Original author: Haotian (X: @tme l0 211)
recent,ZetaChainThe emergence of chain abstraction has made the concept of chain abstraction the focus of the topic. However, my in-depth research found that @NEARProtocol is the real originator of chain abstraction. It proposed BOS front-end operating system, account aggregation, super wallet, etc.At first glance, it all sounds like Web2, but to lower the technical threshold of Web3 and improve user experience, a thorough system overhaul is indeed needed.Why? Next, share my observations.
first,There are two main lines of development in the evolution of the public chain track: modularization and chain abstraction.
Modularization is now well known, and developers tend to develop lightweight and low-cost components; various DA layers, execution VM layers, settlement layers, etc. have a variety of composable formats; and Daxing Stack stacks scalable AS A Service Keychain strategic alliance narratives, etc., have made the idea of modularization become the main theme.
By comparison,Chain abstraction is still in its infancy, and the overall market is still stuck in the bug-fixing and stitching stage of account abstraction, and is even stuck in the dilemma of abstraction, which makes ordinary users feel more and more abstract .
There are two main reasons:
1) The goal of the abstract track is to solve the problem of lowering the threshold for user participation and pave the way for Mass Adoption. However, currently account abstraction is still able to solve the compatibility issues between homogeneous chains through contract standards such as ERC 4337. Once it involves heterogeneous chains, it will Challenges will arise. It was originally developed through wallet-side adaptation, but the emergence of various wallets has undoubtedly increased the users choice threshold.
2) It is not enough for the abstract track to be centered on engineering realization. The ultimate goal must be user-oriented. For example: using biometric logins such as social networking and fingerprints to lower the threshold of use; using MPC technology to eliminate private keys and reduce security barriers. ; Allowing back-end protocols and liquidity to achieve non-perceptual connectivity across the entire chain, lowering user operation thresholds, etc.
In general,In the past, the markets efforts in account abstraction were not enough. Chain abstraction is needed to further eliminate the inter-chain communication + liquidity gap until all back-end complex protocol interactions can be hidden to achieve a user-friendly experience. improvement.
However, most Web3 Native developers are accustomed to engineering implementation innovation, and a timely impact of the development power of Web2 may bring about a Catalyst catalytic effect.
The NEAR chain, which seems to have been dormant for a long time, has done a lot of front-end + back-end development, perhaps because it wants to make a big splash in the new narrative of chain abstraction. So, what has NEAR done in the past?
BOS blockchain operating system
Now that I log in to the NEAR website, it is no longer a cookie-cutter page listing my assets, but a dazzling array of assets, giving me the illusion of opening the Facebook social networking site.
Its Featured Components are recommended. Click the Open button to directly access the liquidity Staking page of a certain protocol. Selecting the NFT Marketplace will also directly jump to the purchase page of many NFT listings. In addition, there are Feed information flows, users and News recommendations. When I first used it, I couldnt believe that this was a Web3 project. It was a pure Web2 portal that felt like a visual experience.
This is why NEAR has launched a new blockchain operating system BOS, a common layer for browsing and discovering network experiences, and a front-end system that is compatible with all blockchains. (There are still limited protocols that can be connected through actual experience)
It is not difficult to see that NEAR is trying to become an interface entrance like an OS system. Users can even customize and create their own front-end portal. Its a bit close to the Web2 product experience.
If you just look at this unfamiliar and fancy front-end, you will inevitably feel that these developers are not doing their job properly. If you look at it from the strategic height of chain abstraction, it may not be difficult to understand;
Account Aggregation Account Aggregation
With BOS as the system front-end, how can the NEAR back-end cooperate to achieve the connectivity of all on-chain accounts?
1) NEAR account abstraction:In my impression, abstract functions such as NEAR email login and private key retrieval have always been good, especially since the entire chain has implemented short domain name operations, and it is not difficult to implement fingerprint FaceID biometric login based on Fast Auth. This step has lowered the user Onboard threshold;
2) Chain signature:NEAR builds an MPC NodesFull linkJoint signature verification system, when users interact between different chains, the NEAR network can serve as a common related party of assets to jointly sign transactions to achieve inter-chain interaction. In essence, it is consistent with the interoperability logic of other relay chain types, allowing the back-end standardized and unified contract layer to perform cross-chain communication on behalf of users. NEAR has not done much about the decentralized nature of chain signatures. It can be seen that it has strong self-confidence with the powerful performance of sharding;
3) Intent relayer:With the basis of MPC common chain signature, the chain contract can help users handle some intentions. After the user initiates a transaction intention in the NEAR chain, the NEAR contract can remotely control the heterogeneous chain contract to carry out the next operation, which is equivalent to PayMasters agency responsibilities. . Theoretically, as long as the logic that can be achieved through inter-chain interaction becomes more complex, the user’s intentions and usage experience will be richer.
Super Wallet Super Wallet
Previously NEAR was based onSnapThe function is connected to MetaMask. Users can sign transactions in MetaMask and connect to NEAR. Is this all?
No, according to the NEAR chain abstract strategy plan,A super wallet should cover all Web3 applications, and functions such as gas consumption, asset bridging, and network switching should be hidden.It seems that NEAR is trying to abstract the wallet paradigm. Since there is already a Facebook portal at the chain level, it must be equipped with a WeChat applet application entrance. The @SenderLabs wallet on the NEAR chain seems to be working in this direction.
It is not difficult to understand that after NEAR implements chain abstraction, the wallet application should be the first to benefit.
Under normal circumstances, if a wallet wants to be smooth and smooth and reduce the migration rate of users, it usually needs to strengthen its development and adapt to various heterogeneous chains and diversified assets. In the abstract background of NEAR chain, the wallet only needs to smoothly adapt to the NEAR chain. Compatibility of other chains, cross-chain interoperability of assets, autonomous switching of the network, etc. can all be hidden.
For example, when a user browses an application in Wallet Discover and clicks a button to interact, the wallet will automatically configure the network and handle asset status switching. The user will perceive the same as browsing an e-commerce website for shopping, and there is no need to worry about the entire back-end interaction logic. . Just imagine, if such a super wallet project is implemented, it will make many current wallet products tremble.
above
I have reviewed for you what NEAR has done on chain abstraction in the past six months. As for, what has been achieved with the vision of chain abstraction? Can it be completely done? What will be the final landing form? It’s still unknown. If you try it out of curiosity, you may feel disappointed.. However, this is the answer that NEAR chain abstraction wants to hand over.Do you believe?
Note: I have written a lot of articles about chain abstraction. From @zetablockchain to @ParticleNtwrk to @Entanglefi, everyone is paying attention. Their chain abstraction solutions also have their own strengths. After seeing how NEAR is so Web2-oriented, I have a lot of ideas. How should they respond to the vision of opening up?
