Dero represents the pioneering crypto project that integrates a proof-of-work blockchain with a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) block structure, offering fully anonymous transactions. It aims to achieve significant advancements over existing privacy-focused cryptocurrencies such as Monero (XMR) and Z-Cash (ZEC) by merging the most advantageous elements of both consensus mechanisms. The project implements this by constructing a main chain derived from the DAG network of blocks, which includes main blocks and side blocks. The contribution of side blocks enhances proof-of-work security, rendering traditional 51% attacks infeasible. Unlike conventional blockchains, Dero views the transaction as the fundamental unit of computation, instead of the block. Consequently, blocks in the Dero ecosystem may contain duplicate or double-spend transactions, but these are screened out by the client protocol and disregarded by the network. Essentially, Dero is designed to blend the security and decentralization of a proof-of-work blockchain with the scalability and rapid transaction capability offered by DAG technology. The objective is to establish a blockchain network capable of serving both businesses and individuals on a global scale, facilitating secure, swift, and anonymous transactions along with smart contract execution.

Dero was launched in December 2017 by a team of three full-time developers. The team maintains anonymity but asserts that each member has over a decade of expertise in cryptography, along with several years of experience in blockchain development. Considering the project's complexity and the milestones achieved — including the design of an entirely new consensus mechanism in Golang, a programming language known for its strong resistance to security vulnerabilities — it can be reasonably inferred that Dero was developed by individuals with extensive practical experience in cryptography.

Dero was developed from the ground up to accommodate millions of users with enhanced reliability, privacy, security, and usability. The development followed a "build it and they will come" strategy, meaning the team prioritized creating effective technology before concentrating on marketing efforts. A distinguishing feature of Dero is its use of CryptoNote, a protocol designed to obscure the sender and receiver of a transaction, thereby protecting the identities of all parties involved and ensuring privacy. Furthermore, Dero is the first blockchain to implement full SSL encryption in the peer-to-peer layer, which encrypts all network traffic and conceals it from internet service providers aiming to analyze said traffic. Dero is also the first CryptoNote blockchain capable of processing 75 transactions per second on its native blockchain without employing any scaling solutions like lightning networks. This performance is notably higher than Bitcoin's approximate rate of five transactions per second. Additionally, Dero's Bulletproof implementation is ten times faster than the standard version. Bulletproofs are a cryptographic technique that minimizes the space needed for zero-knowledge range proofs. Consequently, Dero has the potential to address use cases requiring privacy, such as voting services, escrow services, and address certification/verification. Given the team's accomplishments thus far, a minimum viable product was established in August 2018, and there are plans to launch smart contracts on the mainnet in Q3 2021. Dero can legitimately claim to be one of the top privacy coins in the market.

Dero has a maximum supply of 18.4 million coins. Upon the network's launch, an initial pre-mine of two million DERO was set aside, which is not included in the circulating supply. These funds are allocated for development and marketing purposes. Dero features a submission rate of 157,000 DERO per year, supported by a smoothly varying block reward. The block time is 27 seconds, offering a significant speed advantage compared to other proof-of-work blockchains, and the confirmation time stands at 4.5 minutes.

Dero has developed a distinctive and robust security mechanism. In addition to its highlighted features, Dero introduced a novel mining algorithm called AstroBWT. This is an open-source proof-of-work consensus mechanism that operates on the principle of one-CPU-one-vote. Such a mechanism mitigates the performance advantages of specialized hardware, thus preventing a miner oligopoly akin to that seen in Bitcoin, where ASICs are prevalent. Consequently, mining rewards are more equitably distributed, and consensus is primarily achieved by a majority decision through the CPU power of the network's nodes. By integrating the CryptoNote protocol with Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) technology, Dero is fortified against hash rate attacks and soft forks without experiencing downtime. It stands as the fastest CryptoNote-based blockchain that has been deployed.

DERO is accessible on exchanges such as KuCoin, TradeOgre, CoinEx, and ViteX. To gain further understanding of cryptocurrencies and guidance on how to begin purchasing them, explore our educational resource, Alexandria, for more information.