Ark is a layer-two protocol for making off-chain Bitcoin transactions. Initially published on the bitcoin-dev mailing list as TBDXXX by Burak, is has since been named Ark and the protocol design has advanced significantly.
The Ark protocol is a payments system where people can make Bitcoin transactions at very low cost and without requiring any setup. The Ark model very closely resembles the UTXO model, which is a key differentiator with Lightning.
Ark is a scaling solution for Bitcoin that involves moving transactions off-chain. Ark executes transactions outside of the Bitcoin main chain but posts transaction data back on-chain in a compressed format. Ark servers bundle multiple off-chain transactions into large batches before submitting them to the Bitcoin blockchain. This method spreads fixed costs across multiple transactions in each batch, significantly reducing fees for end-users.
Protocol
- Arkade - Arkade, A Virtual Execution Layer for Bitcoin-Native Applications by Ark Labs
- Ark protocol - Introduction to Ark maintained by Steven Roose
- Ark protocol intro - Intro to the Ark protocol by Second
Implementations
- Arkade - An Operating System For Programmable Money by Ark Labs
- bark - A Rust implementation of the Ark protocol by Second
Wallets
- Arkade CLI
- A command-line Ark wallet for generating addresses, checking balances, and sending/receiving BTC offchain/onchain from your terminal
Explorers
- arkade-explorer
- Arkade blockchain explorer by Ark Labs
Developer resources
Documentation
- Getting started with Arkade - Ark Labs’ how-to for developers
- Getting started with bark - Second’s how-to for developers
SDKs & Libraries
- ark-ts - Arkade TypeScript SDK by Ark Labs
- ark-go - Arkade GO by Ark Labs
- ark-rs - Arkade Rust SDK by Ark Labs
- ark-dotnet - Arkade C# SDK by Ark Labs
- arkade-assets - Native assets framework for Bitcoin - stablecoins, tokens, and digital assets on Arkade with UTXO-based architecture
- arkade-compiler - High-level language compiler for Arkade Script - write Bitcoin smart contracts in a structured, Ivy-like syntax
- arke - macOS wallet prototype for interacting with Ark protocol (second.tech implementation)
- bark-wallet - bark Rust API reference by Second
- boltz-swap - lightning swaps with boltz for Arkade
- libvpack-rs - Universal verifier and ‘life raft’ for the VTXO (Virtual UTXO) primitive - independent auditability and sovereign recovery across Ark-like implementations
- ark-tx-builder - Deterministic Bitcoin transaction builders for the Ark protocol
- arkade-wdk
- WDK-compatible Bitcoin wallet manager built on Arkade SDK with optional Lightning support via boltz-swap - arkade-kotlin
- Native Android SDK for Arkade - skill
- Arkade skills for AI agent integration — send and receive Bitcoin over Arkade, Lightning Network, and swap for USDC/USDT
Faucets
- Arkade munitynet faucet - Faucet for mutinynet
- bark signet faucet - Faucet for signet
Projects using Ark
- arkd - Ark Server implementation that powers Arkade
- arkade.money - Web wallt by Ark Labs
- Arkade Wallet - Open-source, self-custodial Bitcoin PWA with native Ark protocol and VTXOs by Ark Labs
- arkade-escrow - Escrow contract demo showcasing trustless escrow functionality on Arkade
- arkash - Supertestnet’s ecash like implementation of Ark
- ark-escrow - 2-of-3 Bitcoin escrow contracts on Arkade
- vtxomarket - Arkade assets marketplace for trading VTXO-based digital assets
- ArkAdmin - Control plane and dashboard for the Bark Bitcoin Wallet Daemon
- Ark Explorer - Explorer and statistics for the Ark protocol by Blockonomics
- btcpay-arkade - BTCPayServer integration for accepting Ark payments
- insurance-arkade - Insurance contracts built on Arkade
- ln-escrow-ark - Non-custodial Lightning escrow powered by Ark Protocol
- dark - Rust implementation of arkd (Ark protocol server)
- Byte store - Mock online store for testing Ark payments on signet
- coinflip - Coinflip game implemented with Ark
- fulmine - Bitcoin wallet daemon that enables swap providers and payment hubs to optimize Lightning Network channel liquidity while minimizing on-chain fees
- Noah wallet - Mobile-native bitcoin wallet built on Ark
- NArk - Ark payment functionality with BTCPayServer
- snap - Metamask Snap that brings Bitcoin, Lightning and Arkade to your browser
- LendaSat - Bitcoin-backed lending on Arkade (For now only accessible via arkade.money)
- LendaSwap - Cross-chain Atomic Swaps powered by Arkade.
