> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/voteagora/agora-next/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction to Agora

> A comprehensive onchain governance platform for DAOs built with Next.js, React, and TypeScript

## What is Agora?

Agora is a powerful, open-source onchain governance platform designed for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). It provides a complete solution for transparent, efficient governance with proposals, delegation, voting, and community forums.

<Note>
  Agora powers governance for leading DAOs including **ENS**, **Optimism**, and **Uniswap**.
</Note>

## Key Features

Agora offers a comprehensive suite of governance tools that enable your DAO to make transparent, efficient decisions onchain.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Proposal Management" icon="file-contract">
    Create, manage, and execute governance proposals with full onchain support. Track proposal lifecycle from draft to execution.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Delegation System" icon="users">
    Delegate voting power to trusted representatives. Build a robust delegate network with profiles, statements, and endorsements.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Flexible Voting" icon="check-to-slot">
    Support multiple voting mechanisms including standard voting, approval voting, and ranked choice. Enable gasless voting through meta-transactions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Community Forums" icon="comments">
    Integrated discussion platform powered by Duna. Enable community discourse with topics, posts, reactions, and moderation tools.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Multi-Tenant Architecture" icon="building">
    Run multiple DAOs on a single platform with isolated configurations, data, and customizations for each tenant.
  </Card>

  <Card title="EAS Attestations" icon="certificate">
    Verify delegates and actions using Ethereum Attestation Service (EAS) for added trust and transparency.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Who Uses Agora?

Agora is trusted by some of the most prominent DAOs in the ecosystem:

<Steps>
  <Step title="ENS (Ethereum Name Service)">
    Manages governance for the Ethereum naming system with delegate voting and proposal execution.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Optimism">
    Powers the Optimism Collective's governance including RetroPGF rounds and token house voting.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Uniswap">
    Handles governance proposals and voting for the leading decentralized exchange protocol.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Additional DAOs using Agora include Derive, Cyber, Xai, Boost, Scroll, Linea, EtherFi, B3, and Protocol Guild.

## Why Choose Agora?

### Built for Scale

Agora's multi-tenant architecture allows you to run multiple DAO instances on a single platform. Each tenant has:

* **Isolated data**: Separate PostgreSQL schemas for each DAO namespace
* **Custom configuration**: Tenant-specific contracts, tokens, and UI settings
* **Flexible deployment**: Support for different chains and governance models

### Production-Ready

Agora is a battle-tested platform with:

* **PostgreSQL + Prisma ORM**: Robust data persistence with views and materialized views
* **Next.js App Router**: Server-side rendering and optimal performance
* **TypeScript**: Type-safe codebase with comprehensive interfaces
* **OpenTelemetry**: Built-in observability and monitoring

### Developer-Friendly

* **REST API**: Comprehensive API for proposals, delegates, votes, and analytics
* **React Components**: Reusable UI components with SCSS modules and Tailwind
* **Extensible**: Add custom features, voting mechanisms, and integrations

## Architecture Overview

Agora follows a modern web application architecture:

```text theme={null}
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              Next.js Frontend                    │
│  (React, TypeScript, Tailwind, ConnectKit)      │
└────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘
                 │
                 ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              Next.js API Routes                  │
│     (REST API, Server Actions, Prisma)          │
└────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘
                 │
        ┌────────┴────────┐
        ↓                 ↓
┌───────────────┐  ┌──────────────────┐
│  PostgreSQL   │  │  Blockchain RPCs │
│   (Prisma)    │  │  (Alchemy, etc.) │
└───────────────┘  └──────────────────┘
```

<Info>
  Learn more about the architecture in the [Architecture Guide](/architecture).
</Info>

## Technology Stack

Agora is built with modern web technologies:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Frontend">
    * **Next.js 14**: React framework with App Router
    * **React 18**: UI component library
    * **TypeScript**: Type-safe JavaScript
    * **Tailwind CSS**: Utility-first CSS framework
    * **ConnectKit**: Wallet connection library
    * **Wagmi & Viem**: Ethereum interactions
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Backend">
    * **Next.js API Routes**: Serverless API endpoints
    * **Prisma**: Type-safe ORM for PostgreSQL
    * **PostgreSQL**: Relational database with multi-schema support
    * **OpenTelemetry**: Distributed tracing and observability
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Blockchain">
    * **Ethers.js v6**: Ethereum library
    * **Alchemy**: RPC provider
    * **EAS (Ethereum Attestation Service)**: Onchain attestations
    * **SIWE (Sign-In with Ethereum)**: Authentication
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="External Services">
    * **Pinata**: IPFS storage for proposal metadata
    * **Tenderly**: Transaction simulation
    * **WalletConnect**: Multi-wallet support
    * **Snapshot**: Off-chain voting (optional)
    * **Meilisearch**: Full-text search for forums
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Core Concepts

### Tenants

Each DAO is a "tenant" with its own:

* **Namespace**: Unique identifier (e.g., `ens`, `optimism`, `uniswap`)
* **Contracts**: Governor, token, timelock, and optional staking contracts
* **Token**: ERC20 or ERC721 governance token
* **UI Configuration**: Custom branding, features, and toggles
* **Database Schema**: Isolated data in PostgreSQL

### Proposals

Proposals are the core governance primitive:

* **Types**: Standard, temp checks, approval voting, ranked choice
* **Lifecycle**: Draft → Active → Succeeded/Defeated → Queued → Executed
* **Metadata**: Title, description, transactions, voting parameters
* **Storage**: PostgreSQL + optional IPFS for descriptions

### Delegation

Voting power can be delegated:

* **Direct Delegation**: Delegate to a single address
* **Partial Delegation**: Split voting power (Alligator)
* **Sub-delegation**: Delegates can re-delegate (chain of authority)
* **Profiles**: Delegates create statements with social links

### Voting

Multiple voting mechanisms are supported:

* **Onchain Voting**: Direct contract interactions
* **Gasless Voting**: Meta-transactions with signature verification
* **Vote Types**: For, Against, Abstain
* **Advanced Voting**: Approval voting, ranked choice (Optimism)

## Getting Started

Ready to deploy Agora for your DAO? Follow our comprehensive guides:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quickstart Guide" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Set up Agora locally and create your first proposal in minutes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Architecture Guide" icon="sitemap" href="/architecture">
    Understand Agora's system design, database schema, and key components.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configuration Guide" icon="gear" href="/guides/configuration">
    Configure environment variables, contracts, and tenant settings.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api/overview">
    Explore the REST API for proposals, delegates, votes, and more.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Community and Support

Agora is open source and actively maintained by the team at [Agora](https://www.agora.vote/).

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="GitHub Repository" icon="github" href="https://github.com/voteagora/agora-next">
    View source code, open issues, and contribute to development.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Discord Community" icon="discord">
    Join the community for support, discussions, and collaboration.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Warning>
  Before deploying to production, make sure to review the security best practices in the [Deployment Guide](/guides/deployment).
</Warning>

## Next Steps

Now that you understand what Agora is, choose your path:

* **New to Agora?** Start with the [Quickstart Guide](/quickstart)
* **Technical deep dive?** Read the [Architecture Guide](/architecture)
* **Deploying to production?** Check the [Deployment Guide](/guides/deployment)
* **Building integrations?** Explore the [API Reference](/api/overview)