What Is Chainlink (LINK)?
Chainlink (LINK) is quickly becoming an indispensable tool for blockchain platforms, helping them gather information from the outside world. This network enables the implementation of real-world data into a smart contract.
The Chainlink network aims to develop a network where data providers are incentivized by money. Here, they provide reliable and truthful data to the blockchain network. These data providers are called oracles. An oracle is software that acts as a mediator, helping in establishing mutual data contracts and linking the smart contract and the world.
Simply put, Chainlink is a decentralized network of oracles that deliver data from off-chain sources to on-chain sources. This allows smart contracts on the blockchain to receive real-world information securely.
Who Created Chainlink (LINK)?
The Chainlink network is an invention of the SmartContract company. In 2017, Sergey Nazarov and Steve Ellis co-authored a white paper introducing the protocol used by Chainlink. Ari Juels, a Cornell professor, also contributed to the whitepaper. The paper discussed the vision of offering a decentralized oracle network to the industry.
Chainlink was developed to solve the blockchain network’s real-time problem with smart contracts. Initially, they offered their services for smart contracts on the Ethereum network. They’ve since expanded their services to other blockchains that support smart contracts.
This network was officially launched in 2019. It raised $32 million in its Initial Coin Offering and sold about 35% of its total offering.
How Does Chainlink (LINK) Work?
The Chainlink network functions as a bridge between the booming blockchain industry and traditional governance structures. Chainlink (LINK) founders have always been eager to expand their blockchain beyond the crypto network. Like Cardano and Polkadot, Chainlink (LINK) works with the Proof of Stake concept.
Simply put, Chainlink technically replaces a series of mediators. The oracles mentioned in Chainlink replace these intermediaries with lines of code. Data is added to the network by node operators. These node operators are validators that lock their coins and become trusted data sources.
The technology pays the node operators to provide truthful and reliable data to the smart contracts. When smart contracts need data from the outside world, they generate request contracts. Chainlink’s algorithm registers these contracts as events and then creates SLA. This lets them read the data they need from outside the blockchain.
These SLAs are then divided into three different contracts. The reputation contract evaluates an oracle’s track record to determine its data’s authenticity. It then removes any unreliable nodes. The order contract converts the query into another