Chromapolis by Chromaway
Chromapolis is a high throughput blockchain with data organized as a relational database which allows for higher read & write speeds and easier creation of dApps via a more intuitive SQL-based programming language.
One definition of blockchain is that it is a distributed database. A database is a collection of information which is arranged and accessed via certain procedures, each different as the respective use case demands it. Multiple flavors of databases exist, ranging from centralized relational databases (SQL) to distributed databases such as NewSQL, NoSQL, Hadoop and others. Blockchain is a flavor of distributed database that stores data as lists of transactions arranged in blocks which are linked together. This is great because it allows for decentralized trustless immutability, something the other types of databases can’t offer.
Sebastien Meunier does a much better job explaining the above, you can read his work here.

One major caveat with blockchain data structures is that it does not lend itself well to performance intensive applications. Various attempts to improve this aspect are being made with organizing data in DAG structures or even creating an intermediary database layer for blockchains, such as Bluzelle.
Chromapolis proposes a blockchain whose data is organized as a relational database which can be indexed, thus dramatically improving lookup speed and overall throughput for dApps built on it. It is implemented on top of its existing Postchain framework, that the parent company ChromaWay has developed. In doing so, Chromapolis mixes the best of two worlds: relational database performance and blockchain immutability.

dApps on Chromapolis will run on their own chain, with the possibility of splitting into multiple sub-chains via sharding. There will be no transaction fees. Instead, developers will be able to choose monetization means for their dApps and in turn pay nodes for hosting. Nodes will be powerful servers that Chromaway will host initially, with future 3rd party hosts to be allowed to join, and offer their compute in a marketplace. In order to mitigate the quasi-permissioned nature of Chromapolis, transactions will be periodically anchored to both Bitcoin and Ethereum for transparent immutability.
One interesting feature of Chromapolis dApps is that they will truly be 100% hosted on the blockchain, unlike CryptoKitties for example, which is a actually a centralized website and some smart contracts. Programming dApps will require the use of Rell, a language developed by ChromaWay, which should easily be adopted by those who are familiar with SQL.
The CHROMA token will be paid by developers for hosting their dApps and earned by node providers for running them. CHROMA can also be bought and locked to generate dApp specific tokens. ETH can be directly spent in Chromapolis dApps.
What I like:
- Novel approach to blockchain database which opens up interesting usecases
- 1 second confirmation time and 500 TPS per side-chain and unlimited sidechains means a lot of TPS
- Excellent team, Chromaway is involved with blockchain since 2014, and the founders from 2012
- Spending ETH in Chromapolis could ease adoption
What I dislike:
- The drama surrounding Balina and Godenzi
- Validators on the Chromapolis network will be a mix of ChromaWay owned servers and 3rd parties they approve of, which I read as “permissioned” in a way, as it fails to live up to the decentralized trustlessness of blockchain
- No MVP yet, scheduled for September
Overall, I like it. Some projects do well because they have strong fundamentals, others because they become wildly popular. The Chromaway team already scored well in one area and clumsily stretched for the other, which reflected on them poorly. If you‘re not up to speed with the drama, here’s one source.
In spite of all that, Chromapolis can become the first blockchain that is well suited for data intensive applications such as games or business applications where transparency is a must, such as the Swedish Land Registry System they already have as customer. Its initial centralization and token metrics are a concern, but the good tech, experienced team and notable advisers, such as Charlie ‘Litecoin’ Lee and the CEO of Civic, are a good recipe for long term success.
Rating: 88/100


