Technical Documentation
Complete specification for the Library of Alexandria decentralized archive protocol.
Mission
The Library of Alexandria is a decentralized protocol for the permanent preservation of humanity's written heritage—historical records, literature, scientific papers, news archives, and documents worthy of being remembered forever.
Core Principles
1. Permanence Through Hashing
The cryptographic hash of every document is permanently recorded on-chain. This hash proves originality forever, regardless of whether the actual content remains in storage.
2. Organization-Gated Submission
Only approved Organizations can submit content to the Library. Individuals must work through an approved Org. This makes Orgs the first line of moderation.
3. Bond-Based Accountability
Every approved Organization posts a bond. Violations result in bond forfeiture. Good behavior earns rewards.
4. Decentralized Governance
A DAO governs the protocol. The Counsel guides early development, then dissolves as Organizations take full control.
5. Open Source Forever
The protocol must remain open source. If governance is ever hijacked, the community can fork.
Two-Tier Storage Model
Tier 1: The Library (Public Permanent Archive)
- • Access: Public — anyone can read
- • Submission: Only approved Organizations
- • Permanence: Hash permanent; content preserved unless blacklisted
- • Encryption: None — public content
Tier 2: Personal Drive (Private Encrypted Storage)
- • Access: Private — only you (unless you share key)
- • Cost: $20/month subscription
- • Encryption: End-to-end; only key holder can decrypt
- • NOT part of the Library
Organization Requirements
Bond System
Bond Types
Bond Outcomes
Content Moderation
Level 1: Organization Moderation (Primary)
Organizations review content BEFORE submission, respond to reports about their submissions, and can voluntarily blacklist their own content. Most moderation happens here.
Level 2: DAO Appeals (Rare)
When Level 1 fails: Appeals of Org decisions go to DAO, cross-Org disputes resolved by DAO, Org misconduct reviewed by DAO. In Years 1-5, appeals go to Counsel first.
CAN Be Blacklisted
- • CSAM
- • Terrorist propaganda
- • Content violating international law
- • Fraudulent submissions
- • Malware
CANNOT Be Blacklisted
- • Controversial but legal content
- • Political speech
- • Historical documents with objectionable content
- • Content legal in most jurisdictions
ALEX Token Economics
Distribution
Founder Vesting
Years 1-10 fully locked. Years 11-20: 10% released each year. Total time to full release: 20 years.
Purchasing ALEX
Tokens can be purchased from the DAO using ETH, SOL, HIVE, or any smart-contract-capable cryptocurrency. Funds go into the liquidity pool for node rewards.
Governance Timeline
Counsel Limitations
- Cannot release locked tokens
- Cannot pay themselves rewards
- Cannot access liquidity pool
- Cannot override open source requirement
Technical Infrastructure
Node Types
Archive Node
10,000 ALEXStore complete document filesValidator Node
100,000 ALEXConsensus, challengesGateway Node
5,000 ALEXAPI access, cachingStorage Model
Each document stored as whole file on multiple archive nodes. Minimum 10 copies across geographically distributed nodes. Faster delivery (no reassembly required), simpler architecture, proven sustainable model.
SPK Proof of Access
Proof of Access ensures storage nodes actually store the files they claim to store.
Challenge-Response Protocol
- 1.Validator randomly selects an archive node
- 2.Validator requests a random byte range from a specific file
- 3.Archive node must respond within 500ms
- 4.Response verified against known file hash
- 5.Success = reward; Failure = penalty
Why 500ms?
500ms is too fast to download from another node, retrieve from cold storage, or generate fake responses. Only nodes with files on fast local storage can respond in time.
What Cannot Be Changed (Even by DAO Vote)
Library of Alexandria Protocol
Preserving humanity's written heritage — permanently, responsibly, together.
November 2025