HOPR (HOPR)
HOPR is a privacy-preserving messaging protocol and decentralized network that operates with economic incentives through the HOPR token on the blockchain. It introduced the first open incentivized mixnet, allowing anyone to earn tokens by running nodes.
History of HOPR
HOPR was founded by Robert Kiel, Sebastian Bürgel, and Rik Krieger. Sebastian Bürgel and Robert Kiel first connected with the Binance team during the Ethereum Community Conference in Paris in February 2019. They were selected for the Binance-X Fellowship, which supports open-source projects. In July 2020, Binance Labs led a $1 million seed round for HOPR, with additional funding from Focus Labs, Spark Digital Capital, Caballeros Capital, and Synaitken. In the same month, HOPR prepared to launch its testnet and community support program, featuring rewards in MakerDAO’s stablecoin Dai (DAI).
Overview of the HOPR network
| Ticker | HOPR |
| Category | Protocol |
| Website | https://hoprnet.org/ |
| @hoprnet | |
| Telegram | hoprnet |
| https://www.reddit.com/r/HOPR/ | |
| Contract Addresses | |
|---|---|
| ethereum | 0xf5...da Copied! |
| xdai | 0xd0...08Copied! |
The name HOPR reflects the "hopping" of metadata from node to node, ensuring privacy. The network relies on individuals running HOPR nodes on publicly available infrastructure. These nodes can operate on various devices and systems over the Internet, providing privacy by relaying messages through multiple hops via different relay nodes. The messages use the Sphinx packet format to prevent data leaks. Nodes in the network are compensated with HOPR tokens through blockchain payment channels. Each message hop rewards the node maintainer with a ticket, which can be redeemed for HOPR tokens. These tokens serve as a means of payment within the network.
HOPR Node PC
In August 2020, HOPR launched an Ethereum hardware node called the HOPR Node PC, which removes the need for centralized cloud servers like Alibaba and Amazon. This plug-and-play blockchain-ready node connects directly to any router for immediate use. Priced at $440 USD, it features 8GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage, supporting Ethereum and other nodes such as IPFS and Filecoin. Initially, 100 Node PCs were made available, with demand quickly surpassing supply.
Säntis Testnet
In October 2020, HOPR released a public incentivized testnet for its mixnet on xDai, an Ethereum sidechain. Known as HOPR Säntis, after a Swiss mountain, it offers fast transactions secured by Proof-of-Stake, reducing Ethereum transaction fees. Participants earned ERC-20 HOPR tokens for running a node, which will be distributed upon the mainnet launch. The testnet saw over 500 installations of HOPR nodes, adding to the initial 100 HOPR Hardware Nodes purchased across 32 countries.
Basòdino Testnet
On October 20, 2020, HOPR and Matic released the first incentivized testnet on the Matic chain, introducing a new proof-of-relay (PoR) protocol. This mechanism ensures network-level data privacy and prevents system exploitation. Data packets relayed through HOPR nodes are validated by adjacent nodes using claimable tickets on the Matic chain. The Basòdino testnet went live on October 21, 2020, and ran for two weeks.
Team
The HOPR team consists of dedicated individuals working to advance privacy-preserving technologies.
Board of association
- Dr. Sebastian Bürgel - President
- Dr. Catrina Luchsinger - Board Member
- Ronald Kogens - Board Member
Partners
HOPR collaborates with several partners, including:
- Avado
- Froriep
- Elrond
- Sedimentum
- Swiss Medtech
- Health Tech Cluster
- Swiss Healthcare Startups