Blockchain Automation Made Easy
Scheduled tasks, once notoriously difficult on blockchain, are now possible thanks to LiquidScheduler.
TL;DR
- Scheduled transactions and task automation have proven to be thorny issues for blockchain developers.
- With LiquidScheduler, a cron-like service running on the DAPP Network, developers can finally automate key functions within their dApps without compromising on trustlessness or decentralization.
- Whether writing to or reading from a database, sending batch emails or updating data feeds, LiquidScheduler enables task automation in a seamless and trustless manner.
The goal of engineers and software developers around the world can often be summed up in one word: automation.
- Writing to and reading from a database.
- Running computation at a set time each day.
- Sending batch emails.
- Updating data feeds.
Anything that can be carried out without human input is swiftly automated by engineering teams seeking to optimize their development process. Utilities like cron make task scheduling rather simple for developers building traditional applications. Yet when it comes to blockchain, the process of scheduling tasks becomes a non-trivial matter — due to the inherent constraints of base-layer blockchains.
LiquidScheduler is a cron-like scheduling service that enables simple, decentralized task automation.
Scheduling Tasks: Easy with cron. Hard on Blockchain.
With just a couple of lines of code, developers can transform almost any tedious task into an automated script that runs at regular intervals. cron — derived from “Chronos” — serves as the task automation utility for Unix-based systems, while Windows developers can use the Scheduled Task utility to perform similar functions.
However, scheduling a transaction for some time in the future has proven to be a thorny issue for blockchain developers.
Scheduled tasks complicate consensus because of the many ways they could fail and the non-trivial set of rules that govern their lifespan. They also complicate history, since a single scheduled task can exist in two separate blocks with two different status values. Furthermore, there is no way to guarantee the execution of such a task without compromising the safety of the chain. In order to optimize the performance of EOSIO, the recently-released v2.0 deprecated scheduled tasks, which were known as deferred transactions. Other blockchains, such as Ethereum, never supported scheduled transactions in the first place.
Now, with the LiquidScheduler service running on the DAPP Network, developers can finally automate key functions within their dApps without compromising on trustlessness and decentralization. Developers stake DAPP tokens to a LiquidScheduler service package offered by DSPs, who then execute the task by calling a contract action at the preapproved time. The entire process is auditable on chain, giving developers the power to automatically unstake their tokens if a DSP doesn’t follow its Service Level Agreement.
It is also possible, and recommended, to stake to multiple DSPs for redundancy. In such a case, all of the chosen DSPs try to execute the transaction, while only the quickest one actually does so.
Use LiquidScheduler Together with Other DAPP Network Services for Maximum Impact
On its own, LiquidScheduler solves a major headache for developers who are limited in their ability to schedule tasks on the blockchain. But combining LiquidScheduler with the other DAPP Network services allows its full power to manifest.
Taken together, the growing suite of products running on the DAPP Network is built to power unhackable, ungameable, uncompromisable immortal applications.
The capabilities of LiquidScheduler and the rest of the DAPP Network services can be demonstrated by looking at blockchain gaming and community management as examples.
LiquidScheduler for Blockchain Gaming:
Gamers are used to receiving digital goods at specific times, including:
- Daily Stamina or Energy refills.
- A cooldown for a unique spell or tool that enhances gameplay.
- A daily reward distribution of in-game currency.
With LiquidScheduler, game developers can automate the process of delivering digital goods to their users, creating a seamless gaming experience.
Another gaming use case for LiquidScheduler was demonstrated by BCS Germany during the recent DAPP Network Hackathon. It combined the service together with LiquidOracles and vRAM to produce a space-based MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) called LiquidGalaxy. Players travel across virtual galaxies mining resources, crafting assets and trading astronomical objects. In order to create a dynamic gaming experience, the team used LiquidScheduler to spawns new suns at randomized positions regularly and evolve the galaxies over time.
LiquidScheduler for Community Management:
Engaging a diverse, global community of supporters is one of the essential missions of a blockchain project, and LiquidScheduler could be combined with other DAPP Network services to automate certain functions of their community management strategy. For example, projects could run regular airdrops to reward community members who are most active on social media platforms. LiquidOracles could be used to access the necessary social media feeds and determine the recipients of reward programs in a trustless fashion, with LiquidScheduler serving to automate the process of distributing the rewards.
Mass adoption will come when developers fuse function and form to build products that people love to use. LiquidScheduler, together with the rest of the DAPP Network products, takes care of providing essential services and infrastructure for dApp developers, streamlining their development process and enabling them to craft seamless, engaging user experiences that will draw ordinary users towards blockchain technology.
Want to add scheduled tasks to your dApp? Visit our documentation and feel free to ask any technical questions in the DAPP Network Devs Telegram group.
