What Is Qubic?

An introduction to Qubic through its network, computation, state, and applications

Qubic is a computing network operated by distributed nodes. It can process QUBIC transfers, issued assets, and smart contracts, while also directing computing resources toward tasks defined by the protocol.

At its center is not a ledger extended by miners adding one block after another, but a group of Computors that operate continuously. They receive the same transactions and inputs, perform computation in successive ticks, and use Quorum to agree on results.

A continuously operating distributed computer

Qubic can be viewed as a computer made up of many independent nodes:

Inputs come from user transactions, smart-contract calls, and protocol data.
Execution is performed by the Computors of the current Epoch.
Results are established when enough Computors reach the same conclusion.
State records QUBIC, issued assets, and smart-contract data associated with identities.
Applications read state and submit new transactions through nodes, wallets, or indexing services.

No single node can decide the network result on its own. Each Computor processes inputs according to the same rules, while Quorum turns a matching result from a sufficient number of nodes into state accepted by the network.

Time in the network

Qubic organizes operation with Epochs and ticks.

Epoch

An Epoch is a network operating period. It contains many ticks and provides a shared boundary for Computor seats, mining Score, and some protocol parameters. On mainnet, a new Epoch usually begins each week.

Tick

A Tick is the time unit in which transactions and computation are executed and agreed upon. A transaction specifies a future target Tick. When that Tick arrives, Computors execute the transaction and form agreement on the result. The network therefore advances through a continuous sequence of execution points rather than waiting for a miner to produce the next block.

Participants in the network

Role	Role in the network
Computor	Executes transactions and smart contracts, exchanges Tick data, and participates in consensus
Candidate	Has a node identity but no current Computor seat and competes for a later seat
Miner	Performs the computation task specified by the protocol and contributes valid Solutions to an associated identity's Score
Users and applications	Create signed transactions, hold QUBIC or assets, and call smart contracts

The current architecture has 676 Computor seats, and a matching result from at least 451 Computors normally forms Quorum. Computors execute transactions and participate in consensus. Miners contribute computation results used in Score and future seat competition. The roles are connected, but their responsibilities differ.

What Qubic stores

Qubic must enable every Computor to derive the same current state. Its main state includes:

Spectrum: state related to identities and QUBIC;
Universe: issued assets and relationships such as ownership and possession;
Smart-contract state: internal data maintained by each contract;
Tick data and logs: data produced during network operation and processed by nodes and indexing services.

Wallets and explorers turn these underlying data sources into familiar views such as balances, asset lists, transaction records, and charts. They are interfaces to the network rather than the consensus process itself.

What Qubic can support

QUBIC and assets

QUBIC is the network's native unit. It is used for value transfers and interactions with the protocol and smart contracts. Qubic also supports assets created by particular issuers. Assets can share the same name, so an asset is identified by both its name and issuer.

Smart contracts

Qubic smart contracts are written in restricted C++, reviewed, and integrated into Core through the network's deployment process. Every Computor executes the same contract logic on the same input, making contract state part of network consensus.

External data and execution

Oracle Machines bring answers to external questions into the network. Outsourced Computation allows Quorum to authorize an external system to perform a specific operation. These capabilities connect deterministic protocol state with systems outside Qubic.

Main differences from familiar blockchains

Familiar blockchain model	How Qubic operates
Block producers select transactions for a new block	Transactions target a future Tick and are executed by Computors
Later blocks accumulate confirmations	Tick results are established through Quorum
Miners or validators combine packaging and consensus roles	Computors execute and form consensus, while Miners contribute computation and participate in seat competition
Contracts deploy bytecode to a general-purpose virtual machine	Contracts are written in restricted C++ and integrated into Core
Nodes commonly retain a traversable blockchain history	Current state, Tick data, and indexed historical views occupy different data layers

These differences shape how wallets, explorers, mining, and smart contracts work in Qubic. The next page, How the Network Works, follows a transaction and an Epoch transition in more detail.