In an exclusive Hackernoon interview, Dr. Alex Shevchenko, a physicist turned blockchain innovator, unveils Aurora's groundbreaking approach to blockchain accessibility through the Aurora Cloud Console. Drawing from his experience developing Exonum at Bitfury, Dr. Shevchenko explains how Aurora is revolutionizing blockchain deployment with their Virtual Chain technology, effectively reducing the multi-million dollar barrier to entry down to zero. As blockchain adoption accelerates toward 2025, this conversation reveals how Aurora's no-code solution could fundamentally transform the way we think about launching and managing blockchain networks. Ishan Pandey: Dr. Shevchenko, you've had a fascinating journey from physics and mathematics to blockchain, including developing Exonum at Bitfury and now revolutionizing blockchain accessibility with Aurora. What key insights from building one of the first enterprise Layer-1 platforms influenced your vision for Aurora Cloud Console's no-code approach? Alex Shevchenko: Blockchains are complex and often non-intuitive for the majority of engineers. The simpler and more accessible we make the onboarding process, the more widespread blockchain adoption will become. This is why our focus at Aurora is on simplifying blockchain and making it more convenient. Ishan Pandey: The Aurora Cloud Console is being positioned as a zero-coding platform for custom blockchains. Can you walk us through how you've managed to simplify what's traditionally been a complex, technical process while still maintaining the robustness needed for production-ready chains? Alex Shevchenko: The main aspect that makes this possible is the architecture of our solution. At the core of Aurora Cloud Console is the concept of a virtual chain – a solution that inherits the security and infrastructure of the mother chain. In our case, this is the NEAR blockchain.  Virtual chains are implemented as smart contracts on the mother chain, allowing their management and customization to be as simple as adjusting the smart contract parameters prior to deployment. That's why virtual chains are both easy to deploy and highly customizable. Ishan Pandey: Virtual Chains are unique in that they inherit NEAR's validator set and infrastructure. How does this architectural choice impact the security, scalability, and cost structure compared to traditional L2 solutions that need to build their own validator networks? Alex Shevchenko: L2s are traditionally run on a single sequencer node with a promise to inherit the security of the L1 blockchain in the future (commonly referred to as Stage 2 rollups). However, the uncomfortable truth is that very few teams have reached this stage, with most rollups being on stage 0 (see l2beat.com), which implies trust in the sequencer. Virtual chains, on the other hand, operate as smart contracts and therefore share the same trust assumptions as their mother chain. In the case of Aurora Cloud, this means 235 validators with a combined stake of over $2.5 billion validate all the virtual chains from their very first block. In fact, the NEAR protocol is a shared decentralized sequencer for all virtual chains. Ishan Pandey: Looking at the launch of Aurora Cloud Console specifically, what types of projects or use cases do you envision this platform enabling that weren't previously possible or were too resource-intensive to pursue? Alex Shevchenko: Industry estimates (see this) suggest that launching a blockchain typically costs tens of millions of US dollars. This is a significant barrier to entry. Aurora Cloud Console eliminates this cost entirely, reducing the price to zero. I expect this change will make it possible for early-stage founders to experiment and achieve product-market fit much faster. By removing this obstacle, we expect a transformative impact on the development and adoption of blockchain use cases across the board. Ishan Pandey: With features like guided parameter selection and real-time monitoring, the Console seems designed for both technical and non-technical users. How do you balance making blockchain deployment accessible while ensuring users understand the implications of their configuration choices? Alex Shevchenko: Making UX better is a never-ending story :) Our approach is to make sure that in 80% of the cases, the founder/administrator of a new chain can access all the necessary information and understand the implications directly in the Aurora Cloud Console. For the remaining 20%, we provide support groups and the option to schedule a call with our team. However, I must admit that launching blockchains is not for everyone – just like getting a server on AWS. Ishan Pandey: You've mentioned that Aurora goes beyond Ethereum compatibility. With the launch of Cloud Console, how do you see Aurora's role evolving in bridging the gap between different blockchain ecosystems? Alex Shevchenko: Ethereum has established the EVM as the de-facto standard for blockchain runtime. However, blockchains fundamentally are "a thing in itself", with no native connections to the outside world. The state of affairs though dictates that there are many blockchains and launching them becomes increasingly simple. So, the multichain future is no longer the future – it's our present. And we need to allow for it. We need to provide builders the convenient mechanisms of seamless interaction between blockchains. Within Aurora Cloud infrastructure, we offer such a technological solution – chain signatures. It is developed and launched as a part of the NEAR protocol and it allows accounts to hold keys (such as those from an account on other chains) and sign messages and transactions using them. This technology is available for all Virtual Chains from their