Aptos is a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain designed to address the blockchain trilemma by delivering scalability without compromising security or decentralization. With its parallel execution engine, Block-STM and Move-based smart contracts, Aptos enables near-instant finality and high throughput, making it ideal for applications ranging from DeFi and NFTs to enterprise solutions.

Aptos traces its roots to Diem (formerly Libra), Meta’s ambitious blockchain initiative. After Diem was discontinued in early 2022, former Meta employees Mo Shaikh and Avery Ching co-founded Aptos Labs to continue building on the innovations they developed.

Avery Ching, who serves as the CEO of Aptos Labs, was the principal software engineer for Diem and spent over a decade leading teams at Meta. He brings deep expertise in blockchain development and ecosystems, strategy, and team management.

The Aptos team includes the original creators of the Move language, Move Prover, the Block-STM parallel execution engine and the Narwhal, Bullshark consensus mechanisms and more. Aptos Labs has secured significant partnerships with industry leaders such as Google Cloud and Microsoft, and has raised substantial funding from investors like Andreessen Horowitz and Franklin Templeton.

Aptos Labs is the primary development team behind the Aptos blockchain. It focuses on engineering, infrastructure development and building tools to ensure seamless usability across the Aptos network.

The Aptos Foundation, operating independently, is dedicated to fostering the growth and engagement of the Aptos ecosystem. It supports developers and communities through a range of initiatives, including grant programs and incubators.

Together, these entities work in tandem to deliver a high-performance, user-centric blockchain infrastructure, realizing the vision of a truly global trading engine.

Aptos’ architecture is built for performance and scalability, utilizing a combination of innovative technologies.

Aptos uses the MoveVM, built to execute smart contracts written in the Move language. Move offers stronger safety guarantees through formal verification, resource-based logic and strict access controls. These help in reducing common exploits seen in Solidity-based ecosystems.

Aptos introduces Block-STM, a novel software transactional memory (STM) approach that enables true parallel execution of transactions. Unlike traditional sequential processing, Block-STM can process multiple independent transactions simultaneously, which dramatically boosts throughput and scalability.

Aptos utilizes a custom Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) consensus protocol, known as AptosBFT v4. It combines fast finality with low-latency responsiveness, allowing the network to handle thousands of transactions per second while remaining resilient against validator failures.

The Aptos ecosystem supports a wide array of decentralized applications and protocols, from wallets and infrastructure to trading platforms, NFT marketplaces and blockchain games. Here’s a breakdown of key DApp categories on Aptos: