Webassembly smart contracts will “attract a lot of talent from Web2 to Web3” – Bitcoin News Interview

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Ethereum is almost universally credited with starting the Web3 revolution after bringing the concept of smart contracts to life. However, some members of the Web3 community, like Astar Network’s Sota Watanabe, believe the protocol cannot “build the innovative future of blockchain on its own.” Additionally, some critics point to the language barrier which they believe makes the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) a less than ideal place to build.

Web Assembly Smart Contracts “Will Accelerate Web3 Adoption”

It was this and other limitations of EVM that led to the creation of an alternative known as Webassembly (WASM). This alternative would be a virtual machine of choice for developers, engineers, and academics frustrated with EVM. According to Watanabe, for Web2 developers looking to migrate to Web3, WASM seems like a logical choice because it “supports a wide range of languages ​​with native performance and high portability.”

To learn more about WASM, Bitcoin.com News reached out to Sota Watanabe, the CEO of Astar Network, a multi-chain smart contract platform.

In his written responses to questions sent, the CEO of Astar Network shared his thoughts on Webassembly and the role it will play in accelerating Web3 adoption. Watanabe also explained why Astar Network supports both EVM and WASM.

Below are Watanabe’s responses to questions sent to him via Whatsapp.

Bitcoin.com News (BCN): In very simple terms, can you explain to our readers what WASM is all about?

Sota Watanabe (SW): Webassembly, more commonly known as WASM, is a portable compilation target for programming languages. WASM supports a wide range of languages ​​with native performance and high portability. On Astar, we support a WASM smart contract environment, just like Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). The good thing about WASM is that most Web2 languages ​​are composable in Webassembly, which is not the case for Ethereums EVM which relies on a specialized programming language called Solidity.

We believe that the growing use of WASM smart contracts will greatly accelerate the adoption of Web3. Most tech talent is still working in the Web2 space, and if Web2 developers want to get into Web3, they have no choice but to learn a new programming language called Solidity which is used by the platform. today’s most popular smart contract (EVM). It is an obstacle. Imagine if they could create Web3 dapps [decentralized applications] using the languages ​​they already know. And, on top of that, easily make their dapps compatible with EVM. This is why WASM smart contracts are [going to] pull a lot of talent from Web2 to Web3. That’s why it’s so exciting.

BCN: What are some of the challenges or limitations of EVM and how does WASM overcome them?

SW: Although Ethereum brought us the Web3 revolution with the introduction of smart contracts, it cannot build the innovative future of blockchain on its own. With a specialized programming language, it limits the ability of developer communities to explore and create new, truly interoperable applications. EVM is blockchain-specific, with less support and a specialized programming language, Solidity.

Today, Web3 is prohibitively expensive for many Web2 developers because Web2 languages ​​are not composable in Solidity, Ethereum’s programming language. With Webassembly (WASM), developers can move quickly from a Web2 to Web3 framework, allowing them to spend more time building core functionality in their dapps rather than learning specialized languages ​​like Solidity.

WASM increases performance because it is closer to machine language. It brings near-native performance to web browser applications and enables developers to build high-speed web applications in the language of their choice. Also, WASM has huge potential for the future of the Internet because it is designed for the web.

BCN: Already supported by four major browser engines (Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Webkit), WASM is considered safer, more efficient, faster, debuggable and open. Can you explain in simple terms why this is important?

SW: You are right. Everything you said about WASM helped it build confidence among Web2 developers. And when they can build Web3 dapps that interoperate with WASM tools, they’re more likely to adopt Web3.

Additionally, WASM development is already supported by leading companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla, and can be used with popular programming languages ​​such as C/C++, GO, TypeScript, and RUST, which is common among Web2 developers.

BCN: Some reports suggest that Web2 developers migrating to Web3 are attracted to WASM. Is this suggestion correct? If so, what do you think could be the reason(s)?

SW: The answer would be similar to numbers 2 and 3. And I would add:

Over the years we’ve interacted with thousands of Web2 developers who are inclined to build in Web3, but the lack of familiar tools was a hindrance. By supporting WASM, making it interoperable with EVM, and providing developers with all the tools they need to build in Web3, Astar Network hopes to give this emerging ecosystem a major boost.

BCN: Instead of encouraging or discouraging the use of one or the other, your Astar Network platform would help developers create dapps with EVM and WASM. What are your reasons for supporting both VMs?

SW: Developers in the Web3 space come from a variety of backgrounds and have different skills, abilities, and preferences. They shouldn’t all have to bring their vision to life using a single smart contract platform. They deserve choices, and then it’s up to them to decide which smart contract is appropriate for the project they’re building.

Yes, we support EVM and WASM smart contracts to give developers flexibility. EVM because it is the most popular smart contract environment with the largest user base. WASM because it overcomes the limitations of EVM while facilitating the entry of a new wave of developers into the space. We believe that having two virtual machines simultaneously and making them interactive is a key success factor for an emerging layer 1 blockchain.

BCN: How does this benefit the broader blockchain ecosystem?

SW: This will greatly expand the blockchain ecosystem by enabling Web2 developers to build innovative, decentralized and interoperable solutions in the Web3 space.

BCN: Astar Network is said to offer true interoperability with cross-consensus messaging. What does it mean?

SW: We believe in a truly interoperable Web3 ecosystem and provide developers with everything they need to build truly interoperable dapps. We achieve this through:

Cross Consensus Messaging (XCM): Allows dapps built on chains with different consensus mechanisms to securely transfer data and value between them. The exchange is two-way. This was made possible because Astar is a para channel on Polkadot and can use this feature as part of our main features.

Cross Virtual Machines (XVM): It brings interoperability between two different smart contract environments like EVM and WASM. A dapp can use EVM for its smart contract but can implement WASM smart contract modules and at the same time use the functionality of another para chain to integrate into its dapp.

These two innovations will be the start of the next wave of innovation for dapps.

Keywords in this story Astar Network, Blockchain, dApps, Ethereum, Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), Smart Contract, Solidity, Sota Watanabe, WASM, Web3, WebAssembly

What do you think of this interview? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Terence Zimwara

Terence Zimwara is an award-winning journalist, author and writer in Zimbabwe. He has written extensively on the economic issues of some African countries as well as how digital currencies can provide an escape route for Africans.

Image credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

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