Flow x Alchemy: Blockchain At Internet Scale
Flow blockchain is today home to apps like NBA Top Shot, Viv3, and MotoGP – Alchemy Developer Platform will help thousands more developers build for mainstream consumers
Alchemy is the leading blockchain developer platform, powering over $25 billion in transaction volume as well as the majority of NFT and DeFi projects including CryptoKitties.
That’s why I’m so proud and excited Alchemy has chosen Flow as the next public blockchain they will support with their entire developer platform.
Alchemy for Flow will enable all developers, from individuals to enterprises, with the tools and infrastructure they need to create great products bringing blockchain to its next billion stakeholders.
It also means we can get some help with NBA Top Shot, unlocking massive scalability and reliability as the community continues to grow!
It takes a village
Flow was originally developed by Dapper Labs and open sourced in early 2020. It puts into production a new layer one blockchain architecture driven from our learnings building CryptoKitties and other apps on Ethereum.
Less than a year after launch, Flow is the exclusive home of NBA Top Shot, the world’s most popular consumer blockchain product with over 330,000 paid collectors and over $400 million in transaction volume since October 2020. Flow is also home to independent wallets like Blocto, marketplaces like Viv3, and top-tier brands and studios including Moto GP and Animoca.
Alchemy’s entry signals a new chapter: independent developers on Flow can use Alchemy’s tools to get started more easily, while experienced teams need the power of their platform to handle scale or diagnose complex issues.
Alchemy will also support the network as a validator node operator, increasing Flow’s decentralization and joining an illustrious crew led by Samsung and T-Systems / Deutsche Telekom as well as 300+ other validator node operators including NBA players and NFT community members.
All this is exactly what the Flow ecosystem needs with demand from developers going parabolic!
What makes Flow different
The biggest and most convincing benefits of Flow compared to other blockchains for products aimed at mainstream consumers is Flow’s proven ability to onboard, engage, and retain those customers.
Most of NBA Top Shot’s users prefer credit cards over cryptocurrency –– these are the communities the next generation of consumer crypto apps will need to tap into.
In addition to the above, there are three fundamental, foundational technical differences between Flow and basically every other blockchain –– live or in development –– as well as a whole host of small but foundational improvements that make Flow a unique application platform.
- Multi-node architecture allows scaling with full ACID compliance: almost every other blockchain scales by breaking the network up into smaller networks. Shards, sidechains, “layer two” –– they all complicate both the user- and developer experience. Flow is the only blockchain architecture we’ve seen that allows massive scale while preserving a fully atomic, composable execution environment as well as full decentralization.
- Resource-oriented programming: smart contracts on Flow are written in Cadence, an easier and safer programming language for crypto assets and apps. Other blockchains talk about “compatibility” using languages that weren’t meant for smart contracts — the reality is anyone who has tried building with Cadence says it’s night and day compared to anything before it. Learn Cadence on Flow Playground.
- Easy Payments and Onboarding: the Flow Client Library (FCL) means apps don’t have to choose between supporting credit cards or cryptocurrency –– they can easily support both based on their business preferences.
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