In the latest Ecosystem Blog, the @_zondax_ team explores the interchain ⚛️ 'Before 2018, blockchains were siloed and unable to communicate. #Cosmos solved scalability, usability, and interoperability.' Let’s unfold the power of the #interchain - its features and advantages 👇 🔗 Interoperability & Customizability Cosmos SDK chains operate like a well-coordinated body. Different blockchains (organs) communicate via IBC (nervous system), creating a fully functional organism. Developers run unique chains (Zones) with distinct features using the Interchain Stack. ⏩ Scalability The interchain was envisioned as a hub-and-spoke architecture, letting standalone blockchains scale horizontally. Now, with open-sourced Interchain Stack, developers launch sovereign blockchains using CometBFT and Cosmos SDK, securely connecting via the IBC Protocol. 🛡️ Security Think of the security model as a gated community. Each chain has its own security detail (validators), chosen to guard and ensure consensus. Decentralizing the security landscape fosters adaptability and trust, a fortress of innovation in contrast to uniform models. 🛠️ Ease of Development Cosmos SDK simplifies blockchain development, reducing time and effort. Developed in Go, it allows building modules for common functions. Other languages like Rust and JavaScript can also be used, ensuring flexibility in application development. 🌐 Growing Ecosystem The interchain has over 70 active zones, including famous platforms like Osmosis and Akash Network. The rapid growth showcases adaptability and potential, with the modularity of Interchain Security and increased developer activity. 🏛️ On-Chain Governance Cosmos SDK chains feature an on-chain governance system akin to a grand parliament of token holders. Each transparent and decentralized decision resonates through the ecosystem, providing adaptability and community involvement. ⛓️ Cross-Chain Applications Thanks to IBC, developers can create cross-chain applications with strengths from multiple blockchains. This innovation opens possibilities in DeFi, NFTs, and more, offering a rich ecosystem for cutting-edge applications. 👨‍🚀 Community and Support In the interchain community, developers, validators, and users collaborate actively. Zondax, as a core SDK developer, focuses on hardware wallet support, cryptography advancements, and ongoing efforts centered around modularizing and modernizing the security aspects of the SDK. 💥 Conclusion The interchain offers a diverse set of features and advantages. Whether you aim to build a blockchain, develop cross-chain applications, or join an engaged community, the interchain offers flexibility, governance, and interoperability. The Intercain Stack provides a robust platform to explore and bring your blockchain ideas to reality! Find the full blog post of Zondax linked below 👇 blog.cosmos.network/interope…

