Blockchain As Service
Remember the reason for our start as you journey forward.
In the current Web3 landscape, the demand for blockchain applications is growing rapidly. For developers, it's no surprise that building a functional product using a smart contract requires minimal effort. With the help of AI tooling, one can create a runnable application within a week, if not less. This approach is often the quickest and easiest way to get started with Web3 development. However, the more complex and intriguing path is building a blockchain from scratch, whether it's a fork from an existing project or a completely new one. Creating a robust and reliable blockchain system from scratch is a much more complex and time-consuming task. It's not a one-day or one-month task, but rather a multi-month or even multi-year endeavor. It requires a deep understanding of the technical trade-offs involved in building a blockchain system.
The evolution of blockchain solutions is converging towards a modular architecture. This approach is natural and predictable,as it allows for rapid development. By breaking down the system into modules, different components can be combined to achieve a cohesive outcome. This design is prevalent in the software industry, and it has proven to be beneficial. The majority of mainstream blockchain platforms are adopting this modular approach. The Ethereum L2 projects are actively abstracting their technical stack into a software development kit (SDK) and making it public. These blockchain platforms are designed with modularity in mind, providing flexibility for customization to varying degrees. Although their core components are utilized by the blockchain system, which has been thoroughly audited and tested with millions of users, the modular blockchain system is an ideal choice for teams with limited resources. It enables the startup to focus on developing their unique features, rather than spending time and effort on building the underlying core components that are already proven and reliable.
Next, let's explore "Blockchain as a Service" or "Blockchain as a Platform" (BaaS), also known as "Rollup as a Service" (RaaS) or "Appchain as a Service" (AaS). These service platforms integrate with various blockchain frameworks and provide a user-friendly interface for blockchain operators. Setting up a blockchain experience is not far from deploying a cloud machine on AWS. With these service platforms, you can quickly get a running blockchain solution with various ecosystem tools like bridges, explorers, and wallets. It seems cool, but remember that the core goal of blockchain technology is decentralization. These service platforms resemble permissioned blockchain systems that were popular a few years ago. The underlying infrastructure of the service provider is not publicly available, and there's no guarantee that there are no backdoors. In short, these services are ideal for testing modular blockchain capabilities or familiarizing oneself with blockchain technology, but they are not recommended for applications or chains with millions of assets.
Again, it's the core value of decentralization that makes blockchain technology fascinating. Don't forget this crucial aspect when making decisions.