Getting Started with Lethean
What is Lethean?
Lethean is an open-source layer-1 blockchain where every transaction is private by default. Amounts, addresses, and even asset types are hidden. This is enforced at the protocol level, not opt-in.
You can send funds, stake, issue your own tokens, trade peer-to-peer, and build apps on Lethean. Nobody can see what you sent, who received it, or which asset was involved. All an outside observer sees is that a transaction happened.
Origin
Lethean is a community-owned fork of Zano (CryptoNote+), whose lead developer Andrey Sabelnikov wrote the original CryptoNote reference implementation -- the codebase that Monero and hundreds of other projects forked from. Lethean inherits this battle-tested cryptographic foundation and extends it with decentralised VPN, identity, and service-layer features. The chain is operated by Lethean CIC, a UK community interest company.
- Source: github.com/lethean-io
- Explorer: explorer.lthn.io
- Downloads: downloads.lthn.io
Key Technologies
Zarcanum -- the world's first Proof of Stake scheme with hidden amounts. Stakers secure the network without revealing their balances.
Confidential Assets -- anyone can issue privacy tokens on the Lethean chain with the same protections as native LTHN: hidden addresses and hidden amounts.
Ionic Swaps -- peer-to-peer asset exchange with full privacy. Neither party has an unfair advantage. Powers the built-in DEX.
Hybrid PoW/PoS Consensus -- alternates Proof of Work and Proof of Stake blocks. Attacking Lethean requires both hashpower and stake.
Auditable Wallets -- opt-in transparent wallets for situations where a third party needs to verify balances.
Fungibility -- every LTHN is identical. No coin has a "history" that can be traced, flagged, or blacklisted.
Specifications
| General info | |
|---|---|
| Release | 2026 (Zano fork, CryptoNote heritage since 2014) |
| Currency | Lethean |
| Symbol | LTHN |
| Address prefix | iTHN |
| Hash algorithm | ProgPoWZ (GPU) + PoS hybrid |
| Language | C++ (daemon), Go (tooling), TypeScript (web) |
| Blockchain | PoS + PoW alternating blocks |
| Block Time | 120 seconds (2 minutes) |
| Block Reward | 1 LTHN per block (fixed) |
| Blocks per day | ~1440 total (~720 PoW + ~720 PoS) |
| Premine | 10,000,000 LTHN (SWAP pool for old chain holders) |
| Maximum Supply | Uncapped (asymptotically decreasing inflation) |
| Fee on TXs | 0.01 LTHN (flat fee) |
| Fee burn | 100% (all fees are burned) |
| Alias registration | 1 LTHN (updates use standard fee) |
| Mainnet P2P | 36942 |
| Mainnet RPC | 36941 |
| Testnet P2P | 46942 |
| Testnet RPC | 46941 |
Emission and Tokenomics
Lethean has a hybrid PoW/PoS consensus algorithm. Emission is generated from two sources:
- Proof of Work (PoW) mining -- new LTHN coins reward miners for contributing hashpower.
- Proof of Stake (PoS) staking -- new LTHN coins reward users who stake and secure the network.
100% of the block reward goes to the miner or staker who found the block.
| Emission specifications | |
|---|---|
| Block Time | 2 minutes (120 seconds) |
| Block Reward | 1 LTHN per block (fixed) |
| Maximum Supply | Uncapped |
| Yearly Inflation | Ever-decreasing trend towards 0% (asymptotic) |
| Fee on TXs (flat fee) | 0.01 LTHN |
| Fee burn | 100% (all fees are burned) |
All network fees are burned. With enough network usage, daily fee burning can surpass the emission from block rewards, making the supply deflationary.
The SWAP and Initial Supply
Lethean launched with a 10,000,000 LTHN premine designated as a SWAP pool -- allowing holders of old-chain LTHN tokens to convert at a 100:1 ratio (100 old tokens = 1 new LTHN).
| Supply detail | |
|---|---|
| Premine (SWAP pool) | 10,000,000 LTHN |
| SWAP ratio | 100:1 (old chain to new chain) |
| Old chain total supply | ~1,000,000,000 old LTHN |
| New chain emission target | ~12,000,000 LTHN over first decade |
| Daily PoW+PoS emission | ~1,440 LTHN (720 PoW + 720 PoS) |
Is the block reward enough to secure the network?
Yes. To perform a 51% attack on Lethean, you need both 51% PoW hashrate AND 51% PoS power. Purchasing a significant portion of coins would dramatically increase the price, making attacks economically infeasible. Using a small percentage of PoS coins requires 800%+ PoW power. This allows a low block reward while maintaining high security.
Lethean CIC
Lethean is operated by Lethean CIC, a UK Community Interest Company. This means the project is legally structured for community benefit, not private profit. No foundation tax, no dev cut from blocks.
Features Overview
Privacy
Every transaction is private at the protocol level. Amounts, addresses, and asset types are hidden by default. Only you decide what to reveal.
Security
A hybrid PoW/PoS consensus algorithm makes attacks infeasible. An attacker would need both majority hashrate and a large share of staked coins simultaneously.
Decentralisation
Anyone can participate. There are no validator nodes, no minimum staking amounts, and no lock-up times. Mine, stake, or just use it.
Untraceable Transactions
Transactions use d/v-CLSAG Ring Signatures (hide the sender) and Stealth Addresses (hide the receiver and asset type). Only the parties involved can see details.
Amount Privacy
Bulletproofs+ hide the amounts in every transaction, verifying that inputs and outputs balance without revealing actual numbers.
Escrow Contracts
Both parties lock a deposit into a contract. If either side cheats, they lose their deposit. No intermediary needed.
Aliases
Register a human-readable name like @username instead of a long address. Aliases are on-chain and used for messaging, dApp authentication, and payments.
Marketplace API
Create, update, or deactivate on-chain offers. Anyone can build a decentralised store on top of this.
Resources
| Resource | URL |
|---|---|
| Website | lethean.io |
| Repository | github.com/lethean-io |
| Explorer | explorer.lthn.io |
| Documentation | testnet-docs.lthn.io |
| Downloads | downloads.lthn.io |
| Trade (DEX) | trade.lthn.io |