Blockchain is growing in terms of users and industries embracing it. Besides marketers and influencers, the technology drivers are designers, programmers, cryptographers, and game theorists.
These people imagine the ideas, do the designs, and then build the actual blockchain systems for the markets.
Blockchain development is the building of the core protocols that enable computers on a peer-to-peer network to function in harmony as a unit (blockchain). It is also the building of decentralized applications and smart contract development to run on the blockchain.
Blockchain is a disruptive technology. For the first time in history, computers on a peer-to-peer network (without a central authority) can perform critical functions such as processing payment transactions and executing code through consensus.
This arrangement gives digital system benefits that were not possible before. In particular, blockchain networks give digital systems immutability.
The following are some of the benefits an individual, a business, or an organization gets by acquiring the capacity to develop and integrate blockchain applications:
They can leverage the blockchain's unique capacity to build secure data storage and processing systems. When secured using blockchain, data can only be changed through a detailed consensus mechanism by many stakeholders.
Even when the data is stored in centralized databases, blockchain can be used to give it immutability through hash functions, cryptography, and timestamping.
They can use the technology to secure transactions, especially critical ones involving sending or sharing digital assets such as money and data.
Blockchain is a distributed ledger that a peer-to-peer network of computers updates through a consensus protocol. That means several stakeholders can access but also share and collaborate to maintain it. This creates transparency not experienced in centralized systems.
The blockchain also offers the capacity to automate processes using smart contracts. Unlike automation through other mechanisms, smart contracts are immutable, timestamped, and, therefore, difficult to arbitrarily change.
Blockchain allows a community to share hardware and software resources to process transactions. As an individual, company, or organization, you don't have to build your own capacity from the ground. You can tap into an existing ecosystem for all of your business needs.
Blockchain development is largely similar to other forms of protocol and application development. It, however, has a few unique features in critical areas.
The following are general steps a developer, enterprise, or community can follow to build an entirely new blockchain or an application on an existing blockchain.
Choosing the right blockchain platform
At this stage, if you are building the core blockchain software with a protocol that will guide a peer-to-peer network to function as a unit, you need to think about the following points:
On the other hand, if you are considering building a decentralized application (dApp) on an existing blockchain, you would consider the following points:
At this stage of the process, you need to bring everyone involved in the project into a team to discuss what the protocol or application needs to accomplish and the critical basics that will help it succeed.
The details from the brainstorming sessions are arranged into a coherent plan at this stage. Often the product is a detailed technical white paper that both internal and external developers can refer to and easily understand the solution.
Also, at this stage, the solution can be programmed on a small scale to help stakeholders understand what is expected in the end. This can be done in what is usually referred to as a testnet.
At this stage, the blockchain or a decentralized application is programmed. Care is taken so that the envisioned idea is brought to life.
Before the protocol is ready for deployment, it might go through numerous revisions to correct errors, mostly on the testnet, to avoid harming actual users.
When it is on the testnet, and later in the mainnet, a bounty fund could be created to incentivize others from outside to flag faults in the code and provide constructive criticism.
To become a blockchain developer, one must be clear on a few critical points. The list includes the following:
There are two primary levels to blockchain development. There is the building of the core protocol, which is carried in the core software that a computer has to install and run to become part of the blockchain peer-to-peer network.
The core software is what Satoshi Nakamoto built for Bitcoin. It is also what Vitalik Buterin and his initial team built for the Ethereum network.
The second level of Blockchain development involves building applications deployed on an existing blockchain. This is hugely achieved using tools such as smart contract templates to program applications and systems on an existing blockchain.
These two levels don't require the same type and quality of skills. In particular, building the blockchain core software likely requires a blockchain expert, and is more demanding than creating a decentralized application using a smart contract template on an existing blockchain.
To build a blockchain, someone must have several critical skills and knowledge. The list includes the following:
You need to understand the detailed architecture of distributed systems, especially those that function without centralized authorities. In particular, you need to understand how to create consensus protocols that incentivize stakeholders to act in a way that benefits the overall functioning of the ecosystem, otherwise known as the game theory.
Cryptography, especially the public-private key encryption, is a critical component of the Blockchain architecture. It not only secures data but is the foundation of the addressing system on the blockchain.
Indeed, there is no way one can design and build a blockchain without being highly skilled in cryptography or forming a team with at least one member highly skilled in this area. Of course, this skill might not be necessary if what you are building is an application on top of an existing blockchain.
Blockchain is primarily designed to collect, process, and store data. Therefore, a developer building a blockchain or an application on top of an existing blockchain must understand how data is processed through this technology.
Of course, one needs to be highly skilled with programming languages, starting with low-level ones. Sometimes, the developers might need to invent their own programming language. For example, the team behind Ethereum invented the Solidity language. The Rust programming language has found a huge acceptance.
The team behind Casper Network comprises individuals with skills in the critical areas of blockchain. That includes distributed networks, blockchain architectures, cryptography, data processing, and design.
The Casper Network is a blockchain platform built to give businesses, clients, and organizations an easy implementation process. In particular, it gives them tools to create highly dynamic and upgradeable smart contracts.
Image courtesy of Pixabay.