Introducing Eden ⚛️ Eden is the v0.50 release of the @Cosmos_SDK - ushering in an era of enhanced modularity and performance. This release is set to boost tremendously the performance of Cosmos SDK chains! In the following post, you will discover Eden's features and witness the disruptive potential 👇 Eden is a powerful confluence of pivotal features, such as the completion of ABCI , which revolutionizes consensus flexibility, and the introduction of AutoCLI, reducing the complexity of module creation, enabling a smoother and more efficient developer experience. IAVL 1.0 is another highlight, bringing forth substantial improvements in disk storage and overall performance, representing a critical advancement in the Cosmos SDK infrastructure. New additions like Optimistic Execution further enhance performance, enabling the execution of block time ahead of consensus. Also notable is the introduction of Sign Mode Textual, improving transaction signing experience, ensuring that the Cosmos SDK remains at the forefront of technological innovation. Let’s explore other key and notable changes in the Eden release in more detail. ABCI With this release, @CometBFT and @Cosmos_SDK teams will have delivered the final piece of ABCI : Vote Extensions. In the previous release, we delivered the preliminary phases of ABCI : Prepare and Process Proposal. Vote Extensions complete this process by allowing users to add arbitrary data to consensus. Some example use cases include leveraging vote extensions for oracles instead of having validators submit transactions to be included in a block. It also can be applied in conjunction with MEV use cases, addressing front-running issues or implementing Threshold Decryption. Coinciding with the integration of ABCI , other changes were made to the core layer, including: BeginBlock and Endblock are private and Finalizeblock is exposed for testing purposes. This allows modules to test in the same way as before. When upgrading a chain, Preblock is meant to run before BeginBlock. This will upgrade the chain and migrate state. This was meant as a separation of concerns for upgrades to not conflate it with the normal operations of a chain. AutoCLI At the beginning of 2023, we set out to reduce the total lines of code needed to create a module. CLI is optional, but many users do implement it as CLI is used heavily by countless users. With this in mind, we are pleased to announce the release of AutoCLI in Cosmos SDK Eden. CLI for your custom modules can now be automatically generated when needed, reducing the amount of boilerplate when writing a module. IAVL 1.0 In conjunction with this release, the rollout of IAVL 1.0 has facilitated significant improvements to disk storage and overall performance, with a fundamental change in the key structure of the IAVL tree. In the earlier versions of IAVL, the original key format was a hash key meaning when the dataset grew, accessing the data became slower and less efficient. The new key structure combines the version and local nonce within the key. The reason that this change improves data locality is because it reduces the randomness in how data is stored on disk. By including the version in the key, nodes are grouped together based on the version in which they were added to the tree, meaning that nodes from a particular version are stored together on disk. Similarly, the local nonce is used to distinguish nodes that belong to the same version but have different positions within that version allowing the tree to keep a specific order for nodes within the same version, again allowing retrieval to be more structured and organised. Modules Writing a module has been notoriously verbose in the past, with this release we have made it simpler with things like Collections and ORM. These packages are abstractions over the state layer providing powerful yet simple ways of interacting with state. In the future these packages will export the on-disk schema to be used with query layers, like GraphQL, to build complex and scalable clients. Additional changes include: Gov added expedited proposals and stay tuned for multiple choice proposals and optimistic voting coming the next release. Capability module was moved to the Cosmos SDK module. BeginBlock signature does not import CometBFT types and returns an error Endblock does not import CometBFT unless there is a need to return a validator set. This should be handled by the staking module, leaving all chains to not worry about this. All modules have been migrated to use collections Validate Basic is no longer required and validation of the method can be performed directly in the message server. GetSignBytes which was part of sdk.Msg is no longer required. It is automatically inferred based on the protobut message. If you have existing modules and would like to keep the same encoding in Amino, you will need to annotate some of the fields in your proto messages. Optimistic Execution As previously stated, we are actively towards enhancing performance further and one of the features contributing to this is optimistic execution. Optimistic Execution is the ability to be able to execute block time ahead of time, having the response ready prior to the consensus layer requesting it. It is Optimistic as it can still be rejected although we are executing the block. This feature enables Cosmos SDK chains to build blocks with groundbreaking velocity, pushing the limits of block times and efficiency. In load tests on Sei Network, Optimistic Execution cut the block time by 50%. On fast block-producing networks like Injective, OE can help the network generate sub-1-second blocks without any extra effort. Sign Mode Textual Eden also introduces a new sign mode, sign_mode_textual, which improves the signing of transactions with new hardware devices. The aim is to produce a more human-readable way to approve, review, and view transaction details. Currently, this is only available on Ledger devices. If Eden got you excited about the future of the Cosmos SDK - be sure to follow @cosmos_sdk to stay updated on the latest release and upcoming features!

1/ The ICF is excited to confirm that IBC is coming to Avalanche! @CosmosAVAX is developing the IBC light client on Avalanche, paving the way for seamless interoperability between Avalanche, Cosmos Hub, and 100 other IBC-enabled chains. Yes, @avax is joining the #interchain

Optimistic Execution is landing in the Cosmos SDK ⚡️ Enabling Cosmos SDK chains to build blocks with groundbreaking velocity, pushing the limits of block times and efficiency. Better performance and faster block production are on the horizon 👇

