AppChain

Application-specific blockchains or AppChains for short are blockchains dedicated to a single application. Every SKALE AppChain has the following benefits:

Creation

Creation of AppChains can be complicated in most instances. This is because outside of the SKALE Network, creating an AppChain requires developers to:

1. Create an economic system that can incentivize validators
2. Recruit validators
3. Balance the above two items with decentralization, speed, and stability
4. Handle security in a decentralized manner

SKALE Chains can be created quickly with no additional work or setup required from dApp developers thanks to the combination of the pooled-security model of validator nodes and SKALE Manager contracts on the Ethereum Mainnet that are used by the nodes to manage orchestration of a new SKALE Chain. Developers can focus on their dApps, and not on creating a complex system that will balance speed, security, and decentralization.

Customization

AppChains are meant to be customized and unique compared to other chains in the AppChain parent network and even versus other monolithic chains. SKALE Chains adhere to this by offering developers the ability to customize their chain configuration, token mappings to other SKALE Chains and/or Ethereum, as well as items like governance and permissions.

Interoperability

Since the first SKALE Chain went live on Mainnet, the network and the chain itself was interoperable with the Ethereum Mainnet (L1). This allowed tokens and messages and to be sent between the L1 and the SKALE Chain.

Since SKALE v2 went live in June of 2022, the SKALE Network now also offers default interoperability between the SKALE Chains themselves. This allows dedicated AppChains to leverage existing hubs for additional tooling and services such as decentralized exchanges, liquidity, and marketplaces.

Resource Competition

Monolithic blockchains are well known for having gas-fees that can spike during times of high usage on the chain.

The SKALE Network, being a horizontal scaling solution, and having dedicated SKALE Chains (AppChains) for high-performant decentralized applications or enterprises; removes competition for resources out of the equation entirely. While having zero gas fees is also a huge benefit, the multi-chain architecture means that two AppChains will NEVER compete against each other for block space.

Scalability

As discussed in the previous section, the scalable nature of the network allows for AppChains to build fearlessly without worrying about crashing a monolithic chain or running into scenarios where they run out of room to transact. As dApps continue to evolve and projects continue to innovate, in an instance where a dApp did outgrow their AppChain, they could actually provision another — or as many more as they needed — AppChains, and link them together using the SKALE Interchain Message Agent (IMA) meaning there is always room to SCALE!

The Enterprise Advantage

For enterprises, the AppChain model offers several advantages. It allows for the creation of permissioned or permission-less blockchains that can be tailored to the enterprise’s specific needs. This can be particularly useful for applications that require high levels of control and security, such as supply chain or CRM services.

Furthermore, the ability to customize the chain parameters can allow for even higher performance, as the enterprise can choose an optimized routing infrastructure for their specific use case. This can lead to enhanced capabilities and efficiency improvements over traditional, one-size-fits-all blockchain solutions.

Finally, the App-chain model allows for greater scalability, as each App-chain operates independently of the others. This means that the performance of one App-chain will not be affected by high traffic or congestion on another chain, allowing for consistent and predictable performance, even under high load.