In this chapter we will explore the world of decentralized applications, or DApps. From the early days of Ethereum, the founders’ vision was much broader than “smart contracts”: no less than reinventing the web and creating a new world of DApps, aptly called web3. Smart contracts are a way to decentralize the controlling logic and payment functions of applications. Web3 DApps are about decentralizing all other aspects of an application: storage, messaging, naming, etc. (see Figure 12-1).
Figure 12-1. Web3: A decentralized web using smart contracts and P2P technologies
Warning
While “decentralized apps” are an audacious vision of the future, the term “DApp” is often applied to any smart contract with a web frontend. Some of these so-called DApps are highly centralized applications (CApps?). Beware of false DApps!
In this chapter we will develop and deploy a sample DApp: an auction platform. You can find the source code in the book’s repository under code/auction_dapp. We will look at each aspect of an auction application and see how we can decentralize the application as much as possible. First, though, let’s take a closer look at the defining characteristics and advantages of DApps.
What Is a DApp?
A DApp is an application that is mostly or entirely decentralized.
Consider all the possible aspects of an application that may be ...
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