first block. It is also important to mention that not only this, but the entire existing NEAR and Aurora infrastructure is available to Virtual Chains. Moreover, future infrastructure updates become available at the moment of deployment. While L2s often create fragmented, non-interacting ecosystems, the Virtual Chain approach fosters the network effect among all of the chains, ensuring seamless connectivity and collaboration. Ishan Pandey: The blockchain industry has seen various attempts at making chain deployment more accessible. What lessons from these previous approaches informed the development of Aurora Cloud Console, and how does it address their limitations? Alex Shevchenko: The key lesson we've learned is that designing a solution must begin with a problem you want to solve, rather than forcing existing ideas to fit these problems. L2s were designed as a scalability solutions to Ethereum. Who said that such an approach is the best one for launching a chain? The ideal solution for launching a chain should meet the following criteria: it should take seconds to launch, be as decentralized as the existing top blockchain protocols, and offer all the necessary infrastructure available from the first block (stablecoins, CEXes integration, bridges, messaging protocols, DeFi ecosystem, cross-chain primitives, NFP marketplaces, launchpads, custodians and onramps, RPCs and indexing solutions, wallets, explorers and governance solutions; and perhaps something else). Ideally, all of this should be free. While Aurora Cloud hasn't yet achieved this ideal fully, our architecture is capable of delivering it. And we've already accomplished 90% of this. Ishan Pandey: As we look ahead to the rest of 2025, what developments in the Virtual Chain ecosystem should we be watching for, and how does the Aurora Cloud Console fit into your longer-term vision for blockchain accessibility? Alex Shevchenko: The Virtual Chain approach represents the ultimate solution for launching blockchains. However, this doesn't mean the work is done. There's still much to accomplish, including expanding the availability of infrastructure pieces through an open infrastructure marketplace within Aurora Cloud, as well as further optimizing deployment speeds. Looking ahead, I look forward to what builders will bring to the table having such a powerful instrument in their hands. Our goal for 2025 is to help others launch 1000 Virtual Chains. And I'm pretty sure it's more than achievable. Don’t forget to like and share the story! Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program. HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR In an exclusive Hackernoon interview, Dr. Alex Shevchenko, a physicist turned blockchain innovator, unveils Aurora 's groundbreaking approach to blockchain accessibility through the Aurora Cloud Console. Drawing from his experience developing Exonum at Bitfury, Dr. Shevchenko explains how Aurora is revolutionizing blockchain deployment with their Virtual Chain technology, effectively reducing the multi-million dollar barrier to entry down to zero. Aurora As blockchain adoption accelerates toward 2025, this conversation reveals how Aurora's no-code solution could fundamentally transform the way we think about launching and managing blockchain networks. Ishan Pandey: Dr. Shevchenko, you've had a fascinating journey from physics and mathematics to blockchain, including developing Exonum at Bitfury and now revolutionizing blockchain accessibility with Aurora. What key insights from building one of the first enterprise Layer-1 platforms influenced your vision for Aurora Cloud Console's no-code approach? Ishan Pandey: Alex Shevchenko: Blockchains are complex and often non-intuitive for the majority of engineers. The simpler and more accessible we make the onboarding process, the more widespread blockchain adoption will become. This is why our focus at Aurora is on simplifying blockchain and making it more convenient. Alex Shevchenko: Ishan Pandey: The Aurora Cloud Console is being positioned as a zero-coding platform for custom blockchains. Can you walk us through how you've managed to simplify what's traditionally been a complex, technical process while still maintaining the robustness needed for production-ready chains? Ishan Pandey: Alex Shevchenko: The main aspect that makes this possible is the architecture of our solution. At the core of Aurora Cloud Console is the concept of a virtual chain – a solution that inherits the security and infrastructure of the mother chain. In our case, this is the NEAR blockchain.  Virtual chains are implemented as smart contracts on the mother chain, allowing their management and customization to be as simple as adjusting the smart contract parameters prior to deployment. That's why virtual chains are both easy to deploy and highly customizable. Alex Shevchenko: Ishan Pandey: Virtual Chains are unique in that they inherit NEAR's validator set and infrastructure. How does this architectural choice impact the security, scalability, and cost structure compared to traditional L2 solutions that need to build their own validator networks? Ishan Pandey: Alex Shevchenko: L2s are traditionally run on a single sequencer node with a promise to inherit the security of the L1 blockchain in the future (commonly referred to as Stage 2 rollups). However, the uncomfortable truth is that very few teams have reached this stage, with most rollups being on stage 0 (see l2beat.com ), which implies trust in the sequencer. Alex Shevchenko: l2beat.com Virtual chains, on the other hand, operate as smart contracts and therefore share the same trust assumptions as their mother chain. In the case of Aurora Cloud, this means 235 validators with a combined stake