What is APRO?

Official Introduction (Source: APRO Website)

As an innovative data oracle platform that combines off-chain processing and on-chain verification mechanisms, APRO creates a robust system for data access and computational assurance. This dual-validation mechanism significantly enhances data reliability and security. APRO’s services cover 15 major blockchain networks, including Ethereum and Bitcoin, providing over 161 specialized price feed services. This makes it a key infrastructure supporting trusted data in the blockchain space.

Regarding data service models, APRO has designed two complementary core mechanisms to meet various scenarios’ needs. The Data Push service relies on a decentralized network of independent node operators. These nodes continuously collect and verify data and automatically push data updates to the blockchain when price fluctuations hit predefined thresholds or after specific time intervals, which ensures timeliness and accuracy. Meanwhile, the Data Pull service is optimized for high-frequency trading and real-time scenarios and can provide millisecond-level data updates with extremely low latency. This is particularly suitable for DeFi protocols, decentralized exchanges (DEXs), and financial applications requiring real-time price information. With the dual-mode service architecture, APRO can flexibly meet the data needs of different business scenarios.

On the technical architecture side, APRO employs several innovative designs to ensure service quality. First, it integrates on-chain and off-chain computational resources through a hybrid node scheme to optimize computational efficiency and dynamic load balancing. Second, it introduces a multi-network communication mechanism to build a reliable node collaboration network, effectively reducing single points of failure and improving overall system availability. Additionally, it innovatively uses the TVWAP (Time-Weighted Average Price) mechanism for price discovery and leverages cross-validation from multiple data sources and anomaly detection to prevent price manipulation, thus ensuring data fairness. The platform also provides extensive customization options, allowing DApp developers to tailor computational logic, adjust data update strategies, and configure access permissions according to specific business requirements, all while ensuring security and flexibility for application development.

What Makes APRO Essential?

Blockchain systems are inherently deterministic, with nodes executing transactions and reaching consensus under consistent rules. However, inconsistencies due to varying data sources, timing, etc., may create uncertainty when it comes to receiving external data. This affects the blockchain consensus process. Blockchains themselves cannot actively fetch external data. Therefore, external data can be brought to the blockchain only through oracles, which enables smart contracts to access and respond to real-world information. By offering secure and credible data, oracles open up blockchain technology, moving it from a closed system to an open one, and laying the foundation for the broad adoption of Web3.

Bitcoin, as the leader in cryptocurrency, is facing growing challenges such as limited access to data, restrictions on smart contract capabilities, and its dependence on external information. With the emergence of innovative technologies like Ordinals, Runes, and BTCL2, the need for oracles within the Bitcoin ecosystem has skyrocketed. However, a critical gap remains — no dedicated solutions designed specifically for Bitcoin hinder its growth. This is where APRO Oracle comes in. Designed specifically for Bitcoin, APRO is a decentralized oracle network that combines off-chain computation, on-chain verification, and self-managed multi-signature mechanisms to ensure data security and accuracy while enabling seamless interaction between Bitcoin smart contracts and the real world.

Furthermore, APRO Oracle’s services extend beyond Bitcoin Layer 1 (L1) to cover EVM-compatible chains, Lightning Network, and multi-chain ecosystems. It effectively supports decentralized finance (BTCFi), cross-chain asset transfers, and distributed smart contract applications. By offering flexible on-chain data interaction modes, APRO reduces development costs, promotes the expansion of commercial use cases within the Bitcoin ecosystem, and helps bridge the gap between blockchain and the real world.

Key Advantages of APRO

APRO stands out in three critical areas: its dedicated focus on the Bitcoin ecosystem, unparalleled security and flexibility, and pivotal role in driving commercialization and ecosystem expansion. Specifically designed for Bitcoin, APRO supports the Bitcoin main chain, Layer 2 scaling solutions like the Lightning Network, and cutting-edge technologies such as Ordinals and Runes. It bridges a significant gap in decentralized finance (BTCFi) by offering specialized oracle services, and provides robust data interaction capabilities to power decentralized applications (DApps).

Secondly, APRO secures and ensures the consistency of external data by combining decentralized architecture with off-chain computation and on-chain verification, which resolves common uncertainties in blockchain data processing. Additionally, it is fully compatible with EVM and other blockchain ecosystems, enabling cross-chain asset management, distributed smart contracts, and privacy-preserving DeFi. Its flexible push-pull data model reduces on-chain interaction costs and boosts development efficiency.

APRO’s oracle reliability is further demonstrated in several ways: Firstly, APRO integrates Eigenlayer to enhance service stability, and leverages decentralized services to maintain network reliability even under heavy load. Secondly, APRO utilizes a highly available RPC node architecture to ensure efficient responses during peak demand, thereby improving network stability. Additionally, APRO introduces a DAO voting system, which empowers network participants to vote on data sources and service protocols, thus ensuring both accuracy and transparency. For price security, APRO employs the TVWAP (Time-Weighted Average Price) mechanism to stabilize price data and guard against market manipulation. Lastly, APRO enhances network security with its OCMP (Off-Chain Consensus Mechanism), which also ensures data consistency and prevents tampering. Together, these measures ensure that APRO’s oracle network provides accurate, timely, and secure data services with high reliability.

