# Ripple

> Payment protocol

**Wikidata**: [Q1307473](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1307473)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XRP_Ledger)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/ripple

## Summary
Ripple is a payment protocol designed for real-time gross settlement that uses blockchain technology. It was developed as free software under the ISC license and competes with other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

## Key Facts
- Ripple is a payment protocol designed for real-time gross settlement using blockchain technology
- Created/developed by Jed McCaleb, Chris Larsen, and David Schwartz
- First published in 2012 or 2013
- Licensed under the ISC license
- Official website is https://ripple.com
- Current stable version is 0.33.0 (released in 2016-09-29, with hotfix 0.33.0-hf1 in 2017-01-26)
- Has 2,623,303 social media followers as of February 6, 2023
- Competes directly with Bitcoin and Ethereum in the cryptocurrency and blockchain payment space

## FAQs
### Q: What is Ripple used for?
A: Ripple is used for real-time gross settlement, allowing fast and efficient cross-border payments through its blockchain-based payment protocol.

### Q: Who created Ripple?
A: Ripple was created by Jed McCaleb, Chris Larsen, and David Schwartz, with Jed McCaleb being an American tech entrepreneur and philanthropist.

### Q: How does Ripple differ from Bitcoin?
A: Ripple differs from Bitcoin as it focuses on payment protocols and real-time settlement rather than primarily being a digital currency like Bitcoin.

### Q: Is Ripple open source?
A: Yes, Ripple is free software distributed under the ISC license terms that allow users to freely run, study, change and distribute it and modified versions.

### Q: What programming language is Ripple written in?
A: Ripple is written in C++ programming language.

## Why It Matters
Ripple matters because it addresses the inefficiencies of traditional cross-border payment systems by providing a real-time gross settlement solution. Its blockchain-based protocol offers faster transaction processing compared to traditional banking systems and some cryptocurrencies. By competing with established cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, Ripple contributes to the diversification of payment solutions in the digital economy. The protocol's focus on enterprise adoption and partnerships with financial institutions gives it a unique position in the blockchain space, potentially bridging the gap between traditional finance and cryptocurrency technologies.

## Notable For
- Being a real-time gross settlement system that uses blockchain technology
- Competing directly with major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum
- Having a verified Twitter account with over 2.6 million followers
- Being developed as free software under the ISC license
- Having multiple stable version releases (0.20.1, 0.21.0, 0.31.2, 0.32.0, 0.32.1, 0.33.0)

## Body
### Development and History
- Ripple was created/developed by Jed McCaleb, Chris Larsen, and David Schwartz
- Publication/creation dates are listed as 2012 and 2013
- It was first released with version 0.12 in 2016
- The project has a continuous integration software quality assurance process

### Technical Specifications
- Uses blockchain technology
- Written in C++ programming language
- Current stable version is 0.33.0 (released September 29, 2016, with hotfix 0.33.0-hf1 on January 26, 2017)
- Previous stable versions include 0.32.1 (August 19, 2016), 0.32.0 (June 27, 2016), and 0.31.2 (June 10, 2016)
- Source code is hosted at https://github.com/ripple/rippled
- Has a Travis CI continuous integration setup

### Legal and Licensing
- Distributed as free software under the ISC license
- Copyright status is copyrighted
- Multiple aliases include Ripple Transaction Protocol, Ripple protocol, Ripple monetary system, XRP moon, XRP, and 瑞波幣

### Online Presence
- Official website is https://ripple.com
- Has a verified Twitter account (@Ripple) created December 31, 2012
- Facebook page is "ripplepay"
- Subreddit is "Ripple" (English language, created October 14, 2009)
- Has 2,623,303 Twitter followers as of February 6, 2023 (preferred value)

### Community and Recognition
- Has 36 Wikipedia sitelinks
- Competes with Bitcoin (150 sitelinks) and Ethereum (73 sitelinks)
- Recognized as free software and blockchain technology
- Listed in various Wikipedia languages including af, ar, ary, az, azb, be_x_old, cs, de, en, fa
- Has a Zhihu topic ID of 19852065 (titled "Ripple")

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Ripple",
  "description": "A payment protocol designed for real-time gross settlement that uses blockchain technology",
  "url": "https://ripple.com",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q183941",
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XRP_Ledger"
  ],
  "additionalType": "Payment protocol"
}

## References

1. [Source](https://api.github.com/repos/ripple/rippled/releases)
2. [Release 0.33.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.33.0)
3. [Release 0.33.0. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.33.0-hf1)
4. [Release 0.32.1. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.32.1)
5. [Release 0.32.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.32.0)
6. [Release 0.31.2. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.31.2)
7. [Release 0.20.1. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.20.1)
8. [Release 0.21.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.21.0)
9. [Release 0.22.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.22.0)
10. [Release 0.23.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.23.0)
11. [Release 0.24.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.24.0)
12. [Release 0.25.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.25.0)
13. [Release 0.25.1. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.25.1)
14. [Release 0.25.2. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.25.2)
15. [Release 0.26.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.26.0)
16. [Release 0.26.1. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.26.1)
17. [Release 0.26.2. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.26.2)
18. [Release 0.26.3. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.26.3-sp1)
19. [Release 0.26.4. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.26.4)
20. [Release 0.27.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.27.0)
21. [Release 0.27.1. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.27.1)
22. [Release 0.27.2. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.27.2)
23. [Release 0.27.3. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.27.3-sp2)
24. [Release 0.27.3. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.27.3-sp1)
25. [Release 0.27.3. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.27.3)
26. [Release 0.27.4. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.27.4)
27. [Release 0.28.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.28.0)
28. [Release 0.28.1. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.28.1)
29. [Release 0.28.2. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.28.2)
30. [Release 0.29.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.29.0)
31. [Release 0.30.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.30.0)
32. [Release 0.30.1. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.30.1)
33. [Release 0.30.1. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.30.1-rc1)
34. [Release 0.31.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.31.0)
35. [Release 0.40.1. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.40.1)
36. [Release 0.40.0. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.40.0)
37. [Release 0.50.0. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.50.0)
38. [Release 0.60.0. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.60.0)
39. [Release 0.60.1. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.60.1)
40. [Release 0.80.0. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.80.0)
41. [Release 0.70.2. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.70.2)
42. [Release 0.70.1. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.70.1)
43. [Release 0.70.0. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.70.0)
44. [Release 0.60.3. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.60.3)
45. [Release 0.60.2. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.60.2)
46. [Release 0.80.1. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.80.1)
47. [Release 0.80.2. 2017](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.80.2)
48. [Release 0.81.0. 2018](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.81.0)
49. [Release 0.90.0. 2018](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.90.0)
50. [Release 0.19.0. 2016](https://github.com/ripple/rippled/releases/tag/0.19.0)