Ever since blockchain technology entered our world and people realized its possibilities, more and more industries want to come on board. And while using a decentralized technology sounds very attractive, dealing with massive data can represent an issue in the still-developing blockchain systems.
Polygon with its Supernets technology claims they came one step closer to resolving these obstacles. Are they right? Is this the solution to the problem of mass adoption?
The origin
It all started with Polygon Edge back in May 2021. If you wanted to build your Web3 application quickly and without much pain, Polygon Edge was your go-to.
It was a great solution for everyone in a need to escape public networks, especially because it supported different scaling and infrastructure solutions. You could build applications with millions of active users and an even bigger number of transactions per day.
However, after a while, a few common challenges emerged within the projects using Polygon Edge. Some of the challenges included bootstrapping a decentralized validator set with a coordinated mechanism which further impacted the security of the network. Others were more related to the maintenance of the network.
Even though we are talking about out-of-the-box blockchain networks, there was still some upkeeping to do. What’s more, there were issues with the protocol-level token design. The challenges were greatly affecting the application teams’ load and, therefore, needed to be worked out ASAP.
In order to make building networks even easier, the Polygon team came up with Polygon Supernets. They were introduced in April 2022 as an end-to-end service for building blockchain networks with the label “Polygon Edge networks on steroids”. Sounds powerful, right?
What you need to know about Polygon Supernets
Polygon created Supernets to resolve the issues Polygon Edge presented. It comes with a number of features of which some are optional. Let’s see what Polygon Supernets has in store for the market.
A dedicated solution
Supernets are a dedicated solution that you can fully customize for your project. You don’t need to compete with other decentralized apps because you run your network as an application-specific chain. And yes, they say it can handle your user transactions no matter the load.
Stop worrying about maintenance
Polygon takes care of protocols or the extra workload related to maintenance. They have a network of partners to help with this issue. But your supernet is supposed to remain 100% decentralized. Although this feature is optional, it could make the life of your developers easier.
Secured by $MATIC
Here’s another optional feature. It will help overcome all the complexities related to the protocol-level token design. You can get Proof of Stake security without worrying about validator incentivization or sustainability because validators would stake MATIC and receive rewards in MATIC.
They are interconnected
Every Supernet can connect with each other or the Ethereum network. They can interchange value and information through bridges provided by Edge. This feature is planned to evolve even more in the future.
They are flexible
Scaling with massive data is the typical problem when it comes to blockchain networks. Polygon Edge was already offering a variety of architectural solutions. Since Supernets rely on their infrastructure, now there’s even an easier way to deploy and scale your architecture at any moment. You can upgrade from the Proof of Authority network to a Proof of Stake or eventually even to Layer 2.
What are the typical Polygon Supernet types?
Right now there are two typical types in the Polygon Supernet world, and two which we are still expecting:
Sovereign
It is characterized by an independent set of validators, secured by proof of stake(PoS) or proof of authority (PoA).
Shared Security Chain
Although decentralized, it is validated by MATIC-staked validators.
Rollup (expecting)
Relies on Etherium for security and data availability.
Validium (expecting)
It would still rely on Ethereum for security but data is stored elsewhere, on the Supernet itself, for example.
Polygon is definitely a Web3 pioneer to keep an eye on, which is why we decided to launch precisely on this blockchain platform. We are so excited to hear more updates from the community.
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this post is not legal, accounting, or financial advice. The information should not be construed as investment or trading advice and is not meant to be a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any cryptocurrencies.