Decentralized applications, or dApps for short, are widely implemented in all areas of business, because they can be effective and useful for both users and owners. The main thing that distinguishes such an application from the IT solutions we are used to is the method of their work, which is based on working with distributed lists, that is, with blockchain technology. DApps are the basis for the development of the Internet of the new generation, which is called Web 3.0 and which we wrote about in another article on the BeFund blog. But why is not everyone in a hurry to transfer their business to decentralized applications and what are the benefits of those who have already started doing it?
Briefly about dApps
As we said at the beginning, dApps run on decentralized computer networks such as Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, Solana and others. Under these conditions, each of the nodes of the selected system performs the calculation of the processes, and not one server, as it happens in classic centralized applications. Each dApp must comply with the following requirements to fully meet its status:
- The software must be open source and any change to it is possible only with the consent of the majority of users;
- All data is stored in the blockchain in an encrypted form;
- Cryptographic tokens are generally used to access the application and the network;
- The generation of tokens takes place according to a special algorithm that encourages other users to make a greater contribution to the development of the application and the network.
As you can see, the first decentralized application in the history of mankind can be considered the Bitcoin system, which meets all the above requirements. However, as of today, the concept of dApp is inextricably linked to the use of smart contracts. Since Bitcoin does not have such functionality, a lot of unnecessary controversy arises. It is absolutely not important for us to delve into it.
Peculiarities of dApps
As of mid-July 2019, there were more than 2,700 decentralized applications in the world, which were accessed daily by more than 150,000 users from around the world. And already in the first quarter of 2022, according to dAppsRadar, these indicators increased by 2000%, which indicates the rapid growth in popularity of these solutions. Of course, not all applications are in great demand, there are startups that are no longer supported by developers. But thanks to its features, the dApp can work completely autonomously and not depend on external factors, because everything that enters the blockchain remains there forever. The internal code of applications works in P2P networks as a set of defined rules described in smart contracts. We wrote about their work in more detail in another article on our blog, which you can find here.
Another advantage of dApps is a higher level of security and reliability in operation. While centralized servers may not withstand a hacker attack or simply physically fail, it is almost impossible to hack the blockchain. And in the sense of stealing personal data, and in the literal sense, because then all network nodes around the world will have to be destroyed.
But even if attackers find a way to get data from the blockchain, they will be in for a lot of trouble — all information is securely encrypted. In addition, dApps do not require real verification of their users, which means that people do not have to worry about the leakage of personal data.
However, any system has disadvantages and in this case they are also present. Technologies are still at the stage of development, which imposes certain tangible limitations on the use of dApps:
- Decentralized applications require significant computing power, which not every system can afford. That is why most dApps are deployed in the Ethereum blockchain, which has such power. In other cases, or when the dApp uses its own blockchain, an increase in the number of users will necessarily cause a decrease in transaction speed;
- A complex procedure for making changes to the code. On the one hand, this is good — no one will accidentally or intentionally damage the application. However, for continuous software improvements, developers must constantly obtain consensus from all network nodes, which can be extremely time-consuming;
- The efficiency of any dApp directly depends on the network effect, that is, the greater the number of users, the greater the efficiency. Even the best solutions or startups without the right number of interested people will not survive in the market.
As you can see, most of the problems with dApps are due to the imperfection of the technology. As of today, this really slows down the development of decentralized applications. But it is obvious that over time some problems will disappear by themselves. And every new dApp is sure to bring that time closer.
Where is it beneficial to use dApps?
Now it is absolutely not difficult for all of us to understand in which areas of business decentralized applications will become the most effective right now. After all, it is obvious that they are simply irreplaceable where something needs to be conveyed, counted and controlled. The BeFund team already has development experience for the most popular industries, including:
Decentralized exchanges and finance
Everyone knows that the creation of the blockchain challenged all financial structures that for centuries received excess profits purely from commission fees. DApps allow you to organize direct interaction between sellers and buyers, so the fee is reduced to the minimum necessary for the operation of the system (for example, the gas fee) and the exchange owners receive a profit. But this is nothing compared to the costs that await you at ordinary banks or credit unions. Therefore, the development of DEX and DeFi is beneficial to both project owners and ordinary users and is not beneficial only to financial institutions.
By the way, decentralized applications can use the coins of the blockchain they work on as a cryptocurrency without additional integrations. In this way dApp on Ethereum freely accepts ETH for transactions without additional effort from developers. This is precisely one of the reasons why Ethereum solutions are so popular among customers.
Gaming industry
Virtual entertainment has become an almost unlimited field for earning from the first computer games. With the development of technology, all this has become even more popular and profitable, so GameFi is one of the most attractive areas for the implementation of dApps. Even the numbers speak for it: more than half of the new active wallets involved in 2022 processed various game tokens.
Goes to a new level and the application of NFT. If earlier these tokens were mostly used to create image collections, now they are actively used in the gaming industry. With NFT, players can trade characters, in-game items, and other assets that can sometimes cost as much as a good car. In the near future, GameFi will definitely experience a new boom when Metaverse technologies become publicly available. Therefore, owners of dApps for the gaming industry have excellent investment opportunities, the main thing is to do it in time, that is, now.
Business management
Blockchain has also fundamentally changed the field of management, as it allows transparent and efficient management of various processes. Smart contracts allow you to set unbreakable rules and with the use of tokens allow you to distribute roles and influence the overall process. A clear example of this can be decentralized applications for voting: token holders participate in the survey, and depending on their number, the level of influence on the final result changes. But in any case, the opinion of each voting participant will be taken into account, and it is simply impossible to falsify the result in someone’s favor.
Many of the developers of the BeFund team previously worked on the creation of CRM and ERP for large businesses. Since 2010, they have been creating effective solutions for interacting with customers and managing a company online and faced hundreds of problems related to centralized systems. Now, when the focus of our attention has completely shifted to the blockchain, developers are noticing the advantages of this technology, which at one time would have been simply irreplaceable. Therefore, in our opinion, dApps for business management will soon become mainstream among entrepreneurs around the world.
Today, we all stand on the threshold of great changes in the IT world. People all over the world are creating decentralized applications that far outnumber the software of the Web 2.0 world. BeFund has enough experience in blockchain development to become your reliable partner in this direction right now. So don’t waste your time and opportunities and let’s develop dApps together!