XRP Ledger: Ripple CTO Reveals Blueprint for Advanced Smart Contracts

In a recent tweet, Vet, an XRP Ledger dUNL validator, outlines Ripple CTO David Schwartz’s blueprint for smart contracts on the XRP Ledger.

Schwartz was part of a discussion on X space “Programmability on XRPL,” alongside RippleX software engineer Mayukha Vadari, Bias Goose, Dan Fisher and others.

Vet summarized insights offered by the Ripple CTO in four points. Weeks back, XRP reached a major smart contract milestone with the launch of the XRP Ledger Smart Contracts feature on AlphaNet, a dedicated development network.

Vet explained Schwartz’s rationale for limited smart contracts on the XRPL. According to the Ripple CTO, the XRP Ledger might not need full general purpose smart contracts, adding that it might need just a little bit of programmability via smart contracts: “We don’t need to be the best SC platform, just a little bit programmability via SC.”

Schwartz envisages a scenario where smart contracts boost native features, adding that if they cannot connect native features together, they are not as useful.

The Ripple CTO reiterated the importance of safety, emphasizing the essence of small steps. This approach will not allow full blown programmability but measured steps, which Schwartz believes will yield the best real world feedback.

Given that SCs-XLS101 is limited in design, it will allow for a large group of amendments to not be protocol changes. This is believed to be a huge gain in protocol security for all actors using the XRPL, including banks and individual users alike.

XLS-101 smart contracts

As discussions on the smart contract implementation of XRP Ledger continue, RippleX software engineer Mayukha Vadari shares a reminder in a tweet on XLS-101 smart contracts.

“Reminder: XLS-101 smart contracts are not EVM-based,” Mayukha wrote in a tweet. XLS-101 smart contracts are differentiated from the XRPL EVM Sidechain, a standalone blockchain that supports Ethereum smart contracts.

XLS-101 smart contract is a formal design of a smart contract system for the XRPL, which takes inspiration from several existing smart contract systems (including Xahau’s Hooks and the EVM).

As reported, Vet previously clarified misconceptions about XRP Ledger smart contracts, noting that this is not intended to be exactly the same as some existing design, nor replace XRPL’s existing building blocks, nor modify the consensus protocol that would pay validators.