Virtual Machines

A Virtual Machine (VM) is the blueprint for a blockchain, meaning it defines a blockchain's complete application logic by specifying the blockchain's state, state transitions, transaction rules, and API interface.

Developers can use the same VM to create multiple blockchains, each of which follows identical rules but is independent of all others.

All Avalanche validators of the Avalanche Primary Network are required to run three VMs:

• Coreth: Defines the Contract Chain (C-Chain); supports smart contract functionality and is EVM-compatible.
• Platform VM: Defines the Platform Chain (P-Chain); supports operations on staking and Avalanche L1s.
• Avalanche VM: Defines the Exchange Chain (X-Chain); supports operations on Avalanche Native Tokens.

All three can easily be run on any computer with AvalancheGo.

Custom VMs on Avalanche

Developers with advanced use-cases for utilizing distributed ledger technology are often forced to build everything from scratch - networking, consensus, and core infrastructure - before even starting on the actual application.

Avalanche eliminates this complexity by:

• Providing VMs as simple blueprints for defining blockchain behavior
• Supporting development in any programming language with familiar tools
• Handling all low-level infrastructure automatically

This lets developers focus purely on building their dApps, ecosystems, and communities, rather than wrestling with blockchain fundamentals.

How Custom VMs Work

Customized VMs can communicate with Avalanche over a language agnostic request-response protocol known as RPC. This allows the VM framework to open a world of endless possibilities, as developers can implement their dApps using the languages, frameworks, and libraries of their choice.

Validators can install additional VMs on their node to validate additional Avalanche L1s in the Avalanche ecosystem. In exchange, validators receive staking rewards in the form of a reward token determined by the Avalanche L1s.

Building a Custom VM

You can start building your first custom virtual machine in two ways:

1. Use the ready-to-deploy Subnet-EVM for Solidity-based development
2. Create a custom VM in Golang, Rust, or your preferred language

The choice depends on your needs. Subnet-EVM provides a quick start with Ethereum compatibility, while custom VMs offer maximum flexibility.

Golang Examples

See here for a tutorial on How to Build a Simple Golang VM.

Rust Examples

See here for a tutorial on How to Build a Simple Rust VM.