Get started
Buantum is a Layer 1 blockchain built on four co-equal pillars — Privacy, post-quantum cryptography, quantum randomness, and quantum key distribution — locked in from the genesis block. This guide walks you from buantum --version to your first shielded transaction in under ten minutes.
Privacy is the default behavior, not a feature you enable. Every key carries quantum entropy. Every primitive is post-quantum. Validator key exchange uses hybrid QKD where fiber is available. None of these are optional — and none of them depend on the others to hold.
Rust 1.78+, a POSIX shell, and ~2 GB of free disk for the local devnet. macOS, Linux, and WSL2 are supported. Windows native is not.
1. Install the toolchain
The buantum CLI bundles the node binary, the contract compiler, the devnet orchestrator, and the verifier. Install it with the official installer script:
# Install the buantum CLI curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://get.buantum.io | sh # Verify the installation buantum --version # buantum 0.9.0 (genesis-draft) # crypto: ML-DSA-65, ML-KEM-768, SLH-DSA, ZK-STARK # entropy: QRNG (local) + ANU QRNG API
The installer drops binaries into ~/.buantum/bin and adds the directory to your PATH. To upgrade later, run buantum self update.
2. Start a local devnet
A devnet is a single-validator chain that runs in your terminal — useful for development without paying real gas or waiting for confirmations. It comes preloaded with ten funded accounts.
buantum devnet start # [00:00:00] Seeding entropy pool from local QRNG + ANU API # [00:00:00] Starting devnet on :9944 # [00:00:00] Genesis block produced (SLH-DSA root attestation) # [00:00:00] Loaded 10 prefunded accounts (ML-DSA-65 spend + ML-KEM-768 view) # [00:00:00] Shielded pool initialized # [00:00:00] RPC ready at http://127.0.0.1:9944 # [00:00:00] Explorer at http://127.0.0.1:9945
Leave that running and open a second terminal. The devnet produces a block roughly every 500 ms. Every transaction you submit is shielded by default — sender, recipient, amount, and call data encrypted before it leaves your machine.
3. Inspect a prefunded account
Every devnet boot generates the same ten accounts, derived from a fixed quantum-entropy seed. Each account has a paired structure — an ML-DSA-65 spend key and an ML-KEM-768 view key. They each hold 1 000 000 BUM. To see them:
buantum account list --devnet
The output is a table of addresses, shielded balances, and key types:
| Address | Balance | Spend / View |
|---|---|---|
| bm1q…a3v9 | 1 000 000 BUM | ML-DSA-65 / ML-KEM-768 |
| bm1q…h8k2 | 1 000 000 BUM | ML-DSA-65 / ML-KEM-768 |
| bm1q…m4p7 | 1 000 000 BUM | ML-DSA-65 / ML-KEM-768 |
The spend key authorizes outbound transactions. The view key decrypts your transaction data so you (or a delegated auditor) can read it. The view key cannot move funds. Share it with whoever needs visibility — keep the spend key offline.
4. Sign and submit a shielded transfer
Sign a transfer from the first prefunded account to a fresh one. The transaction is shielded by default — the amount, sender, and recipient are encrypted, and a ZK-STARK proof asserts that the spend is valid without revealing what was spent.
buantum transfer \ --from alice \ --to $(buantum account new --name bob) \ --amount 42 \ --memo "first transaction" # Deriving stealth address (SHAKE-256 / SLH-DSA) # Signing with ML-DSA-65 (sig: 3,309 bytes) # Generating ZK-STARK validity proof # Encrypting payload (ML-KEM-768 / AES-256-GCM) # Submitted to encrypted mempool # Block-included in 482 ms # tx: 0x9a4f...c1e2 (content hidden — view with --decrypt)
Public observers see: that a transaction occurred, its encrypted blob size, its committed fee tier, and the ZK-STARK proof. They do not see: sender, recipient, amount, memo, or contract call data. Only holders of the corresponding view key can decrypt the transaction details.
Next steps
You've got a running chain, an account with paired spend/view keys, and a finalized shielded transaction. From here:
- Read The four pillars to understand the architectural commitments.
- Read ML-DSA signatures to see why ML-DSA-65 over FALCON or BLS.
- Read ZK-STARK proofs for how validity is proven without revealing inputs.
- Read Entropy mandate for the QRNG requirements and sources.
- Skip to Writing contracts if you want to deploy code with a committed spec.
- Visit the RPC reference if you're integrating from another stack.