# Kickstart

The next-generation Layer 2 scaling solution for Bitcoin. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to start building, interacting, or contributing to the IBVM ecosytem

The IBVM is a fully Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) equivalent VM running on Bitcoin and using BTC as its native token. EVMs as a concept are the most battle-tested and mature VM in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. It is a deterministic, stack-based virtual machine, renowned for its ability to efficiently execute smart contracts in a secure and isolated environment.

IBVM implements its own EVM, referred to as a "zkEVM". A zkEVM is a special EVM implementation that makes the full VM implementation provable. Citrea zkEVM is classified as Type 2, which means full equivalency and a scalable and trustless proof system due to being based on zk-STARKs. IBVM zkEVM is built using RISC Zero.


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://ibvm.gitbook.io/ibvm-doc/developer-documentation/kickstart.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
