Crypti: The Basics of JS Decentralized Apps’ Development

30.10.2015

Second generation crypto-platforms keeps drawing user attention. Even though the hullabaloo around NXT has slightly reduced in the course of time, the community still produces new projects and platforms for development of decentralized apps.

This interview will hardly mention such promoted and popular stuff like Ethereum; instead, we will focus on a crypto-platform dubbed Crypti.

One of the project’s founders is Boris Povod (21), a student. ForkLog talked with Mr. Povod and the project’s community manager Max Kordek about what Crypti actually is, what options could it give to developers and users, and some burning questions of cryptocurrency industry.

Povod, the project’s leading developer and co-founder, originally worked as a JavaScript developer, a freelance coder, and got interested in cryptocurrency only following the release of NXT. Now, apart from activities directly related to the platform’s development, he is engaged in exclusively decorative stuff on Crypti web-site. Kordek was initially the project’s investors, and following the team’s first IPO (which brought them around 750 BTC) he joined the team.

“This was the period when bitcoin price soared, and several new altcoins appeared. Demand for new coins was enormous, and people were active in investment. I believe, Crypti is one of a few projects that are still alive, and still worked on by a team of developers who strive to make their dreams come true,” Kordek said.

ForkLog: In a few words, how did Crypti come to life?

Kordek: The forum thread was launched June 16, 2014. It was the period of increased interest to NXT, and each investor dreamed of finding a new NXT. Apparently, we’ve made a right decision. Now decentralized apps draw much attention, and they are rightfully deemed a significant and major event within crypto-industry.

Povod: I thought it would be interesting to develop an infrastructure to create decentrazlized apps. We called it ‘customized blockchains’. The idea was in providing developers with a system that enablews creation of new decentralized apps. If you create a new coin, well, it’s good, but we wanted to do something useful for ‘real life’.

This useful thing for real life, to our reckoning, was decentralized apps (customized blockchains). We thought it was cool if one could easily and quickly create something new and decentralized on Crypti base. We had a talk with the other co-founder, Armand, and we proceeded with work. Several months of work later we launced IPO. As far as I recall, it was the first version of our wallet.

ForkLog: What’s the use of the platform for regular users having no technical background? Is Crypti dedicated to lesser mortals or professional developers?

Povod: The platform is mainly of any interest for developers. Users might be interested in Crypti-based decentralized apps (DApps) themselves. However, apps based on Crypti and our currency XCR (a coin – ForkLog) may be employed in decentralized apps.

Kordek: There are some advantages for developers willing to create applications. We all know that development of decentralized apps isn’t an easy thing to do. You have to reach consensus, provide a storage, and many other things as well. This establishes a high entry threshold for startups. Crypti, in its turn, is a platform that allows you to forget about all that stuff, and focus on development of your app’s core functions.

The other developer-related problem is distribution. Many developers face troubles with App Store and Google Play Store. Confirmation and repository inclusion of a new app might take weeks. In most cases, those weeks are filled with compliance of an enormous list of requirements for developers. Moreover, App Store is a unified system completely controlled by you-know-what company. Crypti has its own solution for the problem: a decentralized storage on blockchain which contains the whole list of available applications.

Crypti is essentially useless for a user, as opposed to the apps based on the platform. The situation is generally similar to that of apache/php/servers/databases, which have no use for an end user, but are actively employed by various services like Facebook, eBay, or Twitter. The thing is that now, thanks to Crypti, those services may get decentralized.

ForkLog: What should one know to work with Crypti?

Povod: Knowledge of JavaScript and Nodejs is enough. If you know JavaScript, it won’t be a problem to acquire Nodejs. And, of course, HTML/CSS for interface development. In fact, it’s a complete set for any web developer. JavaScript community is vast enough, so hopefully we’ll receive our first feedback for work with Crypti in no time.

ForkLog: Does Crypti somehow intersect or have any resemblance with such popular crypto-platform like Ethereum?

Povod: In technical terms, Crypti has nothing to do with Ethereum, where, as we all know, everything is stored in Ethereum blockchain. As for our project, every app creates an individual sidechain. Sidechains are based on Crypti consensus, which ensures the basic blockchain won’t be inflated, and developers will have more control over their applications.

We use quite a popular language of JavaScript, so developers won’t have to study another one. And I can hardly say we actually compete with Ethereum. We have different tasks to perform, even though we’re in the same domain.

Kordek: Crypti is an ‘all-in’ package. In a way, it’s a brand new kind of a platform, and any comparison to other second generation digital currencies is unjustified. Crypti grants completely new opportunities for sites and web applications, and provides a chance for decentralized future in every living environment.

I must agree with Boris, Ethereum and Crypti have completely different tasks to perform. We offer a simple introduction to apps, and facilitate the process of app creation for developers. As for Ethereum, it covers mostly smart contracts that take care of everything, require major decentralization, and need to be completely trustless.

ForkLog: What do you mean when you speak of ‘decentralized future’?

Kordek: My personal opinion for decentralized future is that informational and financial breakthrough is inevitable. Right now information and finance are controlled by state and / or major corporations. In the future, developers will inevitably get rid of that control. Money will exist apart from government, which cryptocurrencies imply to provide (maybe, it will be Bitcoin). The same will happen to information and technology. Say, why can Facebook do anything with your personal data? Many developers are troubled with data confidentiality. Even regular users start thinking about it. Crypti may provide an opportunity to create independent apps, i.e. user-created apps controlled by the users mainly via a decentralized consensus network.

ForkLog: What about consensus? How do you obtain it in Crypti?

Povod: When we launched IPO we tried to establish a new conensus algorithm different from existing methods like PoS or PoW. We dubbed it PoT but it failed. We spent much time working on it until we realized it wasn’t our main feature. PoT is based on time a node spends on support of Crypti network. Even though the concept has failed we keep on working on it. Now we have good contacts with BitShares and we consider a partnership.

ForkLog: Concentrational of real power in the network is a common issue for cryptocurrency industry. Who has the real power in Crypti network?

Povod: I’d say it is developers (the team and app developers), delegates, exchanges, the foundation, and the community.

Kordek: As for the exchanges, XCR is traded at Bter and Poloniex (ForkLog also managed to find XCR at Crytptsy – ForkLog). However, I believe sooner or later someone will make a decentralized ShapeShift or even a decentralized Crypti-based exchange. Generally, it’s the community who has the real power, as it votes for delegates. Only 101 delegates with a majority vote may provide the network safety.

ForkLog: Speaking of exchanges. What do you think of a wide range of problems around existing cryptocurrency exchanges? Maily it concerns safety, trust, and centralization.

Povod: I think there’s no problem in creating a decentralized exchange, or any other decentralized solution using Crypti, but it will not protect you from dealing with dishonest developers. If developers add a sploit code in an app, and you execute it, risk of losing your data and assets is still there. I recommend everybody to use open source code applications.

Kordek: I’m pretty optimistic about finding decentralized solutions for those problems. Crypti will soon have N-of-M multisignatures which may provide establishment of safe exchanges like Bitfinex or ShapeShift.

As for hacker attacks, in NXT many users used unsafe paraphrases. Crypti, however, has a second paraphrase adding a supplementary security level for your account. It’s a unique feature unavailable in all other cryptocurrencies. It’s Crypti only that has it.

ForkLog: A final question. A few words about Crypti, so that a potential developer or user would instantaneously understand the reason for using the platform?

Kordek: Crypti contains everything you need to develop your own decentralized application with JavaScript and launching your own sidechain. Build your dream application right now.

Povod: It won’t take long: make the world better, make it decentralized. With Crypti.

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Tags: Crypti, DApps, development, JS, NXT