Let’s dive into the Interchain Developer Academy! The current 5th Cohort is your best opportunity to become an #interchain builder - this is everything you need to know 👇 The Academy is a 7-week online program providing more than 80 hours of content developed and delivered by B9Lab blockchain experts. Each participant benefits from hands-on guidance from a skilled support team, not to mention the collective knowledge and experiences shared by an engaged community of developers through dedicated Discord channels. The program is fully funded by @interchain_io, which means that it is free for the participants. The program covers the foundational principles of blockchain technology and provides an updated and comprehensive exploration of the Interchain Stack. You’ll learn how the interchain differs from other ecosystems and explore #Cosmos wallets, and staking. The focus on extended practical coding exercises will strengthen your skills for working on future applications - After completing the Academy, you’ll have a solid understanding of: • Blockchain technology and main concepts of the Interchain Stack • Developing with CometBFT, the Cosmos SDK & Ignite CLI • Using the Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol to connect chains • Relaying in the Interchain • Building front- and backends with CosmJS • Integrating wallets such as Keplr • Node operation and validation on Interchain blockchains • Moving from code to MVP to production and migration After the main program comes the final exam period, where you have the opportunity to gain official certification from the Interchain Foundation! You’ll join the growing alumni community where you can discuss your own projects, learn about open roles such as those on the B9Lab jobs board, and receive information directly from core contributors to the interchain. You can apply now to the 5th Cohort of the Academy: bit.ly/48f0klF By applying, you’ll first take a screening test to evaluate your knowledge of conventional web2 software development concepts and demonstrate your problem-solving skills. There are no blockchain-related questions in this test. The screening test deadline is October 23rd. The main program will run from November 2nd to December 21st. This is followed by a two-week break before the new year, with the final examination period taking place between January 4th and February 1st. Cohort 5 has 300 seats available on a first-come-first-served basis to those who pass the screening test, and historically seats fill up fast, so don’t delay! You don’t need to know anything about coding blockchain to apply, but you need to have professional programming experience and be willing and able to commit to the recommended 10 hours of work per week to complete the seven-week program. This is your chance to learn the Interchain Stack ⚛️ The interchain ecosystem hosts independent, interoperable, application-specific blockchains, built using modular components from the developer-friendly Cosmos SDK, and connected with the ground-breaking Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC). Using the Interchain Stack, you can build entirely autonomous dApps that can easily be interconnected with both web2 and web3 systems. You can also rely on a product stack that is well-maintained and continuously updated, plus a community that is large, active, and supportive. The scale of the interchain has significant implications for blockchain technology. There are currently over 100 appchains built with the Interchain Stack and hundreds of dApps and services built on them. The demand for developers in the interchain will continue to rise. So, are you ready to enter the interchain? Apply Now 👉 bit.ly/48f0klF

MetaMask enters the interchain ⚛️ The Cosmos Snaps extension for @MetaMask is now live via @Mystic_Labs_ MetaMask users can now explore an ever-expanding ecosystem of interconnected blockchains via #IBC Start your interchain journey 👇 metamask.mysticlabs.xyz

1/ The #interchain is evolving - Now smart contracts and modules can seamlessly compose with IBC applications! This release empowers smart contracts developers by enabling direct integration with #IBC Not only chains but also applications are going full interchain ⚛️

The ICF Delegations Cycle 2 begins! We want to share our appreciation to the community for the feedback and valuable support in shaping the final document. Validators, check out the policy and apply now: medium.com/the-interchain-fo…

1/ Announcing the Interchain Hackathon in Seoul 🇰🇷 A nexus of innovation - Unlocking creative talents💥 Organized by @chainapsis & running Sept. 2 -10 Ready to unleash your potential? Register for the event; it’s time to push the boundaries of the Interchain Stack 👇

1/ We are excited to share the path to the 2nd ICF Delegations Cycle! With the coming cycle, we will further empower, recognize, and reward valuable contributions - by incorporating community feedback and refining our process. Validators' applications will open in September.

1/ The Game of NFTs Hackathon is extended until 19th June! Developers! You have more time to showcase your creativity 💥 Build innovative solutions with #InterchainNFT Join us for an exciting virtual hackathon! Forge the future of #NFTs Apply Now 👉 interchainnfts.dev/gon

1/ #GameOfNFTs Phase 2 begins 🎮 After weeks of testing #Interchain NFTs core technology, it’s time to build! The Interchain Hackathon kick-off 💥 Join us for an exciting virtual hackathon powered by Interchain NFTs... Enter the new NFT paradigm 👇 interchainnfts.dev/gon