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Stacks (formerly Blockstack) provides software for internet ownership, which includes infrastructure and developer tools to power a computing network and ecosystem for decentralized applications (dApps). Its focus is to replace the reliance on centralized cloud service providers and apps that harvest and monetize user information. The Stacks network allows users to directly own digital assets like usernames, domain names, computer programs, etc. On the Stacks blockchain, computing is done on the edges (i.e., client devices), and applications on the platform store data individually and use the blockchain only when necessary. The Stacks Ecosystem can be broken down into five key components: The Stacks Blockchain Clarity smart contracts Gaia data storage system Stacks Authentication Stacks Libraries and SDK The Stacks blockchain The Stacks blockchain is the coordination layer for the Stacks Ecosystem. It allows for the storage of user IDs and smart contract processing in addition to maintaining the native Stacks token. The first version of the blockchain used by Stacks operated on top of the Bitcoin ($BTC) blockchain and recorded transactions directly to the chain using a proof-of-burn mechanism. For version two Blockstack will introduce a new chain that uses Tunable Proofs for consensus. Tunable Proofs allow the chain to use numerous inputs and assign weights to these inputs. In order to bootstrap their blockchain (ensuring that there is enough hash power from the start), Stacks will rely on a heavier weighting to the previously used proof-of-burn model in combination with native Proof-of-Work (PoW). Once there is enough hash power supporting the Stacks blockchain the weighting can shift towards native PoW. Adding efficiency to the Stacks blockchain is the Atlas Peer Network, which acts as an extended storage layer for the chain. Peers on the network attempt to store full replicas of the data allowing for less load on the Stacks chain. While many blockchains attempt to store all data directly on-chain the Stacks chain stores only hashes and relies on Atlas to store the full data. Clarity smart contracts Stacks has introduced a new smart contract language called Clarity. Clarity focuses on security, and predictability and is, therefore, non-Turing complete for single transactions and is directly interpreted by the virtual machine. Systems that compile code before it is deployed run the risk of introducing bugs that were not included in the original code. The lack of Turing completeness also enables static analysis which provides granularity on the cost and behavior of smart contracts before they are deployed. Gaia storage system An additional feature that enables scalability and user security is Gaia. Gaia is Stacks' storage system that removes the need for applications to store user data and instead gives the user a choice in where to store their data in a private encrypted manner, be it on a cloud provider or a local server. The Stacks blockchain, along with Atlas, stores pointers that allow applications to access user data. Information is encrypted when stored and only accessible when a user provides approval via their cryptographic keys. Stacks authentication The process of permissioning applications and retrieving data is largely invisible to users who instead interact with Stacks' authentication system. When a user logs into an app using their Stacks ID the user's client manages the authentication process directly from their device removing the need for server-side verification like passwords or 0Auth. A Stacks ID is used to interact with any application on the platform. Stacks libraries and SDK These various components are tied together with Stacks' SDK for developers and the user-facing Stacks browser which functions as an authenticator, app browser, and ID manager.