01

ON-CHAINMESSAGING

The first blockchain with a native messaging layer. Store data directly on the blockchain—no smart contracts, no gas fees, no complexity. Just sign and send.
02

THE PROBLEM
WITH DATA TODAY

Centralized Platforms

  • Twitter/X can delete your posts
  • Facebook can ban your account
  • Cloud providers can shut down your storage
  • Companies can go bankrupt, taking your data

The Ethereum Gap

  • Gas costs make storing data prohibitively expensive
  • State bloat concerns limit what can be stored
  • Smart contracts add complexity for simple data needs
  • No dedicated messaging protocol—everything goes through EVM

What if you just want to publish a message with finalized ordering and archive-backed retrieval, without deploying a contract or paying per-byte gas fees?

03

THE OBSIDIAN
SOLUTION

Obsidian extends Ethereum with a dedicated messaging layer that operates alongside the traditional transaction system. Messages bypass the EVM entirely, reducing overhead and enabling on demand data publishing.

Silica Protocol

Messages stored in the blockchain itself, not hash references

Feeless Standard Lane

Zero gas fees for basic messages using VDF (Verifiable Delay Function)

Archive-Backed History

On-chain commitments plus archive retrieval, verified by consensus

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EVM Compatible

Use MetaMask, Hardhat, ethers.js—all your favorite tools

04

HOW ON-CHAIN
MESSAGING WORKS

The Traditional Way (Ethereum)

// Deploy a contract first
contract MessageBoard {
  event Message(address sender, 
                string content);
  
  function post(string content) {
    // Costs gas for every byte!
    emit Message(msg.sender, content);
  }
}

Requires Solidity knowledge, contract deployment, and gas fees for every message.

The Obsidian Way

// Just send a message
await provider.send(
  "eth_sendMessageBlob", 
  [{
    from: myAddress,
    data: "0x" + toHex("Hello"),
    signature: sig,
    nonce: nonceHex,
    chainId: "0x1a5"
  }]
);

No contract needed. No deployment. No gas fees for standard messages.

Message Lifecycle

1

Create & Sign

App creates payload, wallet signs with chainId and nonce

2

Submit

Send via eth_sendMessageBlob RPC to any node

3

Route & Include

Routes to PM (paid) or SM (feeless), assigned to lanes

4

Finalize & Archive

Added via Silica Protocol, finalized on-chain and retrievable through archive nodes

05

ON-CHAIN VS
OFF-CHAIN

PlatformDeletable?Editable?Survives Company Death?
Twitter/XYesYesNo
AWS S3YesYesNo
IPFSIf unpinnedNoMaybe
ObsidianNoNoYes
06

USE CASES FOR
ON-CHAIN MESSAGING

Social Protocols

Build decentralized social apps where users truly own their content. Posts, comments, and profiles gain finalized on-chain ordering with archive-backed retrieval.

Attestations & Proofs

Issue verifiable credentials, certificates, and attestations that can never be revoked or tampered with.

Audit Trails

Create immutable logs for compliance, legal records, and enterprise audit requirements.

Content Publishing

Publish articles, journalism, and creative work that can never be censored or taken down.

IoT Data Logging

Store sensor data, device telemetry, and machine logs with cryptographic proof of origin.

Decentralized Identity

Anchor identity claims, reputation scores, and profile data to an immutable record.

Start Building with On-Chain Messaging

Deploy your first message in minutes. No smart contracts required.