Building the asset layer

for Bitcoin.

RGB Protocol on Bitcoin is an open-source protocol for issuing and transferring digital assets on Bitcoin — using client-side validation to keep all contract data private off-chain, and integrating natively with the Lightning Network for instant, near-zero-fee transfers. This page covers the RGB Protocol on Bitcoin history, how it came to be and who develops it today.

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History

From a cryptographic primitive

to Bitcoin mainnet.

The RGB Protocol on Bitcoin history spans nearly a decade — from a theoretical proposal to a production-ready protocol on Bitcoin mainnet. Here is the timeline of the key milestones.

2016

Single-use seals proposed

Peter Todd publishes the concept of single-use seals — a cryptographic primitive for committing to a message exactly once on a public medium. This becomes the anti-double-spend foundation of what will become RGB Protocol on Bitcoin.

2016

RGB concept originated

Giacomo Zucco and Peter Todd conceptualize RGB as a protocol for issuing digital assets on Bitcoin using client-side validation and single-use seals — without requiring a separate blockchain or on-chain contract data.

2019–23

Protocol development

Development of the RGB protocol specification accelerates. Core libraries including rgb-core, rgb-std, and the Schema system are built and iterated. Multiple testnet releases validate the architecture.

2024

rgb-protocol organization established

Development consolidates under the rgb-protocol GitHub organization, with v0.11.1 as the mainnet-ready release track. Lightning Network integration, and production-grade tooling via RGB Lib and RGB Lightning Node.

Jul 2025

RGB Protocol on Bitcoin v0.11.1 — mainnet launch

The most significant release in the protocol’s history launches on Bitcoin mainnet. RGB v0.11.1 supports all five standard schemas (NIA, UDA, CFA, IFA, PFA), full Lightning Network integration, and production-grade tooling via RGB Lib and RGB Lightning Node.

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Who develops RGB Protocol on Bitcoin

Open source, developed

by the community.

RGB Protocol on Bitcoin is open-source software developed by a decentralized community of contributors. No single company or individual controls the protocol.

rgb-protocol

The primary GitHub organization for RGB Protocol on Bitcoin core development. Contains rgb-consensus, rgb-schemas, rgb-ops, rgb-api, rgb-sandbox, and protocol documentation. Verified domain: rgb.info.

github.com/rgb-protocol ↗

RGB Tools

Developer tools organization. Maintains RGB Lib (the recommended high-level SDK for application developers), RGB Lightning Node (for Lightning-integrated asset channels), and related tooling.

github.com/rgb-tool↗

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Key links