A weighted walk.
Markov Chain Monte Carlo provides a random-walk foundation for selecting vertices through the graph.
Inside the protocol
Complex engineering.
Beautifully connected.
A visual journey through VINE, the directed acyclic graph at the heart of Grape.
Based on VINE technical paper v.02VINE / EXPLORABLE ARCHITECTURE
A network of possibility.
01 / Ledger structure
One graph.
Many paths.
VINE groups transactions into entities called sites. Each new site links to two earlier sites, building a directed graph of direct and indirect confirmations.
A parallel sequence of commit transactions coordinates the evolving graph into shared ledger state.
VINE technical paper · p. 9VINE / TWO COMPLEMENTARY STRUCTURESConceptual visualization
Site connectionsCommit sequence
02 / Transaction lifecycle
From intent
to shared state.
Follow a transaction through the architecture. Each stage does a specific job, from a client’s signature to the network’s coordinated ledger view.
VINE technical paper · p. 11FOLLOW A TRANSACTIONInteractive walkthrough
A light client creates and signs a transaction, then sends it to a full node.
03 / Vertex selection
Connection is
a considered choice.
VINE describes a family of selection algorithms that choose earlier sites to reference. The objective: grow the graph while managing confirmation and consistency.
Refining the path.
A VINE adaptation of the selection process, described in the paper’s algorithm sequence.
More context.
Extends site weighting with factors such as node ratings and commissions in the paper’s proposed model.
04 / Commit transactions
Parallel work.
Coordinated truth.
Commits organize verified sites, account balances and smart-contract results into a consistent reference point.
The paper describes a roughly five-second commit cadence. This is a document-era design parameter, not a current finality guarantee.
VINE technical paper · p. 20FROM ACTIVITY TO LEDGER STATE
Verified siteAccount updateContract result
Commit transactionCoordinated ledger reference
Ledger synchronizationAccount balancesContract state
05 / Smart contracts
Programmable logic.
Consistent state.
Smart contracts use the ledger state published in commits. Changes in intervening sites become available through the next coordinated state update.
Create or call
A transaction deploys a contract or invokes an existing one.
Verify
Contract transactions pass through the verification process.
Execute
Execution produces results, receipts and state changes.
Coordinate
Commit data makes the resulting state available consistently.
The EVM connection
Grape’s current product direction brings EVM compatibility to this DAG foundation. The older VINE paper describes smart-contract processing; it does not define the current EVM integration, RPC endpoints or supported tooling versions.
06 / Synchronization
Separate nodes.
A connected view.
Nodes begin with a commit reference, synchronize relevant sites and exchange updates with peers. The paper describes gossip communication based on HyParView.
VINE technical paper · p. 21Start from a commit
A new node loads a recent coordinated ledger state. The paper’s implementation used a trusted leader as the initial synchronization source.
Synchronize graph sites
The node obtains the site data needed to reconcile its local graph with the state referenced by the commit structure.
Exchange with peers
In normal operation, gossip communication spreads information across nodes and helps maintain connected local views.
Manage growth
The paper discusses slicing and sharding as directions for controlling verification and storage load as the ledger grows.
07 / Under the surface
The data behind
the network.
Explore the responsibilities of VINE’s core data structures. For exact field formats and encoding, use the original appendices.
Data formats · p. 24Sites
Sites hold transaction data and references to earlier sites. Their graph relationships support direct and indirect confirmation, while node verification checks the validity of the submitted data.
Commit transactions
A commit records a coordinated ledger reference, incorporating verification and execution results so nodes can reconcile account and contract state. The paper’s Appendix A defines its document-era format.
Account model
Wallet state and aggregate balances are represented through an account model. Coordinated balances simplify transfers and provide a foundation for smart-contract interactions.
Contract receipts and state differences
Execution results capture the outcome of contract work and changes to state. The commit mechanism communicates these results across the ledger.
Confirmation and finality
Fast propagation, graph confirmation and commit acceptance describe different stages. Network speed alone does not establish irreversible finality; the implemented verification and consensus rules matter.
Go straight to the source.
VINE technical paper v.02 · 27 pages · PDF
A transparent view of the architecture
This visual guide explains the supplied VINE paper. It is an architecture reference, not certification of current mainnet behavior. The paper notes that validator acceptance of commits and slicing were not implemented at its publication stage, and its smart-contract flow used a leader implementation. Current benchmarks, deployed consensus, audit reports and operational parameters require separate release evidence.