For Web3 to be a massive and inclusive ecosystem for users everywhere to access, we need to continue to build products and services around it. The different technologies are helping a lot for this, but one that we did not mention that is going to have a tremendous impact, is the AppChain.
Diversity of Layers in the Web3
Currently, the Blockchain ecosystem is made up of the following parts:
- Layer 0 technologies: Basically it is the base technology on which you can build your own Blockchain, with some modules ready to use, but that you can modify according to your needs. Examples of these technologies are Polkadot and Cosmos.
- Layer 1 Technologies: These are the Blockchains that you usually interact with, such as Ethereum, Bitcoin, and the Polkadot parachains. Each one with its own rules, token, consensus protocols, and accessibility to integration.
- Layer 2 technologies: These are networks built on top of a layer 1 blockchain, to improve efficiency in terms of scalability (in some cases not with as much decentralization) and their security depends on layer 1 blockchains. Examples of this technology are the Lightning Network in Bitcoin and Ethereum Plasma.
- Sidechains: They are blockchains that work in parallel to another main blockchain, allowing the exchange of assets. They differ from layer 2 blockchains in that they have their own consensus and security protocol, and can work connected or disconnected from the main blockchain. Examples are the Liquid Network in Bitcoin and RSK.
- AppChains: They are identical to sidechains, but they are built specifically to do something very specific. You can create a specific AppChain for DeFi or insurance, while the sidechain is a blockchain on which you can build applications of all kinds (DeFi, insurance, and much more).
Why AppChain?
We need more AppChains, we need specific applications, with their own tokens and incentives, focused on a certain group of users. We are already aware that it will be a multi-chain world, but even in a single blockchain, there are many complexities that need to be abstracted for users, we need applications that scale independently without relying on the blockchain they are leveraged on.
Let's see the real world, if we use the analogy that a blockchain is a country, an AppChain would be a restaurant that offers its menu to customers (it will not offer administration services or other things, they focus on being a restaurant and nothing more).
Although this example is simplistic, I want to emphasize the importance of blockchains existing for a well-determined purpose on which we can work/use and those non-technical users (the main ones ignored until now) are the true engine of the use of Web3.
Options Available To Create an AppChain
Creating an AppChain is very simple, the fundamental thing is to select the appropriate technology for it.
For example, Octopus Network allows you to create an AppChain with Barnacle, based on Substrate (the same technology for Parachains in Polkadot and Kusama), with the advantages of being EVM compatible and with a set of ready-made modules, and then only register it when being ready.
You can also build an AppChain with Lisk, a blockchain with a focus on building applications with its Javascript SDK. So if you have knowledge of Javascript, the learning curve to create your AppChain is greatly reduced.
Another relevant option is to create your AppChain with Ankr, which is based on the new technology of BnB sidechains, taking advantage of the capabilities of the BnB Smart Chain available to any team.
Finally, we hope that technologies to create AppChains will continue to appear because we will reach the mass use of Blockchain to attract more programmers and teams, which will lead to Web3 growing to levels that we have been imagining for a long time.