Blockstack

Blockstack Review

Blockstack is a browser-based application that aims to be the “internet for decentralized applications”. Blockstack is a very active community that has been in existence since 2013. Blockstack has been through the Y-Combinator programme in 2014 and has a large team with deep professional expertise. There are over 7,000 members in the community and an active Slack channel with over 4,000 members. There are also meetups organised by the community in over 23 countries.

The technology Blockstack uses actually works with the lower layers of centralized internet protocols but decentralizes the application layer. The benefits include enabling users to easily build decentralized applications (DApps), data encryption, and controlling read and write permissions among more. This technology allows users to avoid some of the limitations of blockchain technology which can have throughput and other issues. Tutorials and documentation are available on the website.

The project is also open-source and users can open issues on GitHub. There are 53 different repositories and users can fork, edit, and request to merge the code for changes.

Pros & Cons

A large community that organises meetups in 23 countries

Has the benefits of the centralized internet while decentralizing the application layer

In existence since 2013 and was in the Y Combinator programme in 2014

Tutorials and documentation on the website

Accessible via browser

Some may question the true level of decentralization if it is just applied to the application layer. Takes a step away from blockchain technology