Polkadot blockchain: How is it different and why is it on crypto enthusiasts’ radar?

cnbctv18.com:

The number of developers writing codes on the Polkadot blockchain has increased significantly to nearly 10,000 now from just 2,600 around the same time last year. Over 2 million lines of code were written for Polkadot in 2021 as compared to 600,000 at the start of the year.

Let’s understand why Polkadot has caught crypto enthusiasts’ attention, and how it matters to the blockchain ecosystem.Polkadot is one of the few blockchain networks designed around the philosophy of creating various smaller inter-connected sub-chains within the umbrella of a single blockchain on top.The main chain on top of the sub-chains is known as the relay chain. The sub-chains are called parachains.

This parallel chain design makes Polkadot scalable and ensures it is not burdened by the need to introduce hard forks in the blockchain. Hard forks refer to major changes in a network’s protocol that help in making previously invalid transactions valid or vice-versa.

Polkadot can be looked at as a decentralised ecosystem for blockchains rather than as a single blockchain network.Also, other blockchains can join the Polkadot infrastructure, and data can traverse from other blockchains across Polkadot's multi-chain application environment like real-world assets and tokens.The light paper (a miniature, concise version of the white paper) of the Polkadot network calls the protocol a heterogenous blockchain.Also Read: Explained | What is cross-chain protocol and why is it important?"Polkadot is a next-generation blockchain protocol that unites an entire network of purpose-built blockchains, allowing them to operate seamlessly together at scale," the light paper further details. "It connects several chains together in a single network, allowing them to