TON Core - Report for 2025 H1
TON CoreReport on the implementation of the roadmap for the first half of 2025.
Improvement of Layer 1 of the TON Blockchain
Series of TON kernel optimizations
During this period, we released 5 updates that affected all key kernel components: the validation process, cryptographic operations, network, database, and blockchain state serialization and deserialization.
As result, operations on the TON Blockchain are finalized 10 times faster under low and moderate loads — in 3-5 seconds.
Architectural “Accelerator” upgrade
We are pleased to announce the completion of the "Accelerator" upgrade, designed to ensure the stable operation of the TON blockchain under high and peak loads.
With this release, the TON mainnet reaches the target architecture described in the original whitepaper.
Key benefits
— Increased overall blockchain performance — the network is capable of handling higher loads. This update does not reduce the execution time of a specific operation, but increases the overall throughput.
— Stability under high load — more stable operation execution times are expected during peak loads.
— Fast and efficient reading from the blockchain — the ability to monitor only the necessary shardchains speeds up data access and reduces resource consumption.
Validator tools and Relationship
Overview of improvements to validator and node tools
Convenient validator administration tools are essential for stable network operation.
Over the past six months, we have introduced new solutions and significantly improved existing tools:
- Six updates to MyTonCtrl, the most popular tool for validators. These include:
- A convenient interactive installer for validators and nodes in various modes.
- A quick backup recovery tool that allows you to quickly move a validator, for example, in case of force majeure in a data center.
- Export of metrics to Prometheus.
- Remote validator controller for extra security and easy migration.
- And much more.
- Improvements to validator telemetry, which is now collected from all validators at the protocol level even if they do not use MyTonCtrl.
- @validators bot for alert notifications, as well as the ability to run a local bot so that validators can receive timely notifications about malfunctions.
- @tonstatus_notifications public channel, which keeps a history of penalties in the network.
- Dashboard validators.ton.org — clearly displays the distribution of validators, their efficiency, software versions used, and other metrics.
- Public technical support @validators_help_bot, as well as personal technical support for large validators — including conference calls.
- TON Proxy technology that hide the validator's address and protect against DDoS attacks. The test network validator has been operating in this mode since launch and has successfully passed load tests.
- Ability for full nodes and archive nodes to monitor only a separate shardchain and store only a specified period of history.
- Ability to download archive blocks and states via TON Torrents.
We would like to thank all TON network validators for supporting the stability of the blockchain, timely software updates, and for participating in votes held to improve the protocol.
API & Ecosystem UX
Overview of New Features in the Toncenter API
The first half of this year was dedicated to expanding the Toncenter API with powerful new features that apps and services can leverage to deliver an exceptional user experience.
— Actions API
The Actions API can detect patterns in sequences of blockchain transactions and return user-friendly data, such as “Exchange 1,000 USDt on DeDust DEX”, “Deposit TON into @stakee staking”, or “Bid in a Telegram Gift auction”.
Since its initial release, the API has undergone several updates using a convenient versioning system. With each version — v1, v2, and etc — the number of supported actions and services has continued to grow.
— Pending API
This API allows you to track blockchain operations that are still in progress. Messages sent to the blockchain appear instantly in this API, along with their processing status.
— Standardized Action IDs
Normalized extrernal message hash are now standardized, ensuring a reliable way to locate and track any sent message within the TON Blockchain. This is especially useful when monitoring pending actions.
— Streaming API (WebSockets / SSE)
The Streaming API provides real-time updates on both pending and confirmed transactions and actions.
— Emulation API
The Emulation API predicts what actions will occur before a message is sent to the blockchain, improving both user convenience and safety.
— Metadata API Enhancements
This API allows retrieval of cached token metadata, including icons and additional descriptive information.
— Traces API Enhancements
Transaction trace detection has been improved, with better recognition of related transaction series on the blockchain.
— TON DNS Support
— Get-method ID Support
Most of these features were not only introduced but also iterated on multiple times, with refinements improving their usability and accuracy.
Rethinking Blockchain UX: TON Sets a New Guidelines
A series of updates to the TON blockchain and Toncenter API, combined with close collaboration with leading TON ecosystem products, is redefining the blockchain user experience.
Read more:
https://telegra.ph/New-Approaches-to-Blockchain-User-Experience-08-02
Layer 2 Research and Development
TON Payment Network
TON Payment Network is a Layer 2 technology proposed by the original TON whitepaper that enables super-fast and near-zero-fees transfers between network participants.
Since the beginning of this year, the technology has been refined, unit-tested, and now supports jettons, extra-currencies, and the web, and can now be considered for integration into TON wallets and services.
TON/TVM Sidechains Overview
For scenarios that require instantaneous response to user action, such as trading or some kind of games, specialised TON Layer 2 solutions or TON Sidechains can be useful.
These solutions may be inferior in scalability but provide higher single transaction speeds.
TON Core conducted research and development of TON/TVM sidechains, including research into existing technologies such as Tycho (Hamster Kombat Layer 2), and provided basic tools for TON sidechains.
Developer Tools
Tolk 1.0 programming language
Meet Tolk 1.0 — a new programming language for creating bulletproof smart contracts on TON.
Tolk combines expressiveness, convenience, and low-level power, inheriting security, economy, and efficiency from FunC.
