INTRODUCING THE BLOCKCHAIN OPERATING SYSTEM (BOS)
Who is the boss? Only a real BOS can govern itself. What does this entail for you?
Similar to how Linux, macOS, and Windows make computers easy to use, NEAR protocol is providing a new kind of operating system with NEAR Discovery, the protocol’s flagship platform that allows individuals to create and use decentralised front-end applications on any blockchain(s) via the blockchain operating system (BOS).
TL;DR — What does BOS enable?
- Interactive on-chain pages (front-end code) with customisable features
- Highly efficient curation algorithms and a comprehensive experience for users and builders
- Network effects of developers forking and building reusable on-chain widgets
In essence, this means that BOS offers a platform where users fully control their own data.
Operating Systems Explained
Before diving deeper into the BOS, let’s take a step back to review the concept of an OS.
An ‘OS’ is the software running between hardware and the user. Operating systems allow users to work with computers without speaking their language. Without an OS, a computer would not be much more than electricity flowing through circuits. The operating system simply allocates resources to different programs, while preventing any potential conflicts.
Why do we need BOS for adoption?
Blockchain communities require sustainable public goods that can support new users entering the ecosystem and help to retain existing contributors. After all, to reach billions of users, there needs to be much greater infrastructure accessibility for builders who are creating both scalable and reliable projects and dApps.
Why? This way everyone has control of their assets, data, and the power of governance.
The SocialDB is a contract running on NEAR that leverages unique gas capabilities of a multidimensional blockchain. Saving data is just like other transactions, which means users pay deposits for data storage and fees. You can update anything in the SocialDB that is under your account’s control, including widget code, and there is a way to throw away the keys for specific data.
Users may also check the block height of a widget and verify it is a secure access point. Even if the code is updated in a later block.
Fully Decentralised Apps
The irony of decentralised applications is how most users interact with them via centralised front-end services running on old-school servers. This ‘web2' infrastructure is acceptable in some cases, but there are major trade-offs in terms of robustness and resilience.
What is a ‘front-end’?
Usually, app development involves constructing a user interface with specific data flows and visual components, such as buttons, pages, and menus. These exist on the client side, i.e., on the user’s device. For decentralised applications (dApps), the “backend” typically includes a contract running on-chain. dApps might also have a traditional database on the server side.
Blockchain applications with centralised frontend solutions may encounter interesting challenges. Each so-called ‘dApp’ is only ever as strong as its weakest link: off-chain front-end code, sometimes available on GitHub, hosted at a specific URL.
This kind of setup comes with certain risks. For instance, trusting intermediaries. Maintaining security is an additional challenge; users may not always be aware what code is running under the hood. Plus, they don’t have the ability to customise much, if anything.
Still, BOS gateways are hosted in a centralised manner. There is no such thing as a purely decentralised access point for on-chain experiences.
Enter blockchain operating systems!
What is a Blockchain OS?
A BOS helps everyone learn, build, and grow using any blockchain. Here, developers and all kinds of creators can easily deploy their own dApps with on-chain frontend code. The main benefits are in terms of accessibility, security, and composability.
This new approach leverages the unique capabilities of NEAR’s asynchronous runtime to enable not only censorship resistance, but also verification + audit-ability. Furthermore, data from various blockchains can live in reusable components, available for anyone to inspect.
For example, a team building on Ethereum can use the BOS to give access to users on Ethereum and others on NEAR. Give it a try at bos.gg
All the widgets / components running on the bOS are fully composable, enabling developers to freely combine them to fit their needs. That way, builders collaborate and share code, which can be customized to fit various purposes.
BOS: Moving forward
Ultimately, BOS aims to make it quick and easy to build multi-chain experiences. It enables NEAR to extend beyond existing as ‘another Layer-1 network’, and allows it to transform into its full potential as a decentralised operating system, empowering collaboration across ecosystems.
The future is not only NEAR. It’s now! Communities around BOS are cultivating a universal ecosystem of dApps with connections across networks. This means that Ethereum (and other EVM networks), Cosmos, and Solana will be among the first supported blockchains.
And of course, it’s all open-source, promoting the creation of custom gateways.
Learn how at: nearbuilders.com/bos
Written by @NEAR_intern & @james.near
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.
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