What is the Polygon CDK?
Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK) is the product institutions use to launch their own dedicated, private blockchain with built-in Agglayer connectivity. Polygon partners with you to design and operate a bespoke chain, with privacy controls on a spectrum (private validium, gated access, fully sovereign blockspace) and connection to the broader blockchain ecosystem. CDK supports the op-geth and op-reth OP Stack execution clients, giving operators flexibility in performance tuning and resource usage. CDK also supports Hyperledger Besu with QBFT consensus.What execution clients does CDK support?
CDK supports two OP Stack execution clients:- op-geth: Geth-based client with OP Stack architecture and broad tooling support.
- op-reth: Reth-based client optimized for high throughput and lower resource consumption.
cdk-besu runbook covers deployment and operations.
What is a sovereign chain in CDK?
A sovereign chain operates without a prover. Instead, it uses pessimistic proofs via Agglayer to enforce safety and ensure that no chain can withdraw more than it deposits. This enables secure, low-cost execution with fast finality. Sovereign mode is the default configuration.What rollup modes are available?
Every CDK chain supports three operating modes:- Sovereign: Agglayer connectivity secured by pessimistic proofs. No prover required.
- Validium: ZK-secured execution with offchain data availability via a DAC.
- zkRollup: Fully onchain ZK rollup for maximum security and Ethereum-aligned trust.
How does Agglayer fit into Polygon CDK?
Agglayer is a native feature of every CDK chain. It enables cross-chain interoperability, unified liquidity, and shared state across the connected network. CDK chains are connected to Agglayer by default.How can I start building with CDK?
Use the CDK quickstarts to deploy a local testnet. For production-ready deployments, contact Conduit or Gateway. To deploy a CDK Besu chain, follow thecdk-besu runbook.