XRPL EVM Sidechain Guide
The XRP Ledger EVM sidechain brings Ethereum-compatible smart contracts to the XRPL ecosystem, letting Solidity developers build on XRP infrastructure.
What Is the XRPL EVM Sidechain?
The XRPL EVM sidechain is a separate blockchain that runs the Ethereum Virtual Machine while connected to the XRP Ledger mainnet via a bridge. Built with Cosmos SDK and CometBFT consensus, it enables developers to deploy existing Solidity smart contracts — ERC-20 tokens, DEX protocols, lending platforms — using XRP as the native gas token.
How It Works
The sidechain operates independently from XRPL mainnet but is connected through a cross-chain bridge. That bridge is Axelar: XRP sent to its gateway on the XRP Ledger is minted on the sidechain, where it pays for gas. Consensus uses CometBFT (formerly Tendermint), providing fast block finality and deterministic transaction ordering.
This design preserves XRPL mainnet's performance and security while adding full EVM programmability on the sidechain.
Using MetaMask with XRPL
Add the EVM Sidechain to MetaMask
Open MetaMask → Settings → Networks → Add Network. Enter the EVM sidechain RPC URL, chain ID, and XRP as the native currency symbol. Once connected you can send XRP, interact with smart contracts, and use any Ethereum-compatible dApp deployed on the sidechain.
Smart Contracts on XRPL
Deploy Solidity contracts using standard Ethereum tooling — Hardhat, Remix or Foundry. The EVM sidechain supports Solidity 0.8+, OpenZeppelin contracts, and all common ERC standards. Existing Ethereum dApps can be redeployed with minimal changes, simply pointing to the sidechain RPC endpoint.
Bridge Assets
XRP moves between the XRP Ledger and the sidechain through Axelar, which Ripple chose as the exclusive bridge for the sidechain’s gas token, replacing the earlier XLS-38 route (Ripple). Other tokens can travel the same way; what Axelar-bridged tokens trade at on each side is tracked on the bridge premium tracker.
Use Cases
The EVM sidechain unlocks capabilities that XRPL mainnet's native transaction types don't cover:
- DeFi protocols — lending, borrowing, yield farming with composable smart contracts
- NFT bridges — move NFTs between Ethereum, XRPL, and the sidechain
- Gaming — deploy game logic on-chain with XRP as the in-game currency
- DAOs — governance contracts and treasury management
- Cross-chain interoperability — connect XRPL to the broader EVM ecosystem