How Blockchain Messaging SDKs Can Enable The Web3 Vision

Web1.0 was characterized by siloed information and slow, complicated communication between different platforms. Web2.0 changed that by introducing a one-to-many communication model, which allowed users to communicate with each other indirectly through intermediaries such as social media platforms.

While this enabled tremendous amounts of information to be exchanged quickly and easily, it also meant that users were reliant on these intermediaries to mediate their communications.

Enter Web3.0, which promises to once again revolutionize the digital experience by returning control to the users. Money transfers, through the use of cryptocurrencies, were the first application to take advantage of this new paradigm, but the potential doesn't stop there. Communication is the heart of any social interaction, and the ability to conduct transactions without the need for an intermediary opens up a world of possibilities.

Achieving this vision requires a new kind of communication infrastructure, one that is decentralized, fast, and secure. Today's blockchain communications, however, are developer unfriendly, with no established standard and limited solutions that attempt to lock developers into one approach. Platforms like Twilio have made it easy for developers to build complex applications over SMS, and tools likePaloma Protocol aim to do the same for Web3.0 messaging.

Challenges with today's blockchain messaging

Web2.0 has universally accepted protocols like HTTP and SMTP that define how information is exchanged between different platforms. To build a messaging application on SMS, for example, all a developer needs to do is connect to the Twilio API. Twilio itself takes care of the rest, translating the message into the appropriate format and sending it over the global SMS network. This is done by connecting to the user's mobile carrier and routing the message through its systems.

The situation with blockchain communications, in comparison, is a Wild West. Instead of HTTP and SMTP, there are numerous blockchain protocols with different technical specifications. On the Ethereum blockchain, for example, messages can be sent as HEX data in the data field payload of a transaction. The recipient would then need to decode this data to extract the message. Other protocols use different methods, and there is no standard way of doing things.

Furthermore, there is no easy way to send messages between different blockchain protocols. To do so, developers need to use a bridge or relay service that translates the message into the format required by the destination blockchain. This not only adds complexity but also increases the likelihood of errors and introduces yet another point of failure.

Developing a solution from scratch is also not an option, as it would be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. Imagine having to develop a custom SMS application today. Not only would you need to create your own messaging infrastructure, but you would also need to deal with the hassle of connecting to different mobile carrier networks around the world. The same is true for blockchain communications, which is why new solutions are needed.

The importance of blockchain messaging

Blockchain messages aren't just limited to simple text. They can include important information, like price data and transaction details, that could be used to trigger automated processes. This opens up a world of possibilities, such as the ability to automatically settle insurance claims or execute stock trades.

That said, the value of uncensorable and tamper-proof communication goes beyond the world of finance. In a political context, for example, blockchain messages could be used to coordinate protests or disseminate information about human rights abuses. In repressive regimes, this could be a powerful tool for dissidents and other marginalized groups.

Historically, the Bitcoin blockchain has been used to store small amounts of data in the form ofOP_RETURN transactions. While this is a clever workaround, it is not meant for larger-scale data transmission and has several limitations. Still, methods like these have been used to send everything from ASCII art to biblical messages, and even prove false the death of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

How blockchain SDKs can help

Web2 platforms rely on a host of SDKs that make it easy for developers to build applications without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure. For example, the MongoDB Node.js SDK abstracts away the details of connecting to a MongoDB database, making it easy for even novice developers to work with this powerful technology. And the Stripe payment processing SDK makes it possible to accept payments with just a few lines of code. From machine learning to social media integration, there are SDKs for just about everything.

The same is needed for blockchain communications. One firm in this space is Columbidae Networks and their Paloma Protocol. Paloma consists of a Cosmos-SDK protocol with a number of software modules designed to prioritize fast communication between blockchains, powered by Paloma's validators.

Paloma's validators act as message relayers and network guards, monitoring all communications across any chain that has been approved by Paloma's governance. The network is permissionless, which means that anyone with a computer can participate to help deliver messages quickly and securely.

In short, with such a communications SDK, developers would be able to focus on building applications without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure. This would drastically lower the barrier to entry and enable a new wave of innovation in the space.

Ultimately, the Web3 world can learn a lot from the success of Web2.0 platforms like Twilio. To enable the vision of a decentralized future, we need a new communication infrastructure that is easy to use and accessible to all. Blockchain SDKs are a key piece of this puzzle.