What content is being built on Web3?

A movement aimed at achieving decentralized Internet is in the ascendant. It is Web3. But there are still many questions about what Web3 is, what are its differences, and what will be discovered after logging in.

At first, the decentralization of Web3 core was a niche topic for crypto traders, codebreakers, and web developers. Nowadays, decentralization is everywhere. This is a comprehensive movement towards a more open and secure web. Whether you are aware of it or not, this sport is affecting almost all the actions you perform online.

Web3 is the source of innovation such as metaverse. It will also incorporate traditional Web 2.0 platforms such as social media, online gaming, and even financial tools, and produce new decentralized versions.

But before we delve deeper into the content hosted on Web3, we need to understand its implementation methods. This means promoting the Web3 native platform, which is decentralized applications (or DApps).

In this article, we will introduce DApp, the core product built on Web3.

Not yet familiar with the basics of Web3? First, take a look at our Web3 beginner tutorial.

What is DApp?

DApp refers to applications (and websites, i.e. "web applications") that make up a decentralized web. Most Web3 DApps look and feel like regular websites and applications. In the front-end (the part you see and interact with), you may not be able to distinguish the differences between Web 2.0 websites and applications and Web 3 DApps. But behind the scenes (in the 'backend'), DApps operate in a completely different way.

Web 2.0 websites and applications are hosted on servers typically controlled by the company. A server is the computer where the code of a Web 2.0 website or application resides. By "accessing" a website, you are accessing this server. We refer to this model as "centralization" because the application provider or hardware owner has access to the server, which in turn has access to the service.

To illustrate this point, we take Web 2.0 applications such as Uber as an example. Uber owns and operates its own servers (or rents servers from large tech companies such as Google or Amazon). This means that Uber can control all aspects of its application. They can choose which regions to support, which drivers to add, what requirements drivers must meet, what fees should be charged, and so on. Uber can even choose to activate or deactivate its services, or it may be forced to do so by authoritative institutions such as national governments.

In most cases, DApps are not hosted on centralized servers, which means there is no single owner. Their core programs (and possibly even more components) reside on the blockchain, existing on a network of independently operated servers. There is no central regulatory authority, nor is there a universal shutdown switch. In Web3, we refer to these decentralized servers as "nodes". Nodes are independent servers that make blockchain networks (and all Web3) possible.

Please note that the web is still experiencing the pains of fully transitioning to Web3 technology. Although it has achieved this transformation, we still live in a hybrid world where some Web3 DApps partially run on Web 2.0 infrastructure but interact with programs running on the blockchain, and are therefore still considered Web3.

For more information on how blockchain technology and nodes can make Web3 a reality, please refer to our introduction to blockchain and technologies that support Web3.

Why use DApps?

Once DApps are launched on the blockchain network, their hosting becomes a shared responsibility of every node in the network. Some unique advantages come with it.

Firstly, DApps do not require a license. Your encrypted wallet will replace your username and password as your passport to access all DApps on Web3. With Web3 DApps, you no longer have to remember personal login credentials (like when using Web 2.0).

Secondly, DApps have "flexibility". In the field of computing, flexibility means that an object has many backups, which means there is a safety net in place to prevent a version from being lost or compromised. After the DApp is deployed on the blockchain network, it is jointly hosted by each node that stores a copy of the blockchain ledger. As long as at least one node is online, the DApp should be accessible. DApps are distributed and hosted in a global decentralized node network, making them much more flexible or reliable than their centralized (Web 2.0) versions. Moreover, it is more flexible in dealing with single point of failure issues such as power outages or network problems.

Once again, DApps can withstand scrutiny. For example, if the government wants to restrict the use of Uber, it can lock down and cut off Uber's servers in specific areas. However, as DApps are supported by globally distributed nodes, no service provider or central authority can prohibit access to DApps. Once the DApp's code is deployed to the blockchain network, it cannot be in an offline state.

In short, DApps have the following advantages:

Easy to access, as the encrypted wallet can be used universally across Web3

Safe and reliable, due to its high flexibility and reasonable geographical distribution

More difficult to restrict, as it lacks a central regulatory authority and centralized server group

Considering these advantages, many developers have started building their projects in the form of DApps on Web3.