# 07 Overview The ReSource Protocol and Network is only the first iteration of a suite of tools built to allow anyone to deploy an instance of the protocol with ease. We believe in leveraging existing technologies, emphasizing interoperability, and making specific design decisions to ensure the overall ecosystem's health. Our intention is to provide a launchpad for network operators to deploy decentralized mutual credit networks without the hassle of fully understanding the mechanics of mutual credit, underwriting, credit risk analysis, and overall network dynamics that are required to allow economic systems to exist. Our goal is to make it as seamless as possible to construct and operate a mutual credit network. The way we envision the process is by providing templates or “plugins" to the protocol that suffice for each operator's particular objectives Mutual credit systems can be seen more as a dynamic relationship between multiple accounts where a distributed ledger is utilized to keep track of all sent and received transactions within a closed system - simply a distributed IOU. The ideal state of the network at any point in time should be close to zero as the monetary medium is created at the exact moment the transaction succeeds. Blockchain and distributed technologies are uniquely suited to solve this problem. In order to develop a standard for on-chain mutual credit, we needed to address a few non-trivial problems that deviate away from those of a traditional mutual credit/barter-trade system. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://resource-network.gitbook.io/resource-technical/07-technology/07-overview.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.