Lit

In the rapidly evolving landscape of blockchain technology, Lit Protocol is making significant strides in enhancing cryptographic capabilities to bridge the gap between fragmented networks and platforms. As a decentralized key management and private compute network, Lit Protocol provides developers with essential tools to securely manage secrets and build autonomous applications. With foundational support for cryptographic primitives such as BLS and ECDSA signatures, developers have leveraged Lit to create innovative applications that facilitate seamless interactions between web2 and web3 environments. This year has seen remarkable growth in areas like AI agents, chain abstraction, user wallets, and verifiable web data, showcasing the potential of Lit’s infrastructure. Looking ahead to 2025, Lit Protocol plans to expand its cryptographic offerings by introducing additional signature schemes and curves to enhance interoperability across various ecosystems. Key improvements include performance enhancements for ECDSA signing, support for NIST curves like P-256 and P-384, and the integration of Schnorr/EdDSA signatures through the FROST protocol. These advancements will enable developers to build more secure and efficient applications while ensuring compatibility with a diverse range of blockchain ecosystems. Furthermore, the introduction of Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) keys will allow computations on encrypted data, preserving privacy while enabling advanced analytics and secure data sharing. The achievements of Lit Protocol in 2024 reflect the dedication of its developer community, with over 24 million cryptographic requests fulfilled and more than 1 million keys created. Notable partnerships with organizations like Fox, Genius, and Emblem Vault highlight the versatility of Lit Protocol in various applications, from decentralized finance to programmable data management. As Lit continues to innovate and expand its capabilities, it remains committed to providing developers with the best tools to create secure, decentralized, and autonomous applications, ultimately unifying the fragmented digital landscape we navigate today.

The Lit Datil Mainnet Beta has made significant strides since its launch, showcasing the potential of decentralized key management in enhancing Internet security and functionality. Over the past two months, ecosystem partners have actively utilized the platform to develop innovative applications. The integration of Multi-Party Computation Threshold Signature Schemes (MPC + TSS) and Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) has enabled developers to manage keys effectively while performing secure computations. The recent upgrade to the Datil network has introduced Programmable Signing, allowing for seamless transaction signing across various blockchain networks, including Ethereum and Bitcoin. The growth metrics of the Lit network reflect its increasing adoption and utility. With over 90,000 signature requests generated using Lit PKPs and more than 50,000 using Wrapped Keys, the platform has secured over $200,000 in total value. The total number of keys created has surpassed one million, indicating a robust user engagement. Additionally, the network has processed nearly 25 million requests since its inception, demonstrating its capability to support a diverse range of applications, from decentralized finance (DeFi) to autonomous AI agents and private data marketplaces. Looking ahead, the Lit team is focused on enhancing the platform's capabilities with new features such as longer-running Lit Action jobs, additional signature schemes, and improved performance through horizontal scaling. The anticipated launch of the v1 Mainnet in early 2025 will further solidify Lit's position in the blockchain ecosystem, introducing a live network token and additional functionalities. As the journey continues, users can expect exciting engagement opportunities through upcoming questing campaigns, fostering a vibrant community around Lit's innovative solutions.

The Lit Protocol has announced the release of the latest version of its SDK, v7, which introduces a range of improvements and breaking changes designed to enhance performance and developer experience. Key updates include the removal of certain encryption functions and the introduction of new ones like `encryptUint8Array` and `decryptToUint8Array`, aimed at better handling of Uint8Array data types. Additionally, several functions have been relocated to streamline the SDK's structure, and developers are encouraged to follow migration steps to adapt their existing code accordingly. Another significant change is the transition from enums to constants within the SDK, which enhances type safety and reduces potential errors. The update also includes the removal of the `LitAuthClient` class, prompting users to initialize providers directly. This change reflects a broader effort to simplify the SDK's architecture while improving encapsulation and usability. Developers must update their implementations to align with these new structures and methods, ensuring a smooth transition to the latest version. Lastly, the SDK has undergone enhancements in error handling, with the removal of the `throwError` function in favor of custom error classes based on VError. This allows for more detailed error information and improved debugging capabilities. The update also consolidates WASM packages and upgrades cryptographic implementations, emphasizing the importance of thorough testing after migration. With these updates, the Lit Protocol SDK aims to provide a more robust and user-friendly development environment for blockchain applications.

