What is Lisk?
Lisk is an open-source blockchain application platform that aims to improve Web3 accessibility for both users and developers.
Lisk Vision & Goals
Lisk has the vision to be the most accessible blockchain application platform in the world. Its aim is to provide people with all of the benefits of blockchain technology, Web3, and crypto.
Lisk has 3 main goals to achieve this vision:
Become the industry standard for JavaScript blockchain application development
The most popular programming language in the world today is JavaScript, used by millions of developers. Most of these developers are however unfamiliar with blockchain. This obviously means they have never created a Web3 project. Lisk provides the tools to them to succeed in building their own blockchain in JavaScript and TypeScript.
Onboard 100,000,000 users into crypto & Web3
Lisk also aims to bring Web3 access to everyday users. This is a ground-breaking new iteration of the internet, and everyone should have the necessary exposure to it.
Make the Lisk Foundation sustainable
The Lisk Foundation is responsible for allocating funds for multiple expenses. These include continued research, development and marketing for all of the Lisk products. Having a sustainable foundation allows these efforts to continue for the unforeseeable future.
Lisk Products
There are many pieces that make up the Lisk Platform. Here is a quick look at some of the products that Lisk currently has to offer.
Lisk Core
Lisk Core is the program that implements the entire Lisk Protocol. This is what every machine needs to set-up and run a node, which allows for participation in the network.
Lisk SDK
The Lisk SDK provides a simple and reliable software development kit for building blockchain applications that are compatible with the Lisk Protocol. It has been designed to be easily extended to meet the requirements of a variety of blockchain application use cases. It is also written entirely in JavaScript, which means no significant change of tools or mindset is required for most developers to get started.
Lisk Service
Lisk Service is an application that allows for interaction with various blockchain networks based on Lisk protocols. The main goal is to provide data to the UI clients, such as Lisk Mobile and Lisk Desktop. With Lisk Service, you can access live blockchain data, as well as information such as geolocation, network usage, and more.
Lisk Wallets
There are two official Lisk Wallets that you may download and use - Lisk Desktop and Lisk Mobile.
Lisk Desktop
Lisk Desktop is available for PC, Mac, and Linux systems. It offers a feature-rich experience, with the ability to send all types of LSK transactions, including transfers, voting, delegate registration, multi-signature address registration, and more.
It also has the ability to monitor many network events that you may find on an explorer. These events include the latest transactions and blocks on the network, delegate productivity, top account holders, and more.
If you are interested in utilizing a hardware wallet, Lisk Desktop has that covered as well. It is compatible with Ledger Nano S and Ledger Nano X devices. For more information on the Ledger implementation, read the Ledger Hardware Wallet User Guide.
Lisk Mobile
Lisk Mobile is available on iOS and Android devices. While it doesn’t have quite as many features as its counterpart, it still allows for the most essential functionality, such as making transfer transactions.
Where Lisk Mobile really shines is with its convenience. Being a mobile application, you can use it anywhere on the go. It also has an added feature for biometric authentication, allowing you to log in without your 12-word passphrase. However, for security purposes, your passphrase will be needed in order to send any transactions.
Delegated Proof of Stake Consensus Algorithm
The Lisk network is secured with a Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) consensus algorithm. DPoS utilizes voting mechanisms to make it more democratic in nature when compared to other consensus mechanisms, such as Proof of Stake (PoS). This allows transactions to be processed and verified much quicker. For a detailed explanation of how votes are calculated on the Lisk network, see the official Lisk Voting Process blog post.
There are 101 active delegates securing the Lisk Network by processing transactions and blocks. These active delegates are the top 101 of all Lisk delegates, sorted by their vote weight. Each active delegate has a turn forging a new block, earning 1 LSK token in the process, as well as transaction fees. Once all blocks in the round have been forged, the process starts all over again.
Stand-by delegates, ones that are outside of the top 101 by vote weight, are also given an opportunity to forge blocks. In each block round, 2 delegates are selected to forge blocks. While this selection is random, delegates that have more vote weight have a greater chance of being selected.
You can learn more about Lisk’s DPoS consensus by reading our Delegated Proof of Stake Consensus for LSK Token blog post.
Apps Built on the Lisk Network
While the official Lisk platform launch has not happened yet, you can still begin developing your own applications for the Lisk network. To get started, you may walk through a number of tutorials to help guide you through building applications with the Lisk SDK. In fact, many developers have already done so and are currently developing their own blockchain applications.
Bazar - A decentralized marketplace for sustainably sourced products. Colecti - A Lisk-based NFT marketplace. doEdu - An educational platform. Enevti - A decentralized social media NFT platform. Faet - An engine used to create, secure, and access the Faet Metaverse. Kalipo - A platform to support Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). Idntty - An identity and public key infrastructure. RGB - Community-driven NFT creation platform. Topas City - An immersive VR world.
Most of these projects have earned funds through the Lisk Grant Program. If you are interested in building your own blockchain project/app in JavaScript, be sure to check it out.
Lisk Community
Experience with Lisk doesn't end with products and app building. There are various official channels for the users to engage with the Lisk network as a community.
Lisk.chat (Discord)
This is the main channel for all Lisk-related communication. If you are looking to engage directly with the community, as well as Lisk team members, this is the place to do it. It is also a great place for dev-related help or finding a team that could potentially collaborate on building applications.
Telegram
Another place to meet and speak with fellow community members. Community calls are hosted by Lisk HQ regularly to keep the community up to date with the latest Lisk-related news and announcements. This is also the best place to engage in community contests to win some LSK and other prizes.
A great place to help stay up to date with all the latest news, straight from Lisk HQ.
Another platform that is used for all Lisk announcements and content. It is also a means to engage in discussions with users who may be more familiar with other aspects of Web3 in general.
CoinMarketCap Community
Our latest addition is a community platform. As CoinMarketCap Community is relatively new, the content and strategy will evolve. However, the Lisk team is excited to be a trailblazer for this to see how it can benefit our users and the project as a whole.
The Future of Lisk
Lisk will eventually allow developers to deploy sidechains onto the Lisk network, making these blockchain applications scalable while staying connected to the wider Lisk ecosystem.
In order to achieve this, the Lisk network will utilize general cross-chain messages. This will allow all blockchains within the Lisk ecosystem to communicate with one another. This is known as interoperability.
For more details on the direction Lisk is moving towards, please see the Lisk Roadmap.