Module developer_hub::polkadot_sdk::polkadot

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Learn about Polkadot as a platform.

Polkadot

Implementation of the Polkadot host in Rust.

Getting Involved

Alternative Clients 🌈

TODO:

Platform

Polkadot 1.x

The original vision of Polkadot (i.e. Polkadot 1) revolves around the following arguments:

  • Future is multi-chain, because we need different chains with different specialization to achieve widespread goals.
  • In other words, no single chain is good enough to achieve this.
  • A multi-chain future will inadvertently suffer from fragmentation of economic security.
    • This stake fragmentation will make communication over consensus system with varying security levels inherently unsafe.

Polkadot’s answer to the above is:

  • Shared Security: The idea of shared economic security sits at the core of Polkadot. Polkadot enables different blockchains (i.e. “Parachains”) to pool their economic security from Polkadot (i.e. “Relay Chain”).
  • A framework to build blockchains: In order to materialize the multi-chain future, an easy blockchain framework must exist. This is Substrate, FRAME and Cumulus.
  • A communication language between blockchains: In order for these blockchains to communicate, they need a shared language. XCM is one such language.

Note that the interoperability promised by Polkadot is unparalleled in that any two parachains connected to Polkadot have the same security and can have much higher guarantees about the security of the recipient of any message.

Polkadot delivers the above vision, alongside a flexible means for parachains to schedule themselves with the Relay Chain. To achieve this, Polkadot has been developed with an architecture similar to that of a computer. Polkadot Relay Chain has a number of “cores”. Each is (in simple terms) capable of progressing 1 parachain at a time. For example, a parachain can schedule itself on a single core for 5 blocks.

Within the scope of Polkadot 1.x, two main scheduling ways have been considered:

  • Long term Parachains, obtained through locking a sum of DOT in an auction system.
  • on-demand Parachains, purchased through paying DOT to the relay-chain whenever needed.

This scheduling system, and its evolution is the segway into Polkadot 2.x

Polkadot 2.x

TODO