Convex - Lattice technology for Open Economic Systems

June 19, 2026 · View on GitHub

Convex is a decentralised network and execution platform that powers the Internet of Value. It realises the vision of a true Stateful Internet, where the network itself securely hosts, executes, and persists both code and data.

Convex provides a full-stack platform for decentralised applications and programmable economic systems that manage digital assets. Ownership of accounts and assets is cryptographically enforced and can be governed (optionally) through smart contracts.

Core Technology: Lattice-Based Architecture

Unlike traditional blockchains, Convex is built on Lattice Technology, which leverages the mathematical properties of lattices to deliver superior consensus and verifiability. This foundation yields significant advantages over conventional blockchain designs:

Feature	Convex Advantage
Global State Model	Single, consistent global state with immutable data structures and atomic transactions
Virtual Machine	Lambda-calculus-based VM supporting fully Turing-complete smart contracts
Throughput	Tens of thousands of write TPS today; designed to scale to millions in the future
Networking	Simple, robust random-gossip protocol
Confirmation Latency	Millisecond-range global consensus (network-speed dependent)
Energy Efficiency	100% Green – powered by Convergent Proof-of-Stake (no energy-intensive mining)
Programming Language	Integrated on-chain compiler for Convex Lisp (a modern, secure Lisp dialect)

Why Convex?

Developer-friendly: Write smart contracts in a powerful, functional Lisp that compiles and executes directly on-chain.
Instant finality: Transactions confirm in milliseconds with cryptographic guarantees.
Truly scalable: Lattice agreement eliminates the bottlenecks of linear blockchains.
Sustainable by design: Minimal energy footprint while maintaining full decentralisation and security.

Convex is the high-performance, eco-friendly backbone for the next generation of decentralised finance, agentic economies, self-sovereign ownership, and beyond.

About this repository

This repository contains the core Convex distribution including:

The Convex Virtual Machine (CVM) including data structures and execution environment
The standard Convex Peer server implementation (NIO based) implementing Convergent Proof of Stake (CPoS) for consensus
CLI Tools for operating Peers, scripting transactions and more
The Etch database for persistent data storage
SQL database layer with JDBC driver and PostgreSQL wire protocol server
A Swing GUI for managing local peers / exploring the network
A simple REST API server
JMH Benchmarking suite
Java Client API

The repository also contains core "on-chain" libraries providing key full-stack functionality and tools for decentralised applications, including:

convex.fungible - Fungible Tokens
asset.nft.simple - Basic lightweight Non-fungible tokens
convex.asset - library for managing arbitrary digital assets using a common abstraction
convex.trust - library for access control and trusted operations
torus.exchange - decentralised exchange for trading fungible tokens and currencies
Example code and templates for various forms of smart contracts

Modules

Name	Description	Maven	Javadoc
convex-core	CVM, data structures and consensus
convex-peer	Peer implementation and networking
convex-cli	Command Line Tools
convex-gui	Convex Desktop GUI Interface
convex-db	SQL database with JDBC and PostgreSQL protocol

For local use of Convex data structures and CVM execution, convex-core is typically sufficient. To run a peer or communicate with one over the network, include convex-peer as a dependency. Other modules are designed primarily as standalone applications or client libraries.

Key features

Convex Virtual Machine (CVM) - Secure, Lambda Calculus-based environment for smart contracts and autonomous agents.
Decentralised Consensus - Tamper-proof and censorship-resistant via Convergent Proof of Stake (CPoS).
Performance and Scalability - Processes tens of thousands (and sometimes up to millions) of transactions per second with sub-second global consensus.
Eco-Friendly - Minimal energy consumption with CPoS, ensuring a sustainable platform.

Getting Started

Your first transaction (no install)

The fastest way to try Convex is the Web Sandbox — a live REPL on the public testnet. Evaluate an expression, then deploy and call a one-line smart contract:

;; Free query — no account needed
(+ 1 2 3)
;; => 6

;; With a faucet-funded account, deploy and call an actor (a smart contract)
(deploy '(defn ^:callable greet [name] (str "Hello, " name "!")))
;; => #1234   ;; your new actor's address
(call #1234 (greet "world"))
;; => "Hello, world!"

Want the full walkthrough — including the TypeScript, Python, and Java SDKs against the testnet? See the Quick Start guide.

Prerequisites

Java 21+ (Download Temurin)

Quick Install

macOS / Linux:

curl -fsSL https://convex.world/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell):

irm https://convex.world/install.ps1 | iex

This installs convex.jar and adds a convex command to your PATH.

Other options

Download directly:

Latest stable release
Snapshot build (develop branch, may be unstable)

Docker:

docker pull convexlive/convex:latest
docker run convexlive/convex peer start

Build from source:

git clone https://github.com/Convex-Dev/convex.git
cd convex
mvn clean install

Running Convex

Launch the desktop GUI:

convex desktop

Start a local peer test network with GUI:

convex local gui

See all available commands:

convex --help

Examples

Convex Lisp — runnable .cvx demos in convex-core/src/test/resources/examples: fungible tokens, assets, trust monitors, the Torus DEX, and language.cvx for the language itself.
Java — using the CVM and data structures directly in convex-core/src/test/java/convex/core/examples (start with RawCVM.java).
Recipes & SDK quickstarts — task-oriented guides at docs.convex.world/docs/tutorial/recipes and the per-language client SDK quickstarts.