> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.opengdp.network/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

## Why build on OpenGDP

OpenGDP is designed for creating applications, networks, and workflows where money, assets, controls, and autonomous systems need to operate together.

General-purpose networks are optimized for broad programmability. OpenGDP is optimized for programmable economic execution: value movement, tokenized instruments, liquidity, permissions, privacy, auditability, and real-world workflows.

## What makes OpenGDP different

* **Economic execution by design:** OpenGDP is built for workflows where value needs to be created, moved, governed, and settled.
* **Integrated settlement and liquidity:** Stablecoin settlement, FX, pricing, routing, and liquidity are native to the economic execution layer.
* **Programmable instruments:** Assets can carry lifecycle rules, transfer controls, cashflows, compliance logic, metadata, and audit trails.
* **Governed orchestration:** Applications, institutions, counterparties, and autonomous systems can coordinate through permissions, approvals, policy controls, and receipts.
* **Dedicated economic networks:** OpenGDP Network Stack lets teams launch sovereign, institutional, enterprise, or sector-specific networks connected to OpenGDP settlement and liquidity.
* **Operational control:** OpenGDP provides visibility, privacy, controls, and auditability for mission-critical economic workflows.

## OpenGDP vs General Networks

General-purpose networks are built to host anything. That breadth can be useful, but it often leaves builders responsible for assembling the full economic stack themselves: settlement, liquidity, compliance, orchestration, privacy, reconciliation, and reporting.

OpenGDP provides a more specialized foundation for programmable economic activity.

Instead of stitching together separate systems for payments, assets, controls, liquidity, and audit, builders can use OpenGDP as one operating layer for real-world economic execution.

## OpenGDP Network vs OpenGDP Network Stack

OpenGDP has two complementary layers:

* **OpenGDP Network** is the base execution layer where value, instruments, workflows, and applications run by default.
* **OpenGDP Network Stack** is the framework for launching dedicated economic networks with custom permissions, privacy, execution environments, and interoperability with OpenGDP Network.

Use **OpenGDP Network** when you want access to shared settlement, liquidity, composability, and default execution infrastructure.

Use **OpenGDP Network Stack** when you need a dedicated network for a sovereign, institutional, enterprise, or sector-specific environment while staying connected to the OpenGDP ecosystem.

## Quickstart

Start with the interactive [demo](https://demo.opengdp.network) to see how OpenGDP brings programmable money, tokenized assets, controls, and orchestration together.

Then explore the docs:

* **Platform:** Move value, program assets, and orchestrate economic workflows.
* **OpenGDP Network:** Learn the base execution architecture.
* **OpenGDP Network Stack:** Launch dedicated economic networks.
* **Guides:** Learn how to build anything on OpenGDP.