Chainlink

LINK (Chainlink) Explained:

Chainlink was founded in 2017 by co-founders Sergey Nazarov, and Steve Ellis, and the LINK token went live in November of 2017 after an initial coin offering (ICO) that raised $32 million.

Since its launch, Chainlink has gone on to become the leader in the decentralized oracle space, boasting a market cap of $9 billion.

1. What is LINK (Chainlink)?

Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network (DON) that is represented by its token, $LINK. Oracles allow for off-chain data such as stock prices, weather, or sales statistics to be integrated on-chain. Oracle providers like Chainlink enable developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) that rely on access to real-world data, on any blockchain.

2. How does Chainlink work?

Chainlink runs a network of decentralized data oracles that tap into the world’s highest quality data feeds.

Many smart contracts require real world data to execute commands, however most of the data is stored in off-chain servers. Oracles are used to communicate that data to the dApps, allowing for smart contracts to function and execute commands based on off-chain data. With a singular oracle solution, there is one centralized point of failure, and manipulation of that oracle could lead to the collapse of the dApp.

Chainlink on the other hand, is a network of oracles, thus making the data transmission decentralized. The decentralized network of oracles makes information transmission from off-chain databases to smart contracts more secure and reliable than a centralized oracle.

3. What are the risks of investing in LINK?

Like other cryptocurrencies LINK is subject to high volatility based on market conditions, and the market’s interpretation of Chainlink.

Competitors such as Band Protocol, and Pyth Network also offer decentralized oracle solutions to protocols, and it is possible that a competitor overtakes Chainlink.

4. What are the benefits of LINK?

Chainlink is necessary for smart contracts to be able to interact with real-world and off-chain data. The interaction between real world data and smart contracts allows for blockchain technology to improve existing off-chain systems.

Chainlinks decentralized nature ensures that no one oracle or node is a single point of failure. LINK is also entirely open-sourced, which allows independent developers and security firms to verify Chainlink’s code, or offer help developing the network.