What is ArcBlock?
ArcBlock is a platform and an ecosystem for building and deploying decentralized blockchain applications.
ArcBlock is designed to run natively in the cloud. It can also run on a single computer for testing and development.
This design principle makes ArcBlock fundamentally different from many other platforms in the blockchain world. In ArcBlock, a node can be a “logical computer” comprised of one or more virtual machines, or a group of cloud services working together as a computing environment. This approach marks a significant step forward that will help elevate blockchain and decentralized applications to the next level, including our patent pending technologies.
ArcBlock will initially build on top of AWS and Windows Azure, then expand to support Google Compute Engine, major cloud computing players in China, and other platforms.
ArcBlock serves as the world’s first blockchain ecosystem for building and deploying decentralized applications. ArcBlock is aiming to seamlessly connect between the existing system and services, and blockchain networks, throughout dynamic industries. This will further empower blockchain technology to be implemented into the real world for long-term use.
Marketplace and Token Economy
ArcBlock comes with a fully customizable token economy manager for apps built on the platform. Applications can even build unique utility tokens that inherit all ArcBlock features.
The ArcBlock Marketplace is a native application built on ArcBlock to allow the community contribute and exchange reusable components (e.g. Chain Adapters, Blocklets, or even applications).
The diagram below shows a high-level view of the platform architecture. Detailed descriptions of some of the core components appear in the next section.
Core Components
The following sections offer more detailed descriptions of our key components and core algorithm. This section assume that you have an advanced understanding of blockchain technology and computer science. If you’re not interested in detailed information about the components and would rather learn more about using the platform, feel free to skip this section.
OPEN CHAIN ACCESS PROTOCOL
ArcBlock’s Open Chain Access Protocol enables your application to adapt to a variety of blockchain protocols including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Hyperledger, and more. The Open Chain Access Protocol will be open sourced with an MIT license so that everyone in the blockchain community will be able to 12 contribute, create extensions, and make improvements. We will develop the protocol in private mode, then open source it once we reach the release candidate milestone.
OPEN CHAIN ACCESS LAYER
The Open Chain Access Layer defines high-level, generic APIs that enable open connectivity and access to a range of blockchain protocols. The Layer is supported by a Chain Adapter under layer. Each Chain Adapter is implemented for a specific blockchain protocol.
CHAIN ADAPTERS
ArcBlock’s Open Chain Access Layer enables the platform to support multiple blockchain protocols. Application developers can choose from several different blockchains, node types, and deployment types. ArcBlock’s Chain Adaptors are the implementations that make the Open Chain Access Layer possible.
Chain Adapters work like device drivers to translate blockchain under layer protocols into the unified APIs defined in the Open Chain Access Layer. Some of the Chain Adapter implementations require you to combine on-chain and off-chain implementation works together. The Chain Adapter is also assigned one of three categories, based on the Open Chain Access Layer API set it has implemented.
We plan to implement Chain Adapters for Bitcoin Blockchain, Ethereum, and Hyperledger first. After we open source the code, anyone will be able to contribute, improve the protocol, or implement their own code. We also plan to support additional blockchain protocols.
CHAIN ADAPTERS MARKETPLACE
Chain Adapters that have been developed or improved by the community will be made available in the ArcBlock marketplace so that everyone can use them. The people who contributed to the adapter will receive rewards when others use it. The incentive model will encourage the community to develop more and better Chain Adapters. In time, ArcBlock will be able to offer a line of high-performance, high-quality Chain Adapters for various blockchains.
RELATIONSHIP WITH BLOCKCHAIN AS A SERVICE
In the past 12 months, several leading cloud platform providers began offering a new type of platform called Blockchain as a Service (BaaS). BaaS platforms typically offer users a permissioned or public chain, and they’re usually optimized for a specific deployment or node type. IBM Cloud (aka Bluemix) BaaS3 , which offers a Hyperledger Fabric service, was one of the earliest providers. While Microsoft Windows Azure also offers a BaaS platform4 , it mainly targets the test environment and fast spin-up for developers. Amazon AWS hasn’t officially offered a BaaS yet, but there are third-party VM images that help users quickly deploy blockchain nodes with AWS EC2 instances.
Existing BaaS platforms work perfectly with ArcBlock. While they simplify the process of deploying blockchain for users, ArcBlock simplifies the process of developing and deploying blockchain apps for software engineers. The first phase of ArcBlock’s implementation will include integrating with cloud computing platforms (through the AWS SDK, for example), so that users can manage BaaS services from directly within ArcBlock applications.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND INSPIRATION
To design the Open Chain Access Protocol, we investigated many existing customer solutions, talked to real developers, and learned from the evolution of computers and database systems. For example, the structure for the Open Chain Access Layer was inspired by the open connectivity design seen in databases.
A look back at the development of database systems and applications reveals many similarities with the evolution of blockchain technology5 . The position of the blockchain in a typical system is very much the same as the database in a database application system. In many scenarios, it’s fair to say that a blockchain is actually acting as a distributed database. Most of the blockchain itself is built on top of a database, including Bitcoin and Ethereum. That said, we can find inspiration in how database systems evolved.
Blocket
Blocklet is the core of ArcBlock. More than an application protocol, it’s also a software architect that lays the foundational building blocks of ArcBlock itself. The ArcBlock platform is built on a series of Blocklets. The Open Chain Access Protocol allows Blocklet to communicate with under layer blockchains. The Distributed pub/sub gateway allows Blocklets to communicate with the client-side code live in the user’s browser or mobiles apps. In short, Blocklets are at the center of the entire system.
The Promise of Blockchain 3.0
The next generation of blockchain technology – blockchain 3.0 – will be focused on real-world use cases that will let developers and businesses utilize blockchain technology. And with the growing interest in decentralized applications, it only makes sense to start developing a blockchain platform that will accommodate the growth of Dapps. However, the challenges associated with blockchain technology today pose a problem for many of those interested in getting started with blockchain technology. By combining cloud computing with blockchain technology, ArcBlock manages to solve these problems and more. This represents a major technological advancement that will usher in the new generation of blockchain applications in the future.
Roadmap
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