- taproot-assets-in-ark
- Research and integration of Taproot Assets (Taro) into the Ark protocol
Blogs
Presentations and podcasts
- Steven Roose on Ark - BitDev conference at Taipei Tech Summit
- Banking on Ark - Banking on Ark talk by Marco Argentieri with slides
- SLP482 Burak – Ark: A new L2 protocol for Bitcoin - Burak on Stephan Livera Podcast
- Ark announcement at Bitcoin 2023 - Burak’s Ark announcement at Bitcoin 2023
- Bitcoin Takeover Podcast S14 E1: Burak Keceli on Ark & Bitcoin 2nd Layers
- The Kevin Rooke Show E109: Burak on Building Ark, Scaling Bitcoin, and Improving Privacy
- The ark-hashed podcast, episode 16
- Updates on Ark development - one year later
- Scaling Bitcoin to 2050 w/ Shinobi, Marco Argentieri, Simanta Gautam & Alex Bosworth
- Transforming Bitcoin: Marco Agentieri’s Vision with Ark Labs
- Ark explained in under 14 minutes
Communites
- Telegram community - Ark protocol Telegram community
- Arkade community - Arkade telegram community
- Second community - Second’s community forum
- Second’s bark chat - Second’s technical support chat, hosted on Zulip
History
Ark v2 reading
- Ark protocol intro - Intro to the Ark protocol by Ark Labs
- Ark deep dive - Original Ark deep dive by Burak
- Introducting Ark v2 - Updated Ark protocol proposal
- Arkade - technical Primer
- Covenant-less Ark
- Unlocking Liquidity Before Shared Output Expiration
- First Ark transaction on mainnet
- Introducing Erk and hArk - new Ark variants
- What’s the opportunity cost of Ark liquidity
- Native Assets on Bitcoin: Introducing Arkade Assets - Framework for bringing stablecoins and digital assets to Bitcoin via Arkade
- Bark’s unified mailbox - New unified notification system for Bark wallets (Feb 2026)
Ark v1 reading
- ARK video from Bitcoin Miami 2023
- ARK presentation from Bitcoin Miami 2023
- [bitcoin-dev] Ark: An Alternative Privacy-preserving Second Layer Solution
- Introducing Ark Blog Post
- Rijndael’s write up on how Ark works
- RubenSomsen’s Simplest Ark Explanation
- Ark Whiteboard Masterclass with Burak & Robin
- Bitcoin magazine: Introducing Ark
- BitGo blog: Will Burak’s Ark Solve Bitcoin Scaling?
- pippellia’s Video Ark Explained - Bitcoin Layer 2 Protocol
Related Resources
To explore other aspects of the Bitcoin and freedom tech ecosystem, check out these additional resource directories:
- nostr.net - A complete guide to Nostr - projects, implementations, developer tools and all other resources
- liquidnetwork.wiki - A curated list of Liquid Network resources, libraries, tools and applications
- pubky.tech - Pubky, an open protocol for censorship resistant web applications
- dlc.wiki - Everything you need to know about Discreet Log Contracts
- ungovernable.tech - A collection of resources on encryption, privacy tools, and decentralized technologies
- lightning-network.tech - Essential tools, guides, and communities for Bitcoin Lightning Network node operators.
- ark-protocol.com - A directory of Ark protocol resources, libraries, tools and applications
Contributing
If you’d like to add something to this list, please submit a Pull Request on GitHub.
This directory is maintained by aljaz. Your contributions help keep this information up-to-date and valuable.
