Web2 is the second generation of the Internet that introduces the interactive features we are familiar with today. As the Web continues to evolve, the third generation of the Internet, also known as Web3, is under active development. Web3 introduces a decentralized and permissionless system running on the blockchain. But what is the difference between Web2 and Web3 development ? This is an opportunity for developers transitioning from Web2 to Web3, not only to contribute to this leading technology, but also to be at the forefront of innovation.
What is blockchain?
A blockchain system is essentially a "state machine" that records all transaction records. It can be used by anyone and distributed by the nodes connected to it. By distributing the state machine across multiple nodes, no single entity can dominate or Manipulate the network. Therefore, once a block has been added to the blockchain, the data in the block cannot be changed. Blocks are linked together in chronological order and identified by a unique hash value that depends on The hashes of previous blocks, hence the name blockchain.
Developer transition from Web2 to Web3
As a Web2 developer, transitioning from the Web2 to the Web3 realm and becoming familiar with blockchain technology can be a daunting task. One of the main differences that Web2 developers need to understand is the architecture of Web3 applications, also known as dApps or decentralized applications. In comparison, the architectures of Web2 and Web3 are very different, because the main idea of Web3 is decentralization, and blockchain is its backbone. From a developer perspective, this largely means not relying on any centralized entity, such as a server or database.
This article aims to help developers quickly understand some of the fundamental architectural differences between Web2 and Web3 to help build expectations for developers entering the Web3 space.
Web2 architecture
On a technical level, Web2 architecture usually involves the following three components: front-end, back-end and database. The frontend is the part that supports user interaction, requesting and receiving data from the backend (sometimes an API). The backend is a centralized server that receives requests from the frontend, fetches data from the database, and sends responses back to the frontend for display. All data is stored in the database, which is also a centralized entity.
Let’s take Twitter, a content sharing platform, as an example. Twitter has a front end that allows users to view content and post their own content. Twitter's backend logic defines what happens when a user request is made, such as to post new content. Finally, Twitter's database stores user content. Note that in this example, Twitter has all the different elements that users interact with.
Advantages and disadvantages of Web2
As Web3 is still in a fast-growing phase, there are many advantages of Web2 that are worth highlighting, including seamless user experience and accessibility. The user interface completely obscures the complexities of website interaction.
In the case of Twitter, you can scroll through content endlessly, or upload your own with the click of a few buttons. But this process is not so simple in Web3. At the time of writing this blog, additional steps and code are required to perform a request like this.
On the other hand, Web2 also has some disadvantages, including security and reliability. With centralized servers, there is a single point of failure because servers are prone to disruption and are targets for data breaches.
While using Twitter, the platform may be hacked and your account information may be compromised or used maliciously. In addition, the servers powering Twitter may fail at any time. The chances of this happening in Web3 are slim because there is no center and the network is distributed over many nodes. Even if a majority of nodes are affected at the same time, the network can still function normally.
We will explain Web3 front-end and back-end architecture, indexing solutions, storage solutions, as well as generalization and Token standards in the next article.
About Moonbeam
Moonbeam is a smart contract platform for building cross-chain interconnected applications that can access users, assets and services on any chain. By bringing together features from Ethereum, Cosmos, Polkadot, and more into one platform, Moonbeam solves today's fragmented user experience, unlocks true interoperability, and lays the foundation for the next generation of applications. The Moonbeam platform uses integrated cross-chain messaging, allowing developers to create smart contracts that access multiple remote blockchain services. In this way, Moonbeam's developer-friendly EVM platform, various tool support and Substrate architecture are combined to provide an ideal development environment for building interconnected applications.