One chain. Two ways to run code.
Use familiar EVM code or compiled C++. Both run on the same chain and change the same shared state.
Most blockchains give builders one way to run a smart contract.
AppLayer gives them two.
Path one: familiar EVM code
Builders can deploy Solidity and other code that compiles for the EVM.
This is the familiar path. It works with tools people already know, including wallets, ABIs, and JSON-RPC.
Path two: compiled C++
Some jobs need a more direct path.
These are stateful C++ smart contracts compiled into the chain's execution environment.
In simple terms: the EVM path reads instructions one step at a time. The C++ path runs compiled machine code.
Both paths share one state
The two paths do not live on separate islands.
Accounts, balances, contracts, and saved program data live in the same state. A contract address tells AppLayer which path should run.
Connected EVM and C++ calls are treated as one job. If the job works, AppLayer saves the changes together. If it fails, AppLayer undoes them together.
One chain. Two code paths. One saved result.
The network still checks the work
Native does not mean outside the chain.
Every validator must get the same result when it runs the same transaction from the same starting state. The network checks blocks using the same rules, no matter which code path ran.
That is the point: builders get a faster, more capable execution option without creating a second source of truth.
See the AppLayer Testnet or read the contract documentation.