This week, GoGoPool explored Landslide Network, an innovative technology designed to facilitate efficient and secure management of digital assets on Avalanche. The episode discussed the subnet’s primary function and delved into the benefits it hopes to bring to the AVAX community. If you missed it, this article briefly overviews GoGoPool’s discussion with Landslide!
Project Overview
According to project founder Nathan Windsor, Landslide is “building [a] CosmWasm of virtual machines minus Tendermint.” Tendermint is a type of software used in cryptocurrency networks to help make sure that transactions are valid and secure. It works by having different computers (or nodes) all over the world verify each transaction in the network and then agree on the state of the network. In other words, by removing Tendermint, Landslide can run any chain existing on Cosmos SDK, such as Tara, Cosmos, or Thor Chain, with faster finality.
What is an SDK?
To gain deeper insight into the technology behind Landslide, our host Breevie asked Nathan Windsor to explain the function of an SDK. An SDK stands for Software Development Kit, and (as the name suggests) it is a set of tools developers use to create software programs. “It’s like a series of Legos and modules you can use to build apps,” said Windsor. For example, an SDK might have a library of functions to manipulate images, an API to access a database, and code to draw a graphical user interface. Therefore, the question becomes: how did Landslide tweak the Cosmos SDK to allow each chain to run with super speed? “All of the pieces of [a] car like the steering wheel, all these different parts are different SDKs,” Windsor metaphorically explained. “The consensus algorithm is what we liken to the car’s engine. We dropped the engine block out of Tendermint and replaced it with a rocket engine.”
The Rocket Engine
The phrase “rocket engine” sounds fun and conjures images of objects moving at high speed, but what does that mean in technical terms? From a developer’s perspective, Avalanche is like a rocket engine because it is what Emin Gun (founder of Avalabs) calls a metastable consensus algorithm. Put simply, the algorithm focuses on achieving consensus among a group of computer systems without requiring all of them to agree in the same time frame. The results are lower transaction costs, increased scalability, improved security, faster transaction confirmations, and greater network decentralization. Hence, the term “rocket engine.”
The Landslide Vision
Windsor’s coding journey began in 2015 when Ethereum was in its early stages. At the time, his location in Brooklyn, New York, was instrumental in allowing him to attend consensus meet-ups. Emin Gun, Stephen Buttolph, and Ted Yin also attended Cornell alongside Windsor, so as early as 2019, he was familiar with their theories on subnet scalability. Windsor indicated that one of the chief reasons he decided to build on Avalanche was because of Gun, Buttolph, and Yin’s research that suggested subnets were the key to scalability. “Cosmos and Terra grew out of that,” he stated, “but they were still throttled by their consensus because Tendermint is slower.”
When Windsor and his team figured this out, they determined that the biggest competitor to Avalanche outside of EVM was Cosmos, and from there, they built their technology.
Subnets: The Obvious Choice
Before joining Landslide, several network members made a block explorer for a Polkadot para chain called “nodal.” Ultimately, they decided against building a para chain because of a cumbersome user experience, among other issues. Additionally, as early supporters of Avalanche, they wanted to continue championing the blockchain.
Windsor also spoke of the benefits their project could bring to those “wrecked” after the explosion of Terra. “We’re going to [conduct] an airdrop claim, and twenty percent of our tokens [will be] divided for Terra, Cosmos, and Avalanche users.” The drop will allow people who lost money during the crash to claim tokens. All of this is possible because, through Landslide’s technology, any dApps previously on Terra will be able to get ported to Landslide, where they will continue functioning.
Subnet Zone Communication
Landslide is making it possible to communicate with zones. Before delving into this, it is vital to know the definition of an IBC. IBC (Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol) is a protocol that enables secure and trustless communication between blockchains. Currently, the team is building a lite client to communicate the state of Avalanche’s main net and Landslide’s subnet to IBC relayers. As a result, users can move between Cosmos zones into Avalanche.
Windsor and Breevie discussed obstacles developers have faced in this process. Indeed, the team has a difficult road ahead, but they are excited!
Process
The podcast closed with a discussion on how to port a dApp from one Blockchain (e.g., Terra Luna) to Avalanche. Windsor explained that users can choose “forking” or “bridging.”
Forking creates a new cryptocurrency from an existing blockchain by copying the current code and making changes. The currency launched operates independently of the original blockchain, creating new versions of existing cryptocurrencies or coins.
Bridging connects two blockchains and allows them to communicate and interact with each other. Connecting blockchains allows them to transfer information or digital assets between each other, thus enabling users to benefit from the features and applications of both.
Windsor exemplified the bridging process. The first step is duplicating the code base. Once done, a user would deploy a smart contract on Landslide. Because the copied code and Landslide run through the same virtual machine, the two will communicate without a hitch!
If the groundbreaking technology of Landslide Network piqued your interest, be sure to check out the full podcast! For more information on Avalanche subnets, follow GoGoPool on Twitter.
