Cryptocurrency #4. Polygon (MATIC)
Coin
#4 : Polygon (MATIC)
What is Polygon?
Previously known
as Matic Network, Polygon is a framework for building interconnected blockchain
networks.
It seeks to
address some of Ethereum's major limitations—including its throughput, poor
user experience (high speed and delayed transactions), and lack of community
governance—using a novel sidechain solution.
Rather than being
a simple scaling solution like its predecessor Matic Network— which uses a
technology known as Plasma to process transactions off-chain before finalizing
them on the Ethereum main chain—Polygon is designed to be an entire platform
designed for launching interoperable blockchains.
Through Polygon,
developers can launch preset blockchain networks with attributes tailored to
their needs. These can be further customized with a growing range of modules,
which allow developers to create sovereign blockchains with more specific
functionality.
Polygon's
architecture can best be defined as a four-layer system composed of the
Ethereum layer, security layer, Polygon networks layer, and execution layer.
The Ethereum
layer is essentially a set of smart contracts which are implemented on
Ethereum. These smart contracts handle things like transaction finality,
staking, and communication between Ethereum and the various Polygon chains. The
security layer runs side by side with Ethereum and provides a "validators
as a service" role which allows chains to benefit from an additional layer
of security. Both the Ethereum and Security layers are optional
Beyond this,
there are two mandatory layers. The first is the Polygon networks layer, which
is the ecosystem of blockchain networks built on Polygon. Each of these has its
own community and is responsible for handling local consensus and producing
blocks. The second is the Execution layer, which is Polygon's Ethereum Virtual
Machine (EVM) implementation used for executing smart contracts.
Chains launched
on Polygon are capable of communicating both with one another and with the
Ethereum main chain thanks to Polygon's arbitrary message passing capabilities.
This will enable a variety of new use-cases, such as interoperable
decentralized applications (dapps) and the simple exchange of value between
diverse platforms.
Polygon:
Ethereum's Internet of Blockchains
Polygon is
designed to facilitate a future where different blockchains no longer operate
as closed-off siloes and proprietary communities, but instead as networks that
fit into a broader interconnected landscape.
Its long-term
goal is to enable an open, borderless world in which users can seamlessly
interact with decentralized products and services without first having to
navigate through intermediaries or walled gardens. It aims to create a hub that
different blockchains can easily plug into, while simultaneously overcoming
some of their individual limitations—such as high fees, poor scalability, and
limited security.
The Polygon
project is one of the more recent attempts at blockchain interoperability and
scaling, and is designed to address some of the perceived limitations of
interoperability projects such as Polkadot and Cosmos.
For one, it’s
compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine, which makes it approachable to
those accustomed to building apps on Ethereum and programming in Solidity; its
rival Cosmos uses a WASM-based virtual machine.
For another, Polygon's shared security model is entirely optional; sovereign platforms don't need to sacrifice any independence or flexibility for the sake of additional security if it is not needed. It also claims to be flexible enough to incorporate any scalability solution—beyond the current Plasma chains, ZK-rollups, and optimistic rollups planned.
What is MATIC
token?
Although Polygon
has dramatically expanded on the vision laid out by Matic Network, it still
uses the same utility token, known as MATIC.
The MATIC token
is used for a variety of purposes in the Polygon ecosystem, including
participating in network governance by voting on Polygon Improvement Proposals
(PIPs), contributing to security through staking, as well as paying gas fees.
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