Blockchain
Decentralized applications (dApps) are growing in popularity as more companies and developers look to leverage the benefits of decentralized networks such as blockchain. However, developing dApps can be complex and time consuming. To simplify the process, developers can use frameworks that provide a range of tools and functionalities to test, compile, deploy, and debug their applications. There are several popular frameworks for developing decentralized applications. In this article, we will explore the Cardano ecosystem and learn more about the smart contract framework available to developers.
Plutus: Cardano’s smart contract language
Cardano’s Plutus programming language is a high-level functional programming language designed specifically for developing smart contracts on the Cardano blockchain. Plutus is based on the programming language Haskell, which is known for its mathematical precision and high reliability.
Plutus is designed as a secure and flexible language for developing smart contracts. It is used to write both on-chain and off-chain code that controls the behavior of smart contracts, enabling developers to create complex financial applications that can run on the Cardano blockchain.
Plutus provides robust support for formal authentication. This unique feature allows developers to mathematically verify the correctness of smart contracts before deploying them to the blockchain. By removing vulnerabilities and bugs through formal verification, Plutus helps improve the security and reliability of smart contracts, reducing the risk of money loss or contract hacks.
What is a Plutus Application Backend (PAB)?
There is a significant difference between Ethereum’s account model and Cardano’s eUTXO models. In the account model, all logic is on-chain, but this appears to cause scalability issues. In the eUTXO model, smart contract calculation is done off-chain and only the smart contract validation itself is done on-chain, just like Bitcoin. This means that transaction validation can be incredibly efficient and scalable – an advantage of the eUTXO model.
For this reason, Plutus smart contracts must be interfaced with an off-chain framework or a Plutus Application Backend (PAB). A PAB is responsible for running the dApp logic and provides the following functionalities:
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- Request the blockchain status
- Processes user input
- Run smart contracts
- Build and balance trades
- Submit signed transactions to the network.
In general, a PAB is a critical component as it provides the necessary functionality to interact with the Cardano blockchain and execute the smart contracts that govern the application’s behavior.
Using PAB solutions on Cardano
IOG PAB
This was developed by IOG, one of the founders of Cardano. This was one of the first PAB available to developers. It is a Haskell PAB designed as a monolith framework that combines many tools and services in one environment. Because it is written in Haskell, it can take advantage of native interoperability with Plutus primitives and enjoy a streamlined and efficient interface between on-chain and off-chain code. However, the architecture is complex and lacks modularity, so developers may find it difficult to work with.
Atlas
Developed in collaboration with MLabs, Well-Typed and Plank. Atlas is another Haskell based PAB that has taken the best of the IOG PAB and improved on its limitations. It offers an intuitive typing system that removes the complexity around building transactions, balancing UTxOs, and pairing with Plutus contracts. In addition, it supports modular data providers and uses Vasil upgrade features such as reference entry and inline dates. Finally, it provides a testing framework for debugging your application in a simulated environment.
Bright
Lucid is developed by SpaceBudz and is a PAB in JavaScript, Deno, and Node.js. This makes it particularly suitable for web development and JavaScript programming language, giving it great flexibility and ease of use right out of the box. In particular, it lowers the barrier to entry for many developers who are unfamiliar with Haskell and struggle with the functional programming paradigm. Finally, it integrates with Aiken to perform smart contract evaluation.
gauze
Developed by Martify, Mesh is similar to Lucid in that it is also based on JavaScript and is web-friendly. It differentiates itself by providing higher-level abstractions for common use cases such as transaction asset bundles, NFTs hitting/burning, staking, and more. The focus is on simplicity and ease of use with React frontends. (Disclosure: Genius X, a Genius Yield brand, has included Martify in its accelerator program.)
Building your own PAB is a complex undertaking and requires a deep technical knowledge of UTxOs, Plutus and other Cardano primitives. This represents a significant hurdle for developers and individual projects to design and implement on their own. Fortunately, Cardano now has four open-source PAB solutions available to the developer community, significantly lowering the barrier to entry into the Cardano ecosystem.
Basically, PAB frameworks play a key role in the handling and execution of the smart contracts on Cardano. They provide a range of tools and functionalities that make dApp development faster and more streamlined for developers. The Cardano developer ecosystem has matured significantly over the past year and now offers a variety of PAB solutions to build and deploy dApps on Cardano.
CSO at Genius Yield, the all-in-one DeFi platform, which combines AI-powered yield optimization with a concentrated liquidity DEX.
This article was published through Cointelegraph Innovation Circle, a vetted organization of senior executives and experts in the blockchain technology industry who are building the future through the power of connections, collaboration, and thought leadership. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Cointelegraph.
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