In a groundbreaking integration, Lit Protocol has demonstrated how to securely combine the capabilities of OpenAI and the Solana blockchain. By utilizing Wrapped Keys on Solana, developers can sign responses generated by the OpenAI API within a Lit Action. This integration opens up a myriad of innovative applications, particularly in the realm of AI-powered autonomous agents. These agents can operate on the blockchain without exposing sensitive API keys, thanks to Lit's threshold-based Programmable Key Pairs (PKPs) and Trusted Execution Environments (TEE). This ensures that all sensitive operations remain protected, allowing AI agents to interact with both blockchain and traditional web services while maintaining decentralized identities. The integration also emphasizes the importance of private compute and data processing. By encrypting data and executing large language model (LLM) prompts within Lit’s TEE, developers can ensure that sensitive information, such as medical records or financial data, remains secure throughout the process. The TEE provides hardware-level isolation, meaning even node operators cannot access decrypted data. This end-to-end encryption allows for the secure processing of private information, ensuring that all computations occur within a secure environment before results are re-encrypted and sent back. Furthermore, the integration facilitates the generation of cryptographic proofs for training and inference. By restricting PKP signing permissions to specific IPFS CID hashes, developers can guarantee the authenticity of LLM-generated content. This proof system is particularly beneficial for audit trails and compliance requirements, as it enables third parties to verify the authenticity of the content produced by the LLM. Overall, this integration showcases the potential of combining AI with blockchain technology, paving the way for more secure and efficient applications in the future.

idOS, a decentralized storage and access management protocol for digital identity data, is making strides in the web3 space by enabling users to maintain ownership of their personal data. This innovative platform allows individuals to share their data across the internet while preserving their privacy. The primary goal of idOS is to facilitate the integration of decentralized finance (DeFi) into everyday life, thereby creating a more efficient and permissionless web3 infrastructure. This vision, termed OpenFi, empowers users to manage their data from a secure, encrypted profile, ensuring self-sovereignty and privacy online. One of the significant challenges faced by users in a self-custodial environment is the risk of losing access to their profiles and data. To tackle this concern, idOS has partnered with Lit to implement a decentralized account recovery solution. With Lit's SDK, users can create an encrypted backup of their idOS key and set conditions for decryption. If users forget their password, they can easily recover it by signing a message from any of their connected wallets. This integration not only enhances security but also ensures that users do not lose access to their valuable data. Looking ahead, idOS envisions expanding the use of Lit within its ecosystem to further enhance user experience. Future developments may allow users to manage their data without the need for a web3 wallet, thereby unlocking additional real-world applications beyond the current web3 framework. As idOS continues to innovate, it remains committed to providing a secure and user-friendly platform for managing personal data in a decentralized manner.

VaultLayer, in collaboration with Lit Protocol, is introducing a chain-abstraction SDK aimed at simplifying decentralized finance (DeFi) interactions on Bitcoin. Currently, Bitcoin DeFi accounts for only 1% of the $95 billion Total Value Locked (TVL), but with the rapid growth of Layer 2 solutions, this figure is expected to increase significantly. The existing user experience in Bitcoin DeFi is often fragmented and complex, requiring users to manage multiple wallets and navigate intricate bridging processes. VaultLayer seeks to address these challenges by providing a unified platform that enhances the user experience, making it easier for individuals to stake and earn with their Bitcoin assets. The VaultLayer SDK leverages Lit Protocol's advanced key management network to streamline transactions across Bitcoin Layer 1 and Layer 2. By employing a chain-abstraction approach, VaultLayer simplifies interactions across various blockchains, effectively hiding complexities such as key management and transaction processing. Unlike traditional solutions that depend on Ethereum standards, VaultLayer utilizes Lit Protocol to create off-chain Bitcoin smart accounts, ensuring secure and seamless transactions. This innovation allows users to manage all their assets from a single account, regardless of whether they are on Bitcoin or EVM-compatible networks. In addition to simplifying user interactions, VaultLayer's SDK introduces features that enable the minting of Lit Programmable Key Pairs (PKPs) using Bitcoin wallets and signing Bitcoin transactions with Lit Actions. This functionality not only enhances security but also streamlines the process of integrating Bitcoin into DeFi applications. As VaultLayer continues to evolve, it aims to make Bitcoin DeFi more accessible and user-friendly, paving the way for broader adoption and utilization of Bitcoin in the decentralized finance landscape.