What Are Hubs And Zones? How Hub & Zone Works on Cosmos
Cosmos is the leading project in the field of Internet of Blockchain, and it also has a specialized design for connecting and building a large Layer 1 ecosystem. Cosmos Network is a Blockchain ecosystem that aims to connect various Blockchains.
Cosmos consists of numerous components, including Tendermint Core, Cosmos SDK, and IBC… And particularly Cosmos Hub, this article examines Hub and Zone, two of the most important components in Cosmos, in depth.
Therefore, what are Hubs and Zones? What is the distinction between a Hub and a Zone? This article will provide the answer.
What Are Hubs And Zones?
What is Hub?
The inclusion of Hub on Cosmos is an integral component within the overall architecture of the Cosmos Network. This network is designed to establish interconnectivity among various blockchains by means of an intermediary layer known as Cosmos Hub. The Cosmos Hub is a Blockchain platform that possesses the capability to establish connections between various dApps and Blockchains. This facilitates the seamless interchange of information and communication among different Blockchains inside the Cosmos network.
The Cosmos Hub is a blockchain that has been developed by the Cosmos Network, serving as the first-ever hub within the Cosmos ecosystem. The primary purpose of this technology is to establish interconnectivity among different Blockchains, facilitating seamless communication and information exchange between them. The Cosmos Hub serves the purpose of guaranteeing the security and dependability of inter-blockchain transactions.
The present Cosmos network comprises a singular Hub, known as the Cosmos Hub. The Cosmos Hub serves as the central node inside the Cosmos network, facilitating the exchange of information and value amongst various Zones connected to the network. Nevertheless, the possibility of future expansion and growth may lead to the establishment of more Hubs inside the network.
What is Zone?
The Zone feature inside the Cosmos Network serves as a component of its governance system. It facilitates the establishment and administration of independent Blockchains, separate from the Cosmos Hub. Each individual Blockchain is granted the ability to own its own unique applications and policies. The management of zones is facilitated by Validators, who enable communication between zones through the IBC protocol developed by Cosmos.
Zones are part of the Cosmos SDK network architecture. Each Zone can run different applications and Token standards.
The first Zone built on Cosmos was IRISnet (formerly Iris Hub). IRISnet is developed by technology company Bianjie AI, and is a Blockchain for decentralized financial services applications, allowing the integration of other Blockchains and the creation of decentralized financial products, e.g. DeFi applications, Token exchanges, open source payments and more. IRISnet uses the Cosmos SDK source code to build and operate on the Cosmos network.
Structure Of Hub And Zone
Structure of Hub
The Hub within the architecture of the Cosmos network is the most extensive node inside the network and serves as its central point. The Cosmos Hub is composed of several key components, which include:
- Validator: A validator refers to a node that is chosen to join in the validation of transactions and the generation of new blocks inside the network. They perform an essential role in guaranteeing the security and stability of the network.
- Staking: The staking system of Cosmos Hub involves evaluating the reliability and effectiveness of a validator’s role by mandating them to stake a certain quantity of tokens towards their network function. Additionally, users have the opportunity to delegate to validators and receive earnings in return.
- Governance: Cosmos Hub provides a community-based governance system to make management and development decisions of the network, and provides users with the opportunity to interact in the decision-making process.
- Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC): IBC is a protocol that allows other blockchains on the Cosmos Hub network to link and interact with each other to exchange information and value, thereby helping Cosmos become a distributed network Bigger and connected to many different blockchains.
Structure of Zone
The structure of each Zone on the Cosmos network includes the following components:
- Validator: The validators on the Zone take on the responsibility of validating transactions and creating new blocks on the Zone blockchain. They play an important role in ensuring the security and stability of the blockchain.
- Staking: Each Zone’s staking system allows investors to stake a number of tokens to help ensure the security and strength of validator contributions on the Zone.
- Governance: Each Zone can provide a community-based governance system for blockchain development and management decisions.
- Blockchain: The blockchain of each Zone can run different applications and token standards and is managed by validators on the Zone.
- Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC): IBC allows other blockchains on the Cosmos Hub network and other Zones on the same Cosmos platform to link and interact with each other to exchange information and value.
How Hubs And Zones Work
Hub’s Mechanism
Cosmos Hub is the heart of the Cosmos network and operates based on the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) mechanism, which includes the following steps:
- Staking tokens: Users who stake their Cosmos (ATOM) amount into the system will become Validators or contribute to existing Validators.
