Exploring Sharding in Blockchain: Solution for Scalability and Speed
The DeFi industry has been having a challenging time trying to overcome issues that prevent the mass adoption of crypto and decentralized technologies. Scalability is one such issue, which becomes progressively acute with the increase in the number of users interested in using DeFi products and services. Such a massive interest leads to network congestion, long processing times, high fees, and an overall unsatisfactory user experience, which scares away many potential DeFi users.
Sharding is one of the scalability solutions developers explore to ensure that blockchain networks can handle a much larger user flow. The sharding process involves dividing the network into smaller parts or chains called shards. These shards operate with their own set of validators, independent of each other, thus processing transactions simultaneously. As a result of such parallelization, transactions can be executed more quickly, significantly enhancing the network's efficiency.
Splitting a blockchain network is a complex process, as robust communication between shards or between shards and the main chain must be maintained to ensure the network's security and integrity. Unsurprisingly, one of the biggest vulnerabilities of shards lies in their predisposition to becoming centralized or compromised otherwise.
To learn more about sharding, its strong sides, and its downsides on the Kinetex blog.
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