Stacks is a layer-1 blockchain constructed on top of the Bitcoin blockchain. It addresses Bitcoin's long-standing scalability issue by allowing smart contracts to be established on the network. Because Stacks is compatible with Bitcoin, it can make use of its advantages, such as high security, enormous capital, and a strong network impact. At the same time, Stacks allows DeFi apps to be developed on top of Bitcoin, allowing it to reach its full potential.It accomplishes this by establishing a direct connection to the Bitcoin blockchain via its proof-of-transfer (PoX) consensus mechanism, which requires miners to pay in Bitcoin to mint new Stacks (STX) tokens. STX token holders can additionally stack (rather than stake) their tokens to gain Bitcoin.Stacks makes use of Clarity, a new smart contract programming language that is built to be both safe and simple to use due to its straightforward syntax.