# Babylon Labs Documentation
> Bitcoin staking protocol enabling BTC holders to secure Proof-of-Stake networks without custody, bridges, or wrapping.

Version: 1.4.0

## Problems We Solve
- BTC liquidity is locked and unproductive → Stake BTC to earn rewards while maintaining full self-custody
- Proof-of-Stake chains lack Bitcoin-grade security → Provide BTC-backed economic security via native staking
- Wrapped BTC introduces bridge and custodian risk → Native Bitcoin staking using covenant scripts—no wrapping or bridges
- Liquid staking requires trusting intermediary protocols → Direct protocol participation with self-custodied BTC
- Developers need to integrate BTC security into their chains → Babylon SDK provides modular plug-in for Cosmos chains and rollups

## Key Facts
- Mainnet Name: Babylon Genesis
- Mainnet Launch: April 2025
- Block Time: ~10 seconds
- Native Token: BABY
- Consensus: CometBFT (Tendermint)
- Smart Contracts: CosmWasm
- Primary Languages: Go (core protocol), TypeScript (SDK), Rust (contracts)
- Btc Staking Mechanism: Covenant scripts with finality provider delegation
- Unbonding Period: ~21 days (BTC), variable (BABY)
- Finality Time: 1 block (~10 seconds) after BTC-backed finality

## Key Capabilities
- Native BTC Staking: Lock BTC in time-locked covenant scripts to secure PoS networks
- Finality Providers: Run finality provider nodes to vote on blocks and earn rewards
- BSN Integration: Connect any Proof-of-Stake chain to receive BTC-backed security
- CosmWasm dApps: Build smart contracts on Babylon Genesis using Rust/CosmWasm
- Dual Staking: Combine BTC and BABY staking for enhanced security model

## Differentiators
- vs Wrapped BTC (WBTC, tBTC): No bridge risk—BTC stays on Bitcoin L1 in covenant scripts
- vs Liquid Staking (Lido, etc.): Direct protocol participation, no intermediary derivative tokens
- vs Bitcoin L2s/Sidechains: Native Bitcoin scripts, not a sidechain—BTC never leaves Bitcoin
- vs Restaking protocols: Primary staking of native BTC, not restaking already-staked assets

## Overview & Concepts
- [Overview & Concepts Overview](https://docs.babylonlabs.io/overview/): Documentation for overview & concepts

## Developer Documentation
- [Developer Documentation Overview](https://docs.babylonlabs.io/developers/): Documentation for developer documentation

## Operator Documentation
- [Operator Documentation Overview](https://docs.babylonlabs.io/operators/): Documentation for operator documentation

## Staker Guides
- [Staker Guides Overview](https://docs.babylonlabs.io/stakers/): Documentation for staker guides

## Code Repositories
### Core Protocol
- [babylon](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/babylon): [Go] Main Babylon chain implementation
### Infrastructure
- [babylon-staking-indexer](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/babylon-staking-indexer): [Go] Babylon staking indexer
- [networks](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/networks): [YAML/JSON] Network configurations and genesis files
- [staking-api-service](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/staking-api-service): [Go] Staking API backend service
- [staking-queue-client](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/staking-queue-client): [Go] Staking queue client library
### Node Operators
- [btc-staker](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/btc-staker): [Go] BTC staker daemon
- [covenant-signer](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/covenant-signer): [Go] Covenant signer service
- [finality-provider](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/finality-provider): [Go] Finality provider daemon
- [vigilante](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/vigilante): [Go] Vigilante reporter/submitter
### SDKs & Libraries
- [babylon-sdk](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/babylon-sdk): [Go] Cosmos SDK integration
- [btc-staking-ts](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/btc-staking-ts): [TypeScript] TypeScript SDK for BTC staking
### Smart Contracts
- [cosmos-bsn-contracts](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/cosmos-bsn-contracts): [Rust] CosmWasm contracts for BSN integration
- [rollup-bsn-contracts](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/rollup-bsn-contracts): [Solidity] Rollup BSN smart contracts
### Utilities
- [cli-tools](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/cli-tools): [Go] CLI tools for Babylon

## Optional
- [Blog](https://babylonlabs.io/blog): Latest news and updates
- [Discord](https://discord.gg/babylonglobal): Community support and discussions
- [GitHub](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io): All Babylon Labs repositories
- [Documentation](https://docs.babylonlabs.io): Full documentation site