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.

2018–23

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 brings five standard schemas (NIA, UDA, CFA, IFA, PFA; the last two are not yet production-ready), 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