BOS: MORE THAN JUST A FRONT-END
“I get why the BOS is cool, but isn’t it just a decentralised front-end?” — someone out there.
It’s been a few weeks since Consensus and the announcements surrounding the BOS. Nevertheless, many tend to still think of the BOS as a layer that other chains can use as the interface for user interactions.
While the front end is the first touchpoint for anyone getting into crypto, the BOS is an entire full Open Web stack with all the functionalities you’d expect. With this post, we expand on NEARWEEK’s introduction to the blockchain operating system (BOS) to explain exactly what the BOS entails and why dismissing it as merely a decentralised frontend is short-sighted.
Why the BOS?
We were lucky enough to hear Illia talk about BOS in San Francisco. Among other things, Illia shared why NEAR was created and how this all ties back to the BOS. He explained that from the very early stages, the main driver behind NEAR was the idea of building the Open Web.
Open Web: users own their identity, assets, data, and the decision-making power over what happens to them.
The BOS is an evolution of NEAR that facilitates the Opeb Web by creating a layer where people can discover Open Web-related experiences without giving up on their sovereignty.
How does the BOS work?
The BOS consists of various layers:
Blockchain & smart contracts: These sit at the bottom of the stack. Currently, the BOS can already interact with EVM chains, L2s, and NEAR. This will expand to support Cosmos, Solana, and other native chains.
Data Platform Layer / Middleware: As with the cream in Oreos, the middleware ensures that everything sticks together. This layer sits between the chain and components and connects the activities in the front-end with actual on-chain activity. Moreover, middleware provides easy access to on-chain data and facilitates search and recovery functionality through its aggregation mechanism — something that is much needed Web3.
Discovery: This is the layer that most people associate with BOS. It’s the decentralized frontends where all code is stored on the NEAR blockchain, with files being uploaded to IPFS.
Gateways: Theoretically, anyone can run their own gateway via access apps through the BOS. Gateways are simply access points that render the code stored on-chain to an end-user. In the future, gateways might be integrated into browsers and wallets and run by dApp and protocol teams.
Onboarding: Still one of the biggest challenges, but with FastAuth integrated, the BOS offers one of the smoothest onboarding experiences that anyone who has signed up for a traditional Web2 service will be familiar with.
The last remaining question now is, what can be built with the BOS, and how can I leverage it for my own projects?
What can be built on the BOS?
Everything built on the BOS exists in the form of components. These make it really easy to create a widget by simply forking existing components or directly tying them into your product.
Super dApps
Imagine Ref Finance wanted to expand its services to include borrowing and lending to become a DeFi super app. The Burrow team has already created a component facilitating borrowing and lending. Instead of having to develop it themselves, the Ref Finance team could simply integrate Burrow’s component.
Moreover, in this scenario, REF Finance wouldn’t have to worry about protocol changes on Burrow either, as long as the Burrow team themselves maintain its component.
Multichain dApps
dApps don’t have to be limited to one chain. Since BOS already works with EVM chains, there are many dApps to connect with. As an ETH holder, you can stake your ETH from the BOS with Lido, and if Canto is more your vibe, you can use Cantopia, deployed on the BOS, to swap some of your Canto Tokens.
Beyond that, developers can even provide users with easy access to multiple chains. This was recently demonstrated by Zavodil, who built a front-end that seamlessly grants users access to execute swaps on Ethereum, NEAR, and ZKSync.
While the above examples have been DeFi, there are many more opportunities to build Multichain dApps, from scaling DAOs across chains to doing fun things like using your NFT from one chain in another chain’s game or using the reputation you built up elsewhere in a new context.
As a crypto-native, you ultimately benefit from the BOS as it provides you with a unified interface to use your favourite dApps from all kinds of ecosystems. You also can more easily discover new dApps and never miss any critical updates thanks to the notification feature.
But the BOS isn’t built for just crypto natives. NEAR is aiming to onboard 1 billion people. That’s why BOS is creating a Web2-like experience combining it with all the best features of Web3. If using the Open Web becomes an easy alternative, why would you put up with Web2?
To facilitate the transition, future releases for the BOS will include private data that enables encryption that can only be decrypted by users or permissioned providers and a compliance engine to power enterprise adoption.
What does BOS mean for the Open Web?
Recently, the team at Proximity Labs wrote a great article about the further implications of BOS, highlighting some of the key benefits from decentralisation and security to censorship resistance and composability.
All of these features are phenomenal. That said, they might mean little for you as an individual as long as you live comfortably. So what does the BOS mean for you?
It really depends, but chances are, as a crypto native reading this, even if your goal is just for bags to go up, it’d be better if more people entered into the space. The BOS enables this by providing a unified interface for all existing protocols to build on.
The realisation of the Open Web has been held back by fragmentation, fighting over which network is the best, and a convoluted onboarding experience. The BOS, on the other hand, is chain-agnostic, anyone can integrate with it, and it seamlessly leverages fastAuth for onboarding.
Let’s explore this further using a few examples:
Iskra (gaming)
According to dApprader, Iskra has seen over 2.3 million unique active wallets in the past 30 days, making it the №1 used dApp for that period. Nevertheless, you might have yet to hear of it since it runs on Klaytn (which you might also never have heard of before). However, if integrated into the BOS, the casual gaming platform would benefit from increased discovery as people could easily filter by most active dApp, and distribution because everyone interacting with BOS could see it.
Orb dApp (social)
Lens Protocol, the social graph that generated quite some hype when the Aave team launched it, forms the backbone of Orb dApp. As a super dApp for decentralized social media, Orb app is a perfect candidate to leverage the BOS for ease of access and enable users to cross-post to various social media platforms without sacrificing privacy or a smooth user experience.
Gitcoin (crowdfunding)
As we’ve seen during recent Gitcoin grants rounds, gas fees on Ethereum ruin the experience and willingness of donors to support their favorite organisations. While some propose running Gitcoin as a dAppchain, we think the BOS could be a feasible way to allow donors to donate in whatever asset on EVM or NEAR (eventually any chain) they would like to, defaulting to a low-gas choice.
With components for swaps and bridging integrated, it seems feasible to abstract away any necessary swapping activity to provide supporters and those looking for grants with the best experience. Ultimately, we all win if we figure out how to fund public goods efficiently and democratically.
To Summarise
The BOS is the infrastructure realising the Open Web. It supports any blockchain and is the perfect interface for realising a multichain future.
By taking on hosting and storage, it’s not just a great choice for Web3 developers to quickly go to market, but it even provides a cost-efficient choice for Web2 companies. After all, the Open Web is open to anyone.
Learn how at: nearbuilders.com/bos
Written by @NEAR_intern
Edited by @achildhoodhero
About NEAR Protocol
NEAR is on a mission to onboard a billion users to the infinite possibilities of Web3 with the Blockchain Operating System (BOS). Leveraging its high-performance, carbon-neutral protocol, which is fast, secure, and scalable, NEAR provides a common layer for browsing and discovering the Open Web.
About NEARWEEK
NEARWEEK is one of the first decentralised news sources within the NEAR ecosystem. Via the production of high-quality content, news, and promotional support, NEARWEEK unleashes the full potential of its media outlets to act as the social epicentre of the NEAR ecosystem.
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