Free Indexer, Explorer, RPC Endpoint and More! First 100 Appchains!
At Octopus Network, we work hard to streamline the launch process for application-specific Substrate blockchains, also known as appchains. In the last 6 months we’ve built a suite of resources for appchains, finished our design for IBC in Substrate, and created an excellent UI — all in support of the growth of web3. From outside security operations, and development sprints, to community support, we’ve been busy in the background improving a unique offering.
Observant users may have noticed the appchains’ RPC endpoints for Myriad and Debio are different URLs coming from the same FQDN gateway.mainnet.oct.network. This means the RPC endpoints in production today are not anchored to the websites and certificates of Myriad and Debio, but are in fact hosted by us at Octopus Network.
Wait a second, what is an RPC endpoint?
An RPC endpoint is a receiver for calls or messages that doesn’t require HTTP sessionization. RPC messages, aka Remote Procedure Call messages, include identity and permission information in the call itself, as the “call” or message sent is primarily a command based on already known data or functions.
RPC can only GET (request data or a function) or POST (submit information or a function) where a REST API can accept GET, POST, PUT, PATCH and DELETE. Both of these mechanisms are used for CRUD operations [create, read, update, delete] but they do so in different ways.
Where REST APIs require HTTP headers, RPC call formats like JSON-RPC or XML-RPC do not require the use of HTTP; this makes I/O for RPCs easier to process and easier to ingest at a low layer in the techstack, because these messages inherently include fewer bytes per operation.
These public resources are in high demand for blockchains, and the cost we take on helps incentivize young blockchains to utilize our solution, providing transparency and high performance when communicating with appchains.
More information on RPC calls for Substrate can be found here.
What does this mean for appchains?
Instead of a “traditional” interface, Octopus Network will supply a resource to link RPC messages to your appchain!
Furthermore, the RPC endpoint provided will be a TLS websocket [ie wss://gateway.mainnet.oct.network] capable of managing data at a much higher speed than a graphic user interface or hypertext transfer protocol[HTTP].
This component helps appchains build powerful off-chain integrations with low latency like mobile apps, webapps and even other blockchains.
Do I need a live copy of a blockchain to know which transactions/accounts to query?
Absolutely, and we provide that too!
While it is possible to use RPC calls to retrieve a value, this isn’t recommended for the retrieval of data in bulk. External integrations should require efficient visibility to an entire ledger, making RPC calls inadequate for certain use-cases like an explorer.
This need is met by an indexer, where transaction and account information is proactively copied to an external database, providing a high-quality user experience. This separate database — supplied by Octopus Network — is another component that all blockchains need. By providing this utility for appchains, we accelerate their ability to innovate and provide an incredible UX.
The Octopus Foundation will supply such an indexer for each appchain, feeding an explorer with a single interface UI for all appchains at Octopus Network — found at explorer.mainnet.oct.network.
Users are now able to search for any transaction or account, track transfers, and even see the raw contents of each block. We’ve budgeted this service level for the first 100 Appchains to make our offering even more valuable — a truly unique business model among the multichain ecosystems.
While other ecosystems are reliant on secondary economies and ad-hoc compute resources, we’re proud to keep a fair and significantly competitive design, saving millions of dollars and hundreds of hours for young web3 start-ups.
But wait, there’s more!
As the validator of last resort, Octopus Network will also be running 4 validators for the first 100 appchains, creating a cohesive opportunity to synchronize an active-copy database [like an index] with extremely low latency. This helps improve processes and protect young blockchains from instability and uncomfortable UX, stabilizing the initial “boot” process.
If an appchain loses community support and all other validators leave besides the 4 validators supplied by Octopus Network, we will provide some coaching and allow up to 30 days to win the community back. In this manner, we act as a reasonable safeguard to protect young appchains in production, while also providing tools to mitigate and prevent such a scenario.
This is a truly unique component of what value we offer to everyone, acting as a powerful safeguard, stabilizer and more. I’ve commonly compared this to training wheels, because at some point this stabilizer isn’t necessary, but it’ll keep your blockchain performing well in it’s early days, when most chains are highly vulnerable to changes in network participation.
A core philosophy of Octopus Network is expressed simply here:
Without debasing the OCT economy or requiring direct payments, we are increasing the value of the total offering.
We provide support for the construction of an ethical launch process for everyone through Substrate, and these processes greatly benefit the long-term growth of appchains.
Octopus Network is determined to build web3, and we will continue to augment our unique offering as we demonstrate utility, innovation, and our core philosophies.
