Protocol Specification v2.4
Market Mechanics & Ranking Protocol
KAROZ operates on an open, transparent, and strictly deterministic attention engine.
1. Deterministic Ranking Engine
Rankings are calculated automatically on every confirmed bid transaction via the following strict rules:
- Primary Sort — Total Bid Power: The listing with the highest cumulative bid (in INR paise) holds the higher rank.
- Tiebreaker 1 — Seniority of Bid: If two listings hold the exact same cumulative bid, the listing whose qualifying bid timestamp is earlier retains the higher position.
- Tiebreaker 2 — Registration Timestamp: If neither has a bid timestamp (e.g. ₹0 base listings), the older registered listing ranks higher.
- Deterministic UUID Fallback: If all timestamps are identical, tiebreaking is resolved alphabetically by listing ID.
2. Bidding & Cumulative Capital
Unlike traditional per-click auction models that deplete budgets daily, KAROZ uses cumulative equity for placement:
- No Daily Budget Depletion: Your bid does not expire per hour or per day. It stays on the ledger indefinitely until someone outbids you.
- Incremental Stacking: You only pay the difference between your current bid and your new target bid.
- Minimum Outbid: To surpass a competitor, you need at least ₹1 above their cumulative total.
3. Authoritative Server Verification
All payments are processed via Razorpay with cryptographic HMAC-SHA256 signature verification. Client devices are never the authority for payment success; position changes are applied exclusively upon server-authoritative confirmation.
4. Content Integrity & Prohibited Items
Accepted Listings
- • SaaS & Software Startups
- • Creator Newsletters & Portfolios
- • Open Source Repositories
- • Business Services & Agencies
- • Newsletters, Podcasts, & Media
Strictly Prohibited
- • Phishing, malware, or deceptive links
- • Illegal goods, narcotics, or counterfeit items
- • Adult or explicit material
- • Hate speech or harassment
- • Get-rich-quick scams or Ponzi schemes