Core page

What Bitcoin Hyper is

A Bitcoin Layer 2 rollup whose execution environment is the Solana Virtual Machine. Explained from first principles through to the full architecture.

⚠ Documented versus promised

This site consistently distinguishes between what is documented and verifiable (live on DevNet) and what is promised or still in development. This distinction is signalled clearly throughout the page.

The three-layer architecture

Layer 3 — applications DeFi · NFT · DEX · lending · wallet · gaming · oracle · compliance SVM programs (Rust/Anchor) Layer 2 — Hyper Rollup Execution SVM / Sealevel Sequencing centralised → decentralised Data Availability under study ⚠ Bridge Canonical Bridge (under test) Layer 1 — Bitcoin (settlement) security · immutability · finality · OP_RETURN · Taproot
1

Bitcoin — the settlement layer

Bitcoin acts as the final notary. The Hyper rollup periodically publishes its state commitment (the Merkle root of the current state) to the Bitcoin network via OP_RETURN or Taproot. That anchoring means the rollup's history is protected by Bitcoin's own security: rewriting it would mean rewriting Bitcoin's transaction history.

Status: ✓ the architecture is documented in the whitepaper | periodic anchoring is in development

2

Hyper Rollup — the execution layer

The heart of the system. It has four main components: Execution (the SVM, with Sealevel's parallel processing), Sequencing (the ordering of transactions, centralised at launch), data availability (where the full transaction data lives — still under study) and the bridge (the BTC↔Hyper canonical bridge, under test on DevNet).

Status: ✓ the SVM is live on DevNet | ⚠ data availability and forced inclusion are in development

3

Applications — the user layer

Everything that can be built on top: DeFi protocols, DEXs, NFT marketplaces, lending, stablecoins, games and compliance tooling. Programs are written in Rust with the Anchor framework — the same tooling used on Solana. An existing Solana program should run on Hyper with minimal changes (the RPC endpoint and the network settings).

Status: ✓ the first SVM programs have been tested on DevNet | the application ecosystem is still taking shape

The four components of a rollup

Every rollup — not only Bitcoin Hyper — rests on four pillars.

⚡

Execution

The virtual machine that runs the smart contracts. In Hyper's case: the SVM, with the Sealevel runtime that makes parallel processing possible. Transactions touching different accounts run in parallel, which raises throughput.

✓ Live on DevNet
⬡

Sequencing

The component that sets the order of transactions. It determines who pays what and when, which bears on both MEV and censorship. At launch: a single centralised sequencer. According to the roadmap: decentralisation within two to four years.

⚠ Centralised at launch
⚓

Settlement

Periodic anchoring of the state commitment to Bitcoin. Each anchoring publishes the Merkle root of the updated state. The frequency is adjustable: anchoring more often means faster finality, but also higher Bitcoin fees.

◎ In development
📦

data availability

Where the full data for each transaction is held and made available. If the data is not publicly available, the rollup is technically a validium. As at 28 April 2026 the final solution is still under study.

⚠ Under study

💡 Key takeaways

  • • Bitcoin Hyper is a rollup: execution happens off-chain, security is anchored to Bitcoin
  • • It uses the SVM (the Solana VM) — full programmability for developers and compatibility with Solana
  • • At launch: a centralised sequencer and a federated bridge — the decentralisation roadmap runs to two to four years
  • • Data availability and forced inclusion are still in development: decisive milestones ahead of mainnet
  • • It is not a sidechain: ultimate security comes from Bitcoin, not from its own validators