Web3 Development: Choose the Best Blockchain Platform for Your Dapp

s a web3 developer, launching and scaling a blockchain project requires more than a great project idea. The most important consideration is a blockchain platform with the appropriate tools and adequate support.

As a web3 developer, launching and scaling a blockchain project requires a dedicated team, specialised knowledge, and a blockchain platform with capabilities. It is difficult to choose or switch to a blockchain platform.

Before selecting a blockchain platform for Dapp development, remember these five things.

Far too many factors make a network a good fit for your Dapp projects for a single blog post to cover them all. Instead, we will focus on five crucial blockchain development factors.

1. Ethereum compatibility
2. Security and scalability
3. Cross-chain interoperability
4. Real-world data oracles
5. Community and grants

Ethereum Compatibility

Due to the growing popularity of Dapps, the Ethereum platform has had serious cost and scalability problems. For example, a simple swap from token A to token B can cost $50, while interacting with a more complex DeFi app or game can easily cost in the three-digit range.

But besides the Ethereum blockchain ecosystem itself, there are also a lot of other blockchains that work with Ethereum. Ethereum compatibility can be described on the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) level and the Ethereum RPC (Remote Procedure Call) level. Any blockchain platform that supports smart contracts will have some kind of virtual machine built into its protocol. When a blockchain’s virtual machine runs the same smart contract programming language as the EVM (Solidity), we call that blockchain “EVM Compatible.” This means that any smart contract written for Ethereum (in Solidity or any other language) can also be deployed on an EVM-compatible blockchain without changing the contract’s source code. But one should also check the version of the EVM that is being used. The latest versions always have better security and more language features.

EVM compatibility is not sufficient to port an Ethereum Dapp without modifications: most Dapps include a “frontend,” a blockchain “client”, that provides a user interface for users to interact with the Dapp’s underlying smart contracts easily: this is typically a standard Web application, but it could also be a mobile or desktop application. This “off-chain” portion of the Dapp must interact with the blockchain to gain access to the smart contracts, which is made possible by the RPC API exposed by the blockchain nodes. When a blockchain is also Ethereum-compatible at the RPC API level, the front end of an Ethereum Dapp can interact with that blockchain without requiring any source code modifications. By pointing them to a Gateway Node, tools such as MetaMask, Truffle, and Hardhat can operate natively, and any Ethereum blockchain software can also run natively.

Security and scalability

Are you concerned about security and scalability?

In any blockchain network, security is the most important thing. Before you launch your Dapp, you should do a lot of research to figure out how safe the platform you’re using is. You should know a lot about their security architecture and be able to find any security problems that have happened on the platform in the past. If you can, always choose those that have never had a relevant security issue, have been audit by top security firms, and have a team with relevant knowledge and proven experience in cryptography and security.

Scalability is another important thing you should consider before launching your project. This will help you avoid slow or rejected transactions and unexpected spikes in transaction fees, which could make your Dapp slow, expensive, or even useless.

New consensus mechanisms like Roll-DPoS can handle thousands of transactions per second while remaining decentralised and having the best security in the industry, making scalability crucial to your Dapp’s success. You want your users to be able to make transactions quickly, pay low fees, and have a great experience.

Cross-Chain Interoperability

Do you want a project that performs well? Developing Blockchain dApp limited to a single blockchain is then out of the question. Because all blockchains do not interact with each other by default, developers who want to build a diverse community across multiple blockchains and reap the true benefits of interconnectedness and decentralization face a challenge.

Cross-chain interoperability enables a blockchain to exchange information and assets with other blockchains in real-time, increasing the utility of both connected blockchains. Thus, breaking down the silos of blockchains will result in an intertwined distributed ecosystem. With the help of “cross-chain bridges,” financial transactions between two completely different blockchains can be made simple.

Always consider a decentralized bridge over a centralized bridge when selecting a cross-bridge, as this helps preserve the decentralized benefits of your Dapp. Cross-chain technology is crucial to your Dapp, as it enables your tokens to be “transfer” between different networks, fostering interoperability and providing your project with essential flexibility.

Real-world Data Oracles

Blockchains could only use price feeds, historical database data, and APIs until now. For real-world Dapps, blockchains need more data. Because blockchain lacks a trusted way to collect data from other systems, using real-world data in your Dapp is powerful but difficult (this is called the “Oracle problem”)

Not all blockchains are connect to oracle infrastructures, so keeping this in mind is important. Choosing a platform with access to real-world data oracles will give your Dapps much more potential. GPS location data, health data, traffic data, and data about natural disasters are some of the types of real-world data that could be use to create new Dapps. When Blockchain dApp developers can access trusted real-world data, they can create new Dapps.

Community and Grants

A community of like-minded developers can significantly improve your project’s technical capabilities and execution speed. Joining a blockchain community can help you interact with developers in less formal settings.This enables you to leave your workplace culture behind and have your ideas challenged. You can rely on many other Ethereum developer communities by building on a blockchain compatible with Ethereum.

As a developer, you should select a blockchain platform with substantial grant and mentorship programs in addition to the community. Many blockchain platforms dedicate a significant portion of their Treasury to research, project development, and community building.

With few resources to learn the nascent blockchain technology, building a blockchain project can be risky. Grants will undoubtedly aid in funding your ambition to create a decentralized solution. Some platforms offer mentorship and grants, offering advice on how to take your project from conception to launch. Find these platforms to accelerate the development of your project and improve its chances to success.