Decentraland is software running on Ethereum that incentivizes a global network of users to operate a shared virtual world.

Decentraland users can buy and sell digital real estate while exploring, interacting, and playing games within this virtual world. Over time, the platform has evolved to implement interactive apps, in-world payments, and peer-to-peer communication for users.

Two different types of tokens govern operations in Decentraland.

These are:

Land: A non-fungible token (NFT) used to define the ownership of land parcels representing digital real estate.

Mana: A cryptocurrency that facilitates purchases of LAND and virtual goods and services used in the Decentraland.

Changes to the Decentraland software take place through a collection of blockchain-based smart contacts. These contracts allow participants who own MANA to vote on policy updates, land auctions, and subsidies for new developments.

Architecture

Decentraland has many layered components built using Ethereum smart contracts.

The consensus layer maintains a ledger that tracks the ownership of land parcels. Each parcel of LAND has a unique coordinate in the virtual world, an owner, and a reference to a description file representing the content within the parcel.

The content layer controls what happens within each parcel and includes various files required to render them:

• Content Files – referencing all static audio and visuals
• Script Files – defining the placement and behavior of the referenced content
• Interaction Definition – peer-to-peer interactions such as gesturing, voice chat, and messaging.

Finally, the real-time layer facilitates social interactions within Decentraland through user avatars, including voice chat and messaging.