the future versions
+without introducing any incompatibilities with the assets and software using v0.11.
+
+The internal audit was performed by two teams: the dev team and documentation team. The developer
+team was reviewing the source code and modelling different types of attacks; while the doc team
+was independently creating formal specification explaining how the protocol actually works (basing
+on the source code), which was later compared to the expected protocol behaviour.
+
+Let's walk through the major areas of the improvements shipping in v0.11 beta 5.
+
+### Commitments
+
+Cryptographic commitments, which go into Bitcoin blockchain in hidden form, are the core of RGB 
+security and anti-double-spending protection. They are a part of so-called “single-use seals”, 
+which you may have heard of before.
+
+During the last three months (since Beta 3) we have passed through an extensive internal audit 
+of the commitment procedures and wrote a lot of tests. We have improved the security and safety 
+of many aspects of them and made sure they will be a proper foundation for the RGB.
+
+One of the main changes which the end-users will notice is that now contracts (and assets) will 
+commit to the issuer identity, simplifying the verification by the wallets and preventing scam 
+attacks.
+
+### Contractum language and scripting
+
+With v0.11 one of our main focuses was simplification of RGB developer experiences.
+
+First, we have introduced more opcodes allowing scripts in RGB contracts to access the contract 
+state and use that information in validation. We have also developed RGB assembly, which can be 
+compiled using macro `rgbasm` directive right from the Rust!
+
+Finally, we are moving fast in finalizing the initial Contractum version: the language intended 
+for RGB smart contract developers. In this release we add a Contractum representation for all 
+standard interfaces used by RGB (RGB20 fungible assets, RGB21 NFTs and RGB25 fungible collections).
+
+### Wallet functionality
+
+With v0.11 RGB is integrated with wallet functionality out of the box. This solves one of the 
+major dev and user headaches.
+
+With Beta 5, we are going even further: now the command-line tool and RGB runtime can filter and 
+present the information specific to a wallet of user choice and ignore the rest of the contract 
+state.
+
+Another new feature is the support for legacy Electrum RPC API, in addition to Esplora REST APIs, 
+supported before.
+
+### Containers
+
+In this beta we have refactored the concept of containers. Containers are they way user exchange 
+RGB data, for instance when they do distribute assets, perform transfers, -- or when developers 
+distribute new code and interfaces for asset issuers.
+
+In Beta 5 we have improved ASCII armoring of container data, so all of them now use more compact 
+Base85 encoding and standard set of headers. We have simplified programming API for working with 
+containers, and made sure their IDs are uniquely reflect their content - such that even the same 
+contract disclosing different parts of information will have a distinct id.
+
+We also simplified a life of devs and testers by providing an ability to convert any container 
+into a human-readable YAML representation, edit it and convert back into a binary form, which 
+can go into RGB system. This will simplify audit and debugging, allowing us to model different 
+kinds of attacks on the system.
+
+
+## About RGB v0.11
+
+RGB v0.11 is an evolution of the protocol coming with a lot of bug fixes and improvements, further
+enhancing RGB smart contracting capabilities. It will be the first version which will be audited by
+independent auditors, after which it can be considered by third-party issuers for the use in
+production.
+
+The main features shipping in v0.11 will be:
+- Wallet integration right into RGB runtime and command-line tool;
+- Basic support for Liquid sidechain, with ability to add more alternative scalability layers in the 
+  future;
+- Scripting, with new state introspection codes and RGB assembly compiler;
+- Initial support for Contractum language;
+- Ability to inherit interfaces (multiple inheritance!);
+- Support of Electrum RPC additionally to Esplora REST, present before;
+- Commitments to issuer and developer identities embedded into contracts, interfaces, libraries;
+- More compact consignments and better ASCII armoring.
+
+
+## What's next
+
+With Beta 5 release RGB development enters a new phase of preparation for a public preview of 
+the RGB v0.11. The public preview will be a feature-complete version which will be used by 
+external auditors for evaluating the safety of the protocol. At the same time app devs and users 
+will be able to complete integration of RGB without expecting major API or consensus break with 
+the release.
+
+Once there will be results of an audit, the preview version will become an official release (if 
+the audit will find any major issues however, they will be fixed even if the fixes will contain 
+a breaking changes).
+
+You can track us on our journey towards v0.11 release with this [GitHub dashboard][proj].
+
+
+## Acknowledgements
+
+We are grateful to [Fulgur Ventures], providing another year of support for our efforts in 
+developing RGB. This year they were joined by [Bitlight Labs], who had become a new full member of 
+the Association.
+
+We have received a number of important contributions and bugfixes coming from commercial 
+companies, such as [Pandora Prime], [Bitfinex] and [DIBA]. We are also grateful for individual 
+contributors, who do their small -- but still highly valuable and welcomed input in making RGB 
+better.
+
+
+[proj]: https://github.com/orgs/RGB-WG/projects/17/views/1
+[Fulgur Ventures]: https://fulgur.ventures
+[Bitlight Labs]: https://bitlightlabs.com
+[Pandora Prime]: https://pandoraprime.ch
+[Bitfinex]: https://www.bitfinex.com/about
+[DIBA]: http://diba.io