This section explains the key concepts and architectural components that make up the CreateDAO platform.

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What is a DAO?

A Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) is an organization represented by rules encoded as a computer program (smart contracts) that is transparent, controlled by the organization members, and not influenced by a central authority.

Key characteristics typically include:

  • Decentralized Governance: Decisions are made collectively by members, often through voting with governance tokens.
  • Transparency: Rules, proposals, voting, and treasury transactions are recorded publicly on the blockchain.
  • Automation: Smart contracts automate many organizational functions, such as proposal execution and fund management.
  • Community Ownership: Members often hold tokens that represent ownership or voting rights.

DAOs are used for various purposes, including managing protocols, funding projects, governing communities, and collective asset ownership.

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CreateDAO Architecture Overview

CreateDAO employs a modular and upgradeable architecture built around several key smart contracts:

  1. Factory (DAOFactory.sol):

    • Purpose: Acts as the central deployment hub. Users interact with the factory to launch new DAOs.
    • Functionality: Holds the addresses of the latest approved implementation contracts for the core DAO components. When createDAO is called, it deploys new proxy contracts for the DAO and its modules, pointing them to the registered implementations. It also manages the registration of new implementation versions (controlled by the factory owner).

  2. Core DAO (DAO.sol):

    • Purpose: The central governance contract for a specific deployed DAO. It doesn’t hold funds directly but orchestrates actions.
    • Functionality: Inherits logic for proposal creation/voting (DAOProposals.sol) and proposal execution (DAOExecutor.sol). It maintains references to the DAO’s specific Token, Treasury, and Staking contracts. It enforces governance rules like voting periods, quorum, and minimum proposal stake.

  3. Core Modules (Proxies & Implementations): These are deployed alongside the Core DAO by the Factory.

    • DAOTokenProxy / DAOToken.sol: The DAO’s specific governance token contract (usually ERC20-based). Used for voting power and potentially other utility.
    • DAOStakingProxy / DAOStaking.sol: Handles the staking of the governance token to determine voting power for proposals.
    • DAOTreasuryProxy / DAOTreasury.sol: Holds the DAO’s funds (native currency and ERC20 tokens). Transfers out of the treasury are controlled exclusively by passed proposals executed through the Core DAO contract.

  4. Optional Modules (e.g., DAOPresaleProxy / DAOPresale.sol):

    • Purpose: Provide additional functionality beyond the core setup.
    • Functionality: These are not deployed initially but can be proposed and deployed via DAO governance (e.g., a proposePresale proposal executed by the Core DAO contract would deploy a DAOPresaleProxy using an implementation registered in the DAOFactory).

  5. Proxy Contracts & Upgradability (UUPS):

    • Purpose: To allow the underlying logic (implementation) of the DAO and its modules to be updated without changing the contract address or migrating state.
    • Functionality: CreateDAO uses the UUPS (Universal Upgradeable Proxy Standard) pattern. The DAOFactory deploys proxy contracts (DAOProxy, DAOTokenProxy, etc.). These proxies hold the state (data) and delegate calls to separate implementation contracts (DAO.sol, DAOToken.sol, etc.) which contain the logic. Upgrades are initiated via a governance proposal (proposeUpgrade or proposeModuleUpgrade) on the Core DAO contract. If passed and executed, the execute function calls upgradeToAndCall on the relevant proxy, pointing it to a new implementation address registered in the DAOFactory.

This modular and upgradeable design ensures that DAOs launched with CreateDAO can adapt and evolve over time based on community decisions.

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Supported Blockchains

CreateDAO is designed for EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) compatible blockchains. The specific networks where the DAOFactory and implementation contracts are deployed may vary. Check the Deployed Contracts section for the most up-to-date list of supported networks and contract addresses.