Technical Details of APRO

Official Diagram (Source: APRO Documentation)

APRO’s two-layer oracle network enhances system reliability, security, and fairness. The first layer, the OCMP (Off-Chain Messaging Protocol) network, is made up of distributed nodes that handle data transmission and validation. The second layer, Eigenlayer, acts as a backup, resolving any disputes between the OCMP aggregator and the client. Managed by Eigenlayer AVS operators leveraging high reliability scores or stronger security measures, this layer provides additional security through fraud verification.

Within these two layers, participants in the first layer are responsible for data verification and reporting, while operators in the second layer serve as adjudicators. Adjudicators gain higher credibility from their status and past performance or based on the security of the Ethereum network. This design makes the APRO network more transparent and fair when handling disputes. Nodes in the first layer monitor each other to ensure data accuracy, and if a large-scale anomaly occurs, the backup layer intervenes to make a judgment, thereby enhancing overall system security.

Additionally, the APRO network introduces a staking collateral system that requires nodes to submit two types of collateral. The first type will be forfeited if a node reports data that disagrees with the majority opinion of other nodes. The second type will be forfeited if a node fails during the upgrade to the second layer. This system ensures that node behaviour is monitored and allows community members to challenge node actions through a user challenge mechanism, further enhancing the security and transparency of the ecosystem. In this way, APRO ensures mutual supervision among nodes and encourages external community participation, thereby forming a decentralized and secure oracle network.

OCMP Process (Source: APRO Documentation)

APRO offers two core data service modes: Data Push and Data Pull, designed to meet the real-time data needs of different application scenarios.

1. Data Push: This service mode utilizes a “push-based” approach, gathering data through a decentralized network of independent node operators. When specific price thresholds or heartbeat intervals are triggered, the nodes automatically push data updates to the blockchain. This Data Push method enhances the scalability of the blockchain, ensures the timely delivery of updates, and provides highly reliable real-time data. All this makes it particularly well-suited for DeFi protocols and smart contracts. It is also critical in emerging markets, such as Bitcoin Layer 2, where the demand for accurate data is growing. APRO incorporates high-quality data transmission techniques, including a hybrid node architecture, the TVWAP price discovery mechanism, and a self-managed multi-signature framework, to ensure data integrity, prevent tampering, guard against oracle attacks, and maintain reliability across diverse application scenarios.
2. Data Pull: This service mode is ideal for applications requiring real-time, on-demand data access, particularly in DeFi protocols and decentralized exchanges. Unlike the continuous updates of the push model, the pull model enables applications to fetch data only when needed, which minimizes on-chain transaction frequency and reduces gas fees. This approach provides high-frequency, low-latency price updates, making it especially suitable for derivatives platforms and other applications that demand dynamic data. Developers can tailor the data retrieval frequency to their specific needs, which is flexible and efficient. Moreover, the pull model supports scalability, and can handle complex assets and dynamic market conditions with ease.

Both service modes combine off-chain data retrieval with on-chain validation, which ensures accurate and secure data. The data is verified through an encrypted process and acknowledged by the decentralized Oracle network, ensuring its immutability.

Funding and Roadmap

APRO has previously completed a $3 million seed round of funding, led by Polychain, ABCDE, and Franklin Templeton, with participation from CMS Holdings, Comma3 Ventures, UTXO Ventures, Oak Grove Ventures, Presto Labs, and others.

APRO Oracle is focused on expanding its capabilities and strengthening its integration within the Bitcoin ecosystem. Key elements of its roadmap include enhancing data security via staking and slashing mechanisms, improving cross-chain asset transfer functionality, and offering solutions for decentralized identity and privacy-preserving DeFi. Notably, APRO Oracle’s product suite includes support for Bitcoin Layer 1, Layer 2 networks, and Ordinals, which drives the growth of Bitcoin-based decentralized applications. Additionally, it introduces new features such as Cosmos ABCI 2.0 to optimize data aggregation efficiency.

APRO spans 15 major blockchain networks, including Ethereum and Bitcoin, and offers over 161 specialized price feed services. It has become a cornerstone of trusted data infrastructure in the blockchain space. In September of this year, APRO Oracle seamlessly integrated with the TON blockchain to deliver stable and efficient real-time price data to TON developers, thereby fostering innovation and growth within its decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem.

Conclusion

APRO’s innovative two-layer oracle network and secure data transmission methods deliver reliable and efficient data services to the Bitcoin ecosystem. Its OCMP network ensures data accuracy and security, and powers decentralized finance (DeFi) and blockchain applications. With staking and slashing mechanisms to ensure network stability, and flexible push-pull service modes to cater to various use cases, APRO caters to diverse application scenarios.

Looking ahead, APRO plans to expand its data services, enhance cross-chain interoperability, and drive the growth of Bitcoin-based decentralized finance. As new features are launched and the ecosystem evolves, APRO is poised to play a key role in decentralized oracles and Bitcoin-based DeFi by fostering innovation and growth in the Bitcoin ecosystem.