What makes Tolk special:
— Simple and readable syntax: as close as possible to familiar modern languages such as TypeScript and Kotlin.
— New language features for the TON asynchronous actor model: auto-serialized structures, pattern matching, smart casts, and convenient message management.
— Advanced type system: generics, null safety, type aliases, union types — everything you need to write safe and flexible code.
— Maximum efficiency: smart contracts on Tolk are cheaper than smart contracts on FunC — benchmarks show up to 50% gas savings thanks to compiler optimizations and unique “lazy” loading.
— Deep control: ability to go down to the bits and manipulate the stack when necessary.
— Redesigned standard library. Convenient language versioning and delivery system.
Tools and resources:
— Basic documentation for learning Tolk from scratch.
— Reference smart contracts with benchmark results: Jettons, NFT, Wallet v5, Telegram Gift and others.
— Migration guide from FunC and automatic converter.
— Support in IntelliJ IDEA, VSCode and Language Server.
— Integration with Blueprint and verifier.ton.org.
— The first production-ready contract on Tolk from TON Core — a Payment Channel.
TVM
Three updates to the TON virtual machine (TVM 9, TVM 10, TVM 11) were made during this period.
Development Tools
Numerous updates to development tools:
- IntelliJ IDEA Plugin
- VSCode Plugin
- retracer.ton.org
- MyLocalTon
- MyLocalTon-Docker
- TON build system: auto-builds, docker, packages, etc.
- Java SDK ton4j
- Golang SDK tonutils-go
- Kotlin SDK ton-kotlin
- Python SDK Pythoniq
Smart Contracts
Introducing the Jetton 2.0 Smart Contract
Transfers and operations with Jetton 2.0 are up to 3 times faster under heavy network load compared to jettons of the previous version.
Highload-wallet v3 secp256k1 smart contract + ton4j wrapper
We have made modification of the Highload Wallet V3 smart contract to enable the use of secp256k1 signature.
This smart contract is supported in the ton4j Java SDK 0.9.7.
https://github.com/ton-blockchain/highload-wallet-secp256k1
Cross-chain
TON Core Support for BTC Teleport
BTC Teleport is a unique cross-chain project developed by the RSquad team and TON Foundation, enabling Bitcoin transfers between the Bitcoin network and the TON network—and back—without intermediaries, powered entirely by smart contracts.
During development the RSquad team collaborates closely with both the Bitcoin Core and TON Core teams.
We were glad to support this project by contributing in the following areas:
— Integrating the BTC Teleport node and functionality into the MyTonCtrl validator tool.
— Assisting with updates in both the TON testnet and mainnet, including proposals for validator software upgrades and governance voting for system configurations.
— Researching Extra-currency vs Jetton 2.0 approaches for representing Bitcoin within the TON blockchain.
— Providing consultations and assistance with testing.
As of the mainnet validator update on July 28, the MyTonCtrl release already includes BTC Teleport functionality.
Deprecation of Toncoin Bridge
Following the successful deprecation of jUSDT, we’re officially retiring Toncoin Bridge.
Toncoin Bridge was critical for TON’s early growth:
- Before CEX listings, DeFi on TON, and USDt-TON.
- Helped 100M+ $TON flow across chains.
- Powered wrapped assets like jUSDT.
Security:
- No successful hacks or exploits
- All transfers accounted for and claimable
Web3
TON Proxy: Introducing optional traffic micro-payments and privacy via garlic routing
We have updated the TON network protocols and TON Proxy technology, allowing traffic between client and server to pass through one or several intermediate TON Proxy nodes. Garlic routing ensures complete anonymity, safeguarding client privacy and enhancing server security.
Intermediate TON Proxy nodes can receive Toncoin micropayments through the TON Payment Network (Layer 2).
First of all, we did this to improve the protection of TON validators from DDoS attacks, and therefore to further improve the stability and performance of the TON Blockchain. However, the technology is also applied to TON Sites, TON Storage and TON Torrents.
Downloading archive blocks and states via TON Torrents
Now, downloading archive blocks and archive states of the blockchain can be done via TON Torrents (TON Storage), which speeds up the process and allows you to download from multiple peers.
We have launched a dump service that automatically converts new block bundles and states into TON Torrents bags and makes them available for download.
mytonctrl 2.6.0 natively integrates the function of downloading blocks and states via TON torrents during the initial sync. If you wish, you can download blocks and states even using the TON Torrents app.
Services
wallet.ton.org
Together with the MyTonWallet team, we’ve updated wallet.ton.org — a non-commercial, fully open-source web wallet for TON.
Other services
A series of updates to vesting.ton.org and multisig.ton.org.
Postponed
Some of the secondary tasks of the roadmap have been postponed in favor of completing more relevant tasks:
- Unified set of tests for TON libraries;
- Audit of the multiple account generation algorithm;
- Standardization of TON wallet mnemonics;
- Strengthening validator penalty mechanisms;
Incidents
During the first seven months of 2025, there was a single suspension of block production in the masterchain on June 1st, which was resolved within approximately one hour.
Notable onchain activity
During the first half of the year, popular games and projects such as Not Pixel, Memhash, Tapswap, Blum, and W-coin successfully completed the initial minting of their coins for their audience. Notable on-chain activity on the network included Not Pixel on-chain games and on-chain Telegram Gifts mintings.