> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mars-protocol.gitbook.io/mars-protocol/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mars-protocol.gitbook.io/mars-protocol/contracts-core/protocol-overview.md).

# Protocol Overview

![](/files/b1NT7HjQgIezkrEOs6qt)

The repository for the core protocol can be found here: <https://github.com/mars-protocol/mars-core>​

### Core Contracts <a href="#core-contracts" id="core-contracts"></a>

Core contracts determine the functionality of the lending protocol and its management through governance and related tokenomics.

| Name                       | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Red Bank                   | Handles user depositing/borrowing and holds protocol's liquidity                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| Fields of Mars             | A leveraged yield farming strategy utilizing contract-to-contract (C2C) lending from Mars Protocol.                                                                                                                                                                    |
| maToken                    | maToken is a modified cw20 that is minted in representation of a deposited asset. Each deposited asset has a corresponding instance of the maToken and accumulate interest in the way that they are redeemable for an ever-increasing amount of their underlying asset |
| Address Provider           | Holds addresses of the main contracts of the core protocol                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Council                    | Handles submission, voting, and execution of proposals. As protocol becomes stable, the Council will be the admin of all protocol contracts and have privileges to update most params                                                                                  |
| Incentives                 | Manage MARS incentives for maToken holders (depositors)                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| Safety Fund                | Receives protocol fees that are kept in order to be spent in case of a shortfall event                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| Treasury                   | Receives protocol fees that are kept in order to be spent in campaigns that are submitted and approved by the council                                                                                                                                                  |
| MARS Token                 | Standard cw20. Mars holders can stake mars to receive xMARS and be able to vote and earn protocol fees                                                                                                                                                                 |
| xMARS Token                | Cw20 with added snapshot functionality in order to compute voting power for proposals. xMARS are minted by the Staking contract when addresses stake MARS                                                                                                              |
| Oracle                     | Provides prices in uusd for assets used in the protocol                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| Protocol Rewards Collector | Receives and distributes protocol fees                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| Staking                    | Handles the staking of MARS and the minting of xMARS                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| Vesting                    | Handles vesting for contributor token allocations and their voting power for council proposals                                                                                                                                                                         |