What does NEAR Protocol – Alibaba Cloud Partnership Mean for Web3 Developers?
Intro
NEAR Foundation has announced a partnership with Alibaba Cloud, the computing and storage arm of the Chinese tech giant Alibaba. The main objective of the partnership is to provide the NEAR Foundation with access to Alibaba Cloud’s global developer community, as well as to accelerate the growth of Web3 in Asia and the Middle East.
As part of its partnership with Alibaba Cloud, the NEAR Foundation will gain access to Alibaba Cloud’s developer ecosystem in Asia and the Middle East. This access will help attract more developers to build applications and projects on the NEAR protocol.
Alibaba Cloud’s developer ecosystem is one of the largest and most active in the world. It includes over 2 million developers, who are already building applications and projects on a variety of Alibaba Cloud services.
By gaining access to this ecosystem, the NEAR Foundation will be able to reach a wider audience of developers and encourage them to build on the NEAR protocol. But what is in for Web3 developers in this partnership?
5 Ways Web3 Developers Will Benefit from NEAR – Alibaba Partnership
1) Access to a Developer Ecosystem
Web3 developers now have access to Alibaba Cloud’s developer ecosystem in Asia and the Middle East. This expands their reach and provides them with additional resources, tools, and support for building on the NEAR protocol.
Alibaba Cloud is one of the world’s leading cloud computing platforms, and its developer ecosystem is one of the largest and most active.
By gaining access to this ecosystem, Web3 developers will be able to:
- Reach a wider audience of potential users and customers.
- Collaborate with other developers on projects.
- Share knowledge and resources.
- Get help and support from Alibaba Cloud experts.
2) Infrastructure-as-a-Service
Developers who want to launch new NEAR validators can utilize Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure-as-a-service capabilities. This means they can easily set up and manage the necessary infrastructure for validating transactions on the NEAR protocol without the need to build everything from scratch.
Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) offerings provide a wide range of services that can be used to launch and manage NEAR validators, including:
3 IaaS Services by Alibaba Cloud Infrastructure
- Computing resources
Alibaba Cloud offers a variety of computing resources, such as virtual machines, bare metal servers, and containers, that can be used to run the NEAR validator software.
- Storage resources
Alibaba Cloud offers a variety of storage resources, such as object storage, block storage, and file storage, that can be used to store the NEAR blockchain data.
- Networking resources
Alibaba Cloud offers a variety of networking resources, such as virtual private networks (VPNs) and load balancers, that can be used to secure and optimize the network traffic for the NEAR validator.
By using Alibaba Cloud’s IaaS offerings, developers can easily and quickly launch new NEAR validators without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure. This frees up developers to focus on building applications and services on the NEAR protocol.
3) Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) as a Service
The NEAR Foundation and Alibaba Cloud will offer RPC as a service to developers and users in the NEAR ecosystem. RPC allows developers to read data from blockchains and send transactions to different networks. By providing this service, developers can seamlessly interact with the NEAR protocol and integrate it into their applications.
RPC or Remote Procedure Call, is a way for two computers to communicate with each other. In the context of blockchain, RPC allows developers to interact with the blockchain without having to know the underlying details of the protocol.
The NEAR Foundation and Alibaba Cloud will offer RPC as a service through Alibaba Cloud’s API Gateway. This means that developers will be able to easily and quickly interact with the NEAR protocol without having to build their own RPC infrastructure.
3 Benefits of using RPC as a service
- Simplicity: Developers can easily and quickly interact with the NEAR protocol without having to build their own RPC infrastructure.
- Scalability: The service can be scaled to meet the needs of even the most demanding applications.
- Security: The service is secure and reliable.
4) Multi-chain Indexing and Data Query APIs
The partnership between the NEAR Foundation and Alibaba Cloud includes multi-chain indexing, which provides developers with a data-query application programming interface (API). This makes it easier for developers to retrieve and process data from the NEAR protocol. Having robust data query capabilities simplifies the development process and enables developers to create more powerful and data-driven applications.
Multi-chain indexing is the process of indexing data from multiple blockchains. This allows developers to query data from different blockchains in a single API call. This is a valuable resource for developers who are building applications that need to access data from multiple blockchains.
The data-query API provided by Alibaba Cloud makes it easy for developers to retrieve and process data from the NEAR protocol. The API provides a variety of features, including:
3 Features of Alibaba Cloud Data-Query API
- Querying for specific data: Developers can query for specific data, such as transactions, blocks, and account balances.
- Filtering data: Developers can filter data by a variety of criteria, such as date, time, and value.
- Aggregating data: Developers can aggregate data to create charts, graphs, and other visualizations.
The data-query API provided by Alibaba Cloud is a valuable resource for developers who are building applications on the NEAR protocol. It makes it easier for developers to retrieve and process data from the blockchain, which simplifies the development process and enables developers to create more powerful and data-driven applications.
5) NEAR Blockchain Operating System (BOS)
Web3 developers can leverage the NEAR Blockchain Operating System (BOS), a platform launched by NEAR, to build and interact with other users on the NEAR protocol. BOS is a layer that sits on top of the NEAR protocol, providing developers with a number of features that make it easier to build decentralized applications.
3 Key Features of NEAR BOS
1. A common development environment
BOS provides a common development environment for all developers, regardless of their programming language or experience level.
2. A decentralized app store
BOS includes a decentralized app store where developers can publish their applications. This makes it easy for users to discover and install NEAR applications.
3. A built-in identity system
BOS includes a built-in identity system that allows users to create and manage their identities on the NEAR protocol. This makes it easier for users to interact with NEAR applications and services.
By using Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure, developers can enhance their development experience on the BOS platform and create innovative decentralized applications.
Conclusion
Raymond Xiao, the head of international Web3 solutions at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, emphasized the significance of the NEAR Foundation and Alibaba Cloud partnership. He highlighted the support provided to Web3 developers and the ability for developers and validators in Asian markets to leverage Alibaba Cloud’s extensive infrastructure in the region.
The NEAR Foundation and Alibaba Cloud partnership will empower Web3 developers not only in Asia and Middle East, but all developers who use the platforms. The partnership will provide developers with access to Alibaba Cloud’s developer tools, documentation, and training resources, as well as its extensive infrastructure in the region. This will help developers to build, deploy, and scale their decentralized applications on the NEAR protocol. The partnership is a significant step forward for the development of Web3 in Asia and will help to attract more developers to the region.
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