26 Oct 2022
Introducing Avalanche - A Slide into the Ecosystem
Avalanche is a high-performance blockchain that enables developers to create dapps on top of its open protocol. The Avalanche protocol is specifically designed to solve various limitations of blockchain technology.
The network can process 4,500 transactions per second, with settlement taking place in under 2 seconds. Additionally, you can quickly migrate Ethereum applications thanks to the protocol, and you can access the blockchain ecosystem right from your MetaMask wallet.
Its subnets are one of Avalanche's most encouraging long-term features. These will enable the development of specialized blockchains that are still connected to the Avalanche network. This might ultimately result in Avalanche developing into an ecosystem of thousands of unique blockchains.
With networks like Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and Solana, competition is high in the application chain arena. Avalanche, however, has surpassed the majority of rival chains. Over the past few months, the ecosystem has witnessed a sharp rise in the number of dapps, users, volumes, and investors.
Avalanche’s history
At the American university Cornell, The Avalanche was first developed as a doctoral project. Theoretical solutions to many blockchain restrictions were put forth in this dissertation. The regimen proved successful after several months of trials and testing.
Avalanche has so far raised $18 million through a private sale, $45 million through a public offering in 2020, and an additional $230 million in a private offering in September 2020.
Many of the major cryptocurrency investors, including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Galaxy Digital, Bitmain, Polychain, and Three Arrows Capital, have shown interest in Avalanche.
Team & Organization
Avalanche was founded by computer scientists Emin Gün Sirer and David Tse. Since the humble start with a Ph.D., the team has been rapidly expanding.
The Avalanche network is supported by Ava Labs, the CEO of which is founder Emin Gün Sirer.
Technology
Avalanche consensus
The scalability issue with blockchains is being addressed by a wide variety of methods. Here, the largest challenge is effectively reaching a consensus among a disparate group of individuals.
Avalanche uses Avalanche consensus, a breakthrough in consensus protocols. It is based on a report published by a pseudo-anonymous team called Team Rocket, which combines the first two essential components of consensus procedures. Together, they make it possible to reach network consensus in a safe and incredibly quick manner.
The Avalanche network can process 4,500 transactions per second utilizing the ground-breaking consensus protocol. Also, a transaction is final in less than 2 seconds. For comparison, Bitcoin has a 1-hour finality, Ethereum 2.0 6 minutes, and Polkadot 60 seconds. In a store, you shouldn't have to wait this long for the confirmation of your transaction.
The protocol scales to millions of validators, and every additional validator increases the network's decentralization and, thus, its robustness. Every transaction requires a consensus from the complete network of validators.
Primary network
Currently, there is only one network, known as the primary network, which is made up of three chains. This is the core of Avalanche, and its validators protect it. The three chains are the P-Chain for staking and network consensus, the C-Chain for compatibility with Ethereum's Virtual Machine (EVM), and the X-Chain for transactions between subnets.
C-Chain
The C-Chain is currently by far the most popular since developers can use the same software and development tools to build on it as they do with Ethereum. Additionally, it facilitates the migration of dapps like Aave and Uniswap to Avalanche and supports the MetaMask wallet. With the help of Avalanche's scalability, cheap fees, and quick finality, everything that can be done on Ethereum can be done on the C-Chain.
Avalanche Subnets
There is now only one subnet, which is the main network. Avalanche, however, in principle, may host hundreds of individually designed blockchains or subnets.
Customizable blockchains connected to the main network are called subnets. This implies that they can make use of Avalanche's security and its ground-breaking consensus method while still being designed according to the needs of a platform, dapp, or network.
Compared to a general-purpose blockchain like Ethereum, this is extremely different. On such chains, while the chain may be very functional, it won't satisfy everyone's expectations because developers are constrained by the underlying protocol. Projects can tailor a blockchain to meet their needs most effectively using subnets.
Subnets that are designed to meet the demands of businesses might be either public or private. Subnets can leverage additional Virtual Machines to support several protocols, including Solana and Bitcoin. There can be thousands of subnets, and anyone can construct one.
Subnets can also be interoperable, which means they can communicate with one another while also having their own unique token. Avalanche is expected to transform into a blockchain of blockchains once the subnets go live.
For all the details about Avalanche’s technology, click here.
Avalanche Tokenomics ($AVAX)
Because Avalanche uses Proof of Stake for security, the AVAX token is essential. Anyone with 2,000 AVAX and the hardware requirements can become a validator and secure the Avalanche network.
If not, you can still participate in the consensus by assigning your AVAX. Both earn 10% in staking rewards. You can see the entire network consensus live functioning here.
AVAX is also used to create assets, pay transaction fees, and set up a subnet. Any subnet's validators are required to stake 2,000 AVAX and validate the main network as well. This implies that the need for AVAX grows with each new subnet.
As a result of these fees being burned, less AVAX is available overall. In sharp contrast, other networks finance their security and processing through ongoing inflation or diluting their currency.
There are 720 million AVAX tokens in total. With the genesis block, 360 million tokens were released and given to important stakeholders and investors. Consensus incentives will be used to gradually release the remaining half.
Ecosystem
A fast-expanding ecosystem of dapps has been created on the network, since the initial release of Avalanche in September 2020. There are numerous DeFi and NFTs dapps, even if they are still in their early stages. Since mid-2021, the ecosystem has seen a large influx of new initiatives due to its increasing popularity.
The Total Value Locked in the Avalanche ecosystem has been growing exponentially and is currently hovering around $20 billion. Each day, the major DEXs on Avalanche - Trader Joe, and Pangolin conduct millions of transactions. Additionally, there are hundreds of projects and initiatives in the works.
Read this if you want to learn how to use the Avalanche ecosystem.
Flagship’s perspective
Despite the intense competition in the smart contract market, Avalanche provides a number of distinctive features thanks to the usage of the ground-breaking Avalanche consensus and its emphasis on creating a blockchain of blockchains. As demonstrated by the C-Chain, which enables substantially faster dapps than Ethereum while utilizing the same code, it is scalable and gives nearly instant finality.
This has caused an explosion of dapps to be released on the protocol and is still doing so. In 2021–2022, the ecosystem expanded from a small number of dapps to hundreds. Many Ethereum-based projects have migrated to the Avalanche ecosystem as a result. Together, they create a vibrant ecosystem where a range of innovative items for gaming, DeFi, NFTs, the Metaverse, and other uses may be found.
The subnets in Avalanche are definitely the most fascinating and distinctive characteristic. When new, customized blockchains are added to the Avalanche network and the AVAX coin, they can all be compatible and have exponential network effects. Definitely keep an eye out for Avalanche and AVAX once these start coming online, which won’t be too long from now…
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