Coretime

The time you buy to use Polkadot’s cores, billed by blocks—bulk or on-demand.

What is coretime?

Coretime represents blocks of time that rollups (independent blockchains) can reserve to use the Polkadot Chain (aka Relay Chain) for producing and verifying blocks. It’s a key concept in Polkadot’s new economic model, replacing the old auction system with a more flexible, pay-as-you-go approach.

Technical depth: Coretime is split into units called “chunks,” which rollups purchase or lease to secure access to Polkadot’s validator set and processing power. This system is similar to buying cloud compute time.

How does coretime work?

The Polkadot Chain is divided into multiple “cores” (think of them as processing lanes). Projects buy or lease “coretime,” which lets their rollup occupy a core and produce blocks for a set period. Coretime can be bought in advance, auctioned, or purchased on demand, depending on project needs. When a rollup owns coretime, it can guarantee block production and network security during that period. All coretime transactions are recorded on-chain, with transparent rules enforced by Polkadot’s protocol.

Why is coretime important for Polkadot?

Coretime allows Polkadot to support more apps by making resource allocation flexible and market-driven. This boosts scalability, lowers entry barriers for new chains- no long-term or expensive commitments.

Benefits or use cases of coretime

• Scalability: Projects pay only for the coretime they need, when they need it.
• Smooth onboarding: Teams can test, launch, or scale up with minimal upfront costs.
• Efficient resource allocation: Prevents resource waste and congestion.