If you are an NFT game enthusiast, you must be knowing about CryptoKitties. It was launched in 2017 on the Ethereum blockchain. The fast-moving game became trendy on the network and in a crypto community where users would collect, breed, buy and sell unique variants of cats. Designed by Dapper Labs, CryptoKitties became very much successful that it caused serious network congestion on Ethereum. Consequently, the whole Ethereum network slowed down considerably resulting in high gas prices.
To fight the biggest challenge, Dapper Labs decided to build its blockchain to realize the true potential of digital assets. They quickly came up with a solution to resolve the basic problem of network congestion on almost all blockchain networks. A common problem faced by most of the platforms or developers in the software building community. To read more about CryptoKitties and other popular NFT platforms read the Top 10 most searched NFT collections in 2021.
What is Flow Blockchain?
Dapper Labs built the Flow to provide a powerful blockchain platform for the next generation of apps, games, and digital assets. Earlier, the developers build their CryptoKitties project on the Ethereum network where users could mint NFT based kittens and play games to earn more tokens. Ethereum network is mostly known for high transaction fees and network congestion, due to which the developers decided to build their blockchain structure.
Therefore, Flow came into existence. A customizable blockchain on which developers can build their choice of games, applications, smart contracts, and even code metaverse. Flow is a decentralized, extremely fast, and highly sophisticated blockchain especially carved for enthusiastic developers. It utilizes a distinctive approach of multi-role architecture that persuades towards the goal of scaling without ‘Sharding’. We will be reading more about this feature in the next section.
Flow Blockchain is developed for developers who want to create a money-making crypto business model for the next future. As Web3.0 is full of the unimaginable scope of goodness, the Dapper Labs has already opened the gates of creativity for the next-gen codecs.
The blockchain-build applications allow the consumers to control their data, while few of the other blockchain platforms forbid this approach. Moreover, Flow enables its users to:
- create different types of digital assets which are easy to trade in the open market
- provide global access to the digital assets
- help the consumers to formulate their own economies based on their assets.
How does Flow works?
According to the technical capacity of Flow, the functioning of blockchain works with different nodes without using the ‘sharding technique’. Importantly, there are four types of nodes, through which the blockchain operates:
- Consensus nodes: They are present to decide the existence and organize the transaction blocks on the platform. An extremely potent proof of stake algorithm ‘HotStuff’ is used by the consensus nodes to make the decisions.
- Verification nodes: Such nodes are responsible to make sure the Execution Nodes work properly. When working in combination with Consensus nodes, they take care of the security of the complete Flow network. Together they ensure about incentivizing other nodes and holding them accountable for any malicious activity.
- Execution nodes: These nodes are provided with certain tasks to accomplish at a stipulated time. Moreover, computational work associated with the transactions is completed by execution nodes.
- Collection nodes: The nodes help to enhance allover connectivity and productivity throughout the network. Also, collection nodes are very useful for dApps to retrieve suitable data for them. For more information, both the Collection and Execution nodes are deterministic.
Fascinatingly, the Flow blockchain’s multi-node architecture allocates the burden of a working system to different nodes. As a result, all the nodes work more efficiently and consistently throughout the process of validation in each transaction. While one must observe that the process is not set horizontally, very much unlike sharding. According to the below diagram, each node is given only one task of the validation process, thus allowing them to specialize in task solving. This process not only improvises the whole network but also increases the productivity and finality of the blockchain more efficiently.
Also, read - Everything you need to know about Algorand blockchain
Unique characteristics of Flow blockchain
1. Developer’s First Choice
With the development of CryptoKitties and Dapper Smart Contract Wallet, the Dapper Labs also managed to develop the first high-level resource-oriented programming language, Cadence. Nowadays, Cadence is becoming the developer’s first choice to innovate new platforms. As Cadence is very comfortable with strong ergonomics, it becomes easy to read for the users. On the other hand, it minimizes the runtime errors through its strong static systems.
The complete developing experience changes on Cadence with easy learning techniques, convenient to audit, and resulting in more productivity in the system. Now users can learn the language on Flow Playground. Through the resource-oriented programming language, developers can originate digital artworks and the owner can be easily traced by the language itself.
2. Upgradable Smart Contracts
Sometimes, it becomes difficult for the developers to fix or improve the smart contract once deployed. A lot of trouble is experienced by them to resolve any issue if occurred. Therefore, Flow manages to provide a mechanism where designers can upgrade their smart contracts or can even migrate them from one platform to other.
On the contrary, smart contracts originating on other platforms cannot be changed after their release. Unfortunately, developers have to deal with this bottleneck while they code for smart contracts on another network.
On Flow, without adding many complexities, the smart contracts are deployed on the mainnet in a ‘beta form’ where authors can update their code. Whereas, the users will be notified beforehand and can wait until the update is finished and finalized. After updating finally, the coders are allowed to release their smart contract permanently. The fact to be noted is that now the code is finalized by the designer it cannot be revoked from the platform for another change for eternity.
3. Consumer-Friendly Onboarding
In addition, FLOW has figured out that people want applications that can be used effortlessly. On Flow, several usability enhancements have been made for the users to take leverage out of it providing high throughput and low complexities. Following are a few key enhancements you should know about:
- Supports more sophisticated authorization control and automates the process ensuring a pleasant user experience. For instance: dApps made on Flow make sure about no loss of assets or involuntary access to the accounts. Thus ensuring the highest level of security of the valuable assets of the account holders.
- Flow provides multiple signature stages for additional security chains with an ability to wipe out old keys by proving new ones to prevent security breaches.
- Customizable smart contract functionality into each Flow wallet.
Moreover, it is strenuous for other platforms to provide users with human-readable messages defining the permissions to authorize the transactions. While on the Flow network, transaction structures pledge for a variety of changes they can make. Besides, the users feel informed about the decisions they take while approving the transactions.
Today billions of consumers are connecting with Flow Blockchain. Over and above that, Flow works independently with world’s leading entertainment studios, IP holders, and publishers and serve them with their needs.
