How the upgraded Pyth Core works
A technical look at the signers, data flow, and contracts behind the upgrade.
The upgraded Pyth Core leverages the high-performance Pyth Pro architecture while preserving the existing interfaces, so existing integrations work with no code changes. This page explains the new architecture and how it works.
Architecture Overview
Data flow
- Aggregate & Sign: Each tick, the five Pyth Pro routers independently compute the price aggregate, build a Merkle tree using Pythnet's leaf format, and sign the resulting Merkle root.
- Data Collection: The upgraded Hermes endpoint gathers the signed roots and price messages from all routers.
- Update Submission: Consumers fetch the signed root and Merkle proofs from Hermes and submit them to the upgraded contract.
- On-Chain Verification: The upgraded contracts verify that the router signatures meet the quorum and validate the requested price against the Merkle root.
Components
Routers
The network consists of five independently operated routers. They use the same ECDSA signature scheme as the existing Wormhole guardians.
Upgraded Hermes endpoint
The upgraded Hermes endpoint is hosted at a new URL but remains completely backward-compatible with standard Hermes. It exposes the identical HTTP and WebSocket API endpoints and returns the same payload structures.
Upgraded Pyth Core Contract
These are newly deployed contracts on each supported blockchain. They share the exact same ABI and interface as the legacy contracts, eliminating the need for any downstream code modifications.
Comparison: Existing vs. Upgraded Pyth Core
While the upgraded Pyth Core is designed to be fully compatible with existing contracts and tools, there are key differences in how the underlying data is aggregated, signed, and verified.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the two architectures:
| Feature | Existing Pyth Core | Upgraded Pyth Core |
|---|---|---|
| Data Sourcing & Root Production | Pythnet | 5 Independent Routers (via Pyth Pro) |
| Signer Network | Wormhole Guardians | 5 Independent Routers |
| Quorum Threshold | 13/19 Signatures | 3/5 Signatures |
| Signature Scheme | ECDSA (Secp256k1) | ECDSA (Secp256k1) (Same) |
| Hermes Compatibility | Standard Hermes Endpoint | Upgraded Hermes Endpoint (Byte-Compatible API) |
| Contract ABI | Existing ABI | Identical ABI (Deployed at New Addresses) |
What this means for consumers
Pyth Core will be upgraded on July 31st. To avoid potential oracle downtime, make sure you take the appropriate steps by following the upgrade guide. You can also view the upgraded Pyth Core Contract addresses for the new contract addresses on each supported chain.