[REVIEW]ARCBLOCK'S ADVANTAGES & ARCHITECTURE

OVERVIEW

ArcBlock is a platform and an ecosystem for building and deploying decentralized blockchain applications. The platform goes beyond providing the necessary foundational components for using blockchain to power complex business rules. It connects your existing system to blockchain networks, enabling you to automate business processes using the data and identities associated with existing systems. ArcBlock’s primary goal is to remove the barriers that have slowed blockchain adoption among the general public. We’re also passionate about developing unique approaches that will significantly advance blockchain development.

ARCBLOCK'S ADVANTAGES

In addition to solving the common problems outlined above, building and deploying decentralized blockchain applications with ArcBlock has significant advantages over the vendor-specific frameworks available in today’s market.

BUILT FOR THE NEW TOKEN ECONOMY

ArcBlock is a self-evolving ecosystem—not just a software platform built by one centralized

organization. We at ArcBlock Foundation Limited and the ArcBlock Foundation are only jump starting the project; the platform will continue to develop and grow on its own. The entire ArcBlock service is driven by the token economy. Rather than a basic service platform, ArcBlock is an economy driven by incentives that encourage the blockchain community to work together to build a better ecosystem.

OPTIMIZED FOR THE BEST EXPERIENCE

We built the ArcBlock platform using a “top-down” strategy that centers on the user experience. In contrast, many existing solutions focus on the blockchain technology itself at the expense of user friendliness. Applications built with ArcBlock offer reactive, real-time experiences. Users can simply access them from a web browser (no additional plugins required), or download a mobile app directly from an app store. Either way, the process is familiar. ArcBlock also dramatically improves the developer experience. There’s no need to deal with lowlevel blockchain protocols. With our mock blockchain adapters, engineers don’t even have to run local blockchain test nodes to start developing and testing their applications.

BUILT FOR THE CLOUD

ArcBlock is designed to run natively in the cloud. It can also run on a single computer for testing and development. This design principle makes ArcBlock fundamentally different from many other platforms in the blockchain world. In ArcBlock, a node can be a “logical computer” comprised of one or more virtual machines, or a group of cloud services working together as a computing environment. This approach marks a significant step forward that will help elevate blockchain and decentralized applications to the next level, including our patent pending technologies. ArcBlock will initially build on top of AWS and Windows Azure, then expand to support Google Compute Engine, major cloud computing players in China, and other platforms.

BUILT WITH AN OPEN STANDARD

ArcBlock is built with an open standard. We’re trying our best not to reinvent the wheel and to build for the application developer’s wants and needs. In addition to open sourcing our core components, we will also actively contribute to a variety of blockchain technology communities. Our team members are actively involved with a range of standards organizations, non-profit foundations, and committees. These currently include the W3C Blockchain Community Group Community Group, IEEE Standard Association’s Blockchain Community, Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, Linux Foundation, and Hyperledger Foundation. This list will expand over time.

ARCHITECTURE

ArcBlock aims to build a scalable, extensible, and easy-to-use platform for building and deploying decentralized blockchain applications.

DESIGN PRINCIPLES

ArcBlock’s design is based on following core principles:

The user experience comes first.
Performance matters.
The system will be built on an open standard.
The system will build upon an Incentive-driven economy.

SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

The ArcBlock platform introduces a suite of revolutionary technologies designed to mainstream blockchain applications by making them easy for the average consumer to use.