- Transaction validation: Randomly selected Validators validate transactions and create new blocks on the network. Transactions are secured by an advanced encryption mechanism used in the Cosmos SDK.
- Rewards and penalties: Validators who actively participate in the network are rewarded with Cosmos Tokens as a form of incentive. Conversely, they may face penalties if their conduct fails to align with the prescribed criteria for network contribution, such as non-compliance with the appropriate transaction validation procedures.
- Governance: Governance decisions, including software updates, network direction management, and spending policies, are made through a community-based governance system.
- IBC Link: Cosmos Hub also uses the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol to connect with other Blockchains on the Cosmos network, allowing the exchange of information and value between different Blockchains.
Zone’s Mechanism
Each Zone in the Cosmos network operates independently and has its own Proof-of-Stake (PoS) mechanism to ensure the security and stability of the Blockchain. The basic steps of the PoS mechanism for each Zone include:
- Staking tokens: Users stake the amount of Zone Tokens to become Validators or contribute to existing Validators on the Zone Blockchain.
- Transaction Validation: Validators validate transactions and generate new blocks on the Blockchain. Transactions are secured with the encryption used in the Cosmos SDK.
- Rewards and penalties: Validators are rewarded in token amounts and can also be penalized if their actions do not meet the standards of contribution to the network.
- Governance: Each Zone can provide a community-based governance system to make management and development decisions of Blockchain.
- IBC Link: Different Blockchains on Cosmos can interact with each other through the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol, allowing the exchange of information and value between Blockchains on the Cosmos network.
Some Applications of Hubs and Zones
Hub
Cosmos Hub is the heart of the Cosmos network and has many important applications, including:
- Interoperability: Cosmos Hub provides the ability to link different Blockchains on the Cosmos network through the IBC protocol, allowing the exchange of information and value between different Blockchains.
- Multi-Point Management: Cosmos Hub allows multi-point management of other Zones on the network, making it easier to develop and manage Blockchains on the network.
- Governance: Cosmos Hub provides a community-based governance system for making management decisions and for the development of the Cosmos network, making decisions open, transparent, and agreed upon by the community. .
- Application Integration: Cosmos Hub can integrate applications and dApps, allowing applications developed on different Blockchains on the network to interact with each other.
- Staking: Cosmos Hub provides a Staking system that allows users to stake on the network to contribute to the operation of the network and contribute to ensure the security of the Blockchain.
Zone
Each Zone on the Cosmos network can have many different applications and potential uses, some key applications include:
- Application development: Developers can build independent applications and dApps on each Zone’s Blockchain, using different standards and integrating separate features.
- Network connection: Each Zone can use the IBC protocol to connect and interact with other Blockchains on the Cosmos network, allowing the exchange of information and value between different Blockchains.
- Token Hosting: Each Zone can run different Tokens and standards on its Blockchain, allowing the issuance and management of Tokens on the network.
- Staking: Each Zone provides a Staking system to contribute to the security of the Blockchain and receive rewards for its contributions.
- Governance: Each Zone can provide a community-based or decentralized governance system, allowing the community to participate in decision-making and manage the development of Blockchain on the network.
Compare Hubs and Zones
To explain further, Hub has no security as it is just a simple intermediary device to connect multiple computers together in a network. When computers connect to the Hub, data is sent to all other computers connected to this device, and there is no mechanism to control or limit the access rights of each computer.
This means that any computer connected to the Hub can monitor and access all data transmitted on the network, including sensitive information such as passwords and logins. This creates a potential security hole and can be exploited by Hackers.
To improve the security of the network, network devices such as Switch or Zone Controller are used to replace the Hub. They can create different partitions or Domains in the network and limit each computer’s access to different Domains.
Summary
Both Hub and Zone are essential network architecture components for managing data traffic and optimizing network performance. However, the significance of Hubs and Zones depends on the network’s intended use and scale.
If your network is small and you only need a simple way to connect computers, a Hub may be a good option and meet your requirements.
Zone is more useful if you wish to expand your network and enhance network security and performance. It enables you to divide the network into segments and manage data traffic using specialized network devices. This serves to accelerate data transfer and ensure network security.
Therefore, there is no more essential tool, but the choice between Hub and Zone depends on the network’s characteristics and intended application.
We hope this article offers you a fresh perspective and a great deal of valuable information!