of over $2.5 billion validate all the virtual chains from their very first block. In fact, the NEAR protocol is a shared decentralized sequencer for all virtual chains. Ishan Pandey: Looking at the launch of Aurora Cloud Console specifically, what types of projects or use cases do you envision this platform enabling that weren't previously possible or were too resource-intensive to pursue? Ishan Pandey: Alex Shevchenko: Industry estimates (see this ) suggest that launching a blockchain typically costs tens of millions of US dollars. This is a significant barrier to entry. Aurora Cloud Console eliminates this cost entirely, reducing the price to zero. I expect this change will make it possible for early-stage founders to experiment and achieve product-market fit much faster. By removing this obstacle, we expect a transformative impact on the development and adoption of blockchain use cases across the board. Alex Shevchenko: this Ishan Pandey: With features like guided parameter selection and real-time monitoring, the Console seems designed for both technical and non-technical users. How do you balance making blockchain deployment accessible while ensuring users understand the implications of their configuration choices? Ishan Pandey: Alex Shevchenko: Making UX better is a never-ending story :) Our approach is to make sure that in 80% of the cases, the founder/administrator of a new chain can access all the necessary information and understand the implications directly in the Aurora Cloud Console. For the remaining 20%, we provide support groups and the option to schedule a call with our team. However, I must admit that launching blockchains is not for everyone – just like getting a server on AWS. Alex Shevchenko: Ishan Pandey: You've mentioned that Aurora goes beyond Ethereum compatibility. With the launch of Cloud Console, how do you see Aurora's role evolving in bridging the gap between different blockchain ecosystems? Ishan Pandey: Alex Shevchenko: Ethereum has established the EVM as the de-facto standard for blockchain runtime. However, blockchains fundamentally are "a thing in itself", with no native connections to the outside world. The state of affairs though dictates that there are many blockchains and launching them becomes increasingly simple. So, the multichain future is no longer the future – it's our present. And we need to allow for it. We need to provide builders the convenient mechanisms of seamless interaction between blockchains. Alex Shevchenko: Within Aurora Cloud infrastructure, we offer such a technological solution – chain signatures. It is developed and launched as a part of the NEAR protocol and it allows accounts to hold keys (such as those from an account on other chains) and sign messages and transactions using them. This technology is available for all Virtual Chains from their first block. It is also important to mention that not only this, but the entire existing NEAR and Aurora infrastructure is available to Virtual Chains. Moreover, future infrastructure updates become available at the moment of deployment. While L2s often create fragmented, non-interacting ecosystems, the Virtual Chain approach fosters the network effect among all of the chains, ensuring seamless connectivity and collaboration. Ishan Pandey: The blockchain industry has seen various attempts at making chain deployment more accessible. What lessons from these Ishan Pandey: previous approaches informed the development of Aurora Cloud Console, and how does it address their limitations? Alex Shevchenko: The key lesson we've learned is that designing a solution must begin with a problem you want to solve, rather than forcing existing ideas to fit these problems. L2s were designed as a scalability solutions to Ethereum. Who said that such an approach is the best one for launching a chain? Alex Shevchenko: The ideal solution for launching a chain should meet the following criteria: it should take seconds to launch, be as decentralized as the existing top blockchain protocols, and offer all the necessary infrastructure available from the first block (stablecoins, CEXes integration, bridges, messaging protocols, DeFi ecosystem, cross-chain primitives, NFP marketplaces, launchpads, custodians and onramps, RPCs and indexing solutions, wallets, explorers and governance solutions; and perhaps something else). Ideally, all of this should be free. While Aurora Cloud hasn't yet achieved this ideal fully, our architecture is capable of delivering it. And we've already accomplished 90% of this. Ishan Pandey: As we look ahead to the rest of 2025, what developments in the Virtual Chain ecosystem should we be watching for, and how does the Aurora Cloud Console fit into your longer-term vision for blockchain accessibility? Ishan Pandey: Alex Shevchenko: The Virtual Chain approach represents the ultimate solution for launching blockchains. However, this doesn't mean the work is done. There's still much to accomplish, including expanding the availability of infrastructure pieces through an open infrastructure marketplace within Aurora Cloud, as well as further optimizing deployment speeds. Alex Shevchenko: Looking ahead, I look forward to what builders will bring to the table having such a powerful instrument in their hands. Our goal for 2025 is to help others launch 1000 Virtual Chains. And I'm pretty sure it's more than achievable. Don’t forget to like and share the story! Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program. HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program . HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR Vested Interest Disclosure: business blogging program business blogging program

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