Cartesi Machine

The Cartesi Machine is a virtual machine that runs an entire Linux OS, in which a dApp's backend is executed. The Cartesi Machine is based on the RISC-V ISA, a set of instructions for processors. It runs in isolation, meaning it operates independently and is reproducible.

Central to Cartesi Rollups is the Cartesi Machine, a virtual machine designed to perform off-chain computations for blockchain applications. When examined from a high level of abstraction, the Cartesi Machine can be compared to an AWS Lambda function, with similarities that encompass:

Code execution: Code is executed based on specific inputs to perform computations, process data, or run custom logic, depending on the requirements of the task at hand.
Abstraction of infrastructure: The underlying infrastructure is abstracted away, allowing you to focus on writing code without worrying about managing servers, hardware, or networking resources.
Flexibility in programming languages and libraries: You have flexibility in the choice of programming languages and all open-source libraries available on Linux.

The Cartesi Machine is a state machine that remains idle until a new request arises. The concept of state, in this case, is tied to both the input requests that the Cartesi Machine receives and the execution of the RISC-V instructions that the machine follows in processing those requests. The Cartesi Machine handles:

Discrete states: RISC-V instructions are executed step-by-step, transitioning from one state to another.
State transitions: State transitions happen deterministically as the emulator processes these RISC-V instructions, changing the system's state to a new discrete state.
Determinism: Given the same initial state and input, the Cartesi Machine will always produce the same output and final state to ensure that off-chain computations can be verified and agreed upon.
The Cartesi machine is self-contained and can't make an external request. To achieve reproducibility,it runs in isolation from any external influence on the computation.