Security Smartphones/Mobile Applications Technology

How App Development Can Benefit From Blockchain Technology

Many people are yet to awake to its potential, but blockchain is nothing short of a game-changer. Adoption is underway across sectors and app development is no exception. The industry has tapped into this disruptive trend and in a big way too. 

Top players in the league of Facebook, LG, and Microsoft wasted no time implementing blockchain into their processes. Others are taking notice and action, as they have no intention of merely playing catch-up. Hence, it is safe to proclaim that blockchain is much more than the latest fad. In fact, it could usher in a brave new stage in app development as we know it. 

The race is on 

Blockchain is a distributed ledger infrastructure powered by an enormous network of computers. 

It was pioneered in the sector of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Composed of blocks of data, this technology champions the innovative peer-to-peer architecture and it is also polymorphic. That means it can be applied to areas that lie far beyond the constraints of its original birthplace.

In terms of crafting apps, Blockchain is no marginal addition to the arsenal. 

It holds potential to serve as a foundational technology, mainly thanks to its decentralized data storage, management, organization, and sharing. In other words, we can already take advantage of blockchain to solve issues that have plagued app development: server crashes, performance glitches, poor latency, limited storage, etc. 

The beauty of it is that most programming languages like Java are fit to spearhead the transformation of the development methodology. Many app developers are already using powerful development platforms that mount the blockchain tech. Just to name a few, some of the most prevalent blockchain tools are Quorum, Ethereum, IOTA, Multichain, and Hyperledge. 

And not surprisingly, those who are most inclined to hire blockchain developers are professionals working on apps that boast ledger-like features, involve mobile transactions, or require a considerable volume of data storage or sharing. 

Security and reliability: A killer combo 

There are two major ways in which leveraging blockchain promotes successful app development.

First is security. To be more precise, this tech provides state-of-the-art cryptography (the process of encoding in a cryptographic hash), as well as top-notch encryption methods.  As it stands, tampering with data transactions and nodes that form the ledger is hard if not impossible to achieve; such a ploy would demand collusion of the entire network of developers. 

Secondly, blockchain is lauded for its ability to improve the reliability of apps. Due to the distributed nature of the hardware, blockchain is extremely resilient to crashes and breakdowns. As we indicated, there is a vast matrix of interconnected blocks and data dispersed across all of them. In addition, this kind of transparent framework tends to boost user trust.

These two main benefits come free of the burden of additional complexities. Namely, blockchain fosters a streamlined development environment which is easy to grasp and put to good use. Sheer cost-effectiveness is precisely the reason why the best development companies embrace blockchain. They recognize the opportunity to trim overall development and related maintenance costs. 

Open doors policy 

Furthermore, it should be noted that blockchain is essentially an open-source technology with a public record of block transactions. 

As such, it is nurturing a whole new development ecosystem around it. We are able to tinker with the source code, share their insights, and improve the app development outcomes for fellow colleagues. There is not only a high level of transparency but also knowledge transfer.

On the other hand, decentralization also implies that there is no single authority responsible for managing the development process. Everything is rooted in peer-to-peer architecture, as opposed to the conventional client-server internet structure. Thus, in order to make a single change in app development, a consensus between all stakeholders must be reached. 

On a technical level, blockchain is geared towards such a scenario because the database is readable and accessible by everyone. What is more, collaboration is facilitated via app-to-app messages or shared memory. These features alleviate the headaches and bottlenecks, especially in the process of carrying out testing and Q&A. 

One final thing to remember is that as the blockchain constantly evolves— it is in a state of perpetual development. We have barely scratched the surface of what is possible, which suggests we will see new groundbreaking applications, processes, and tools. In the meantime, blockchain is establishing itself as the industry standard, an indispensable tool for making an app market-ready and future-proof.  

Conclusion

Blockchain mobile app development is here to stay and rock the app development landscape. Although still in its infancy, we can already see a wealth of benefits for all players. Yes, industry giants are leading the way, but smaller organizations have a lot of room to maneuver in a level playing field. 

First and foremost, the system is designed to be utterly secure and stable. Numerous data centers scattered around a heap of locations minimize the risks such as unauthorized data alternations. Apart from implementation costs, nothing stands in the way of the swift and safe data transaction. 

So, it might be time to get ahead of the game and do it sooner rather than later. 

About the author

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Stella Saroyan

Stella is an MBA student and a writer who specializes in startups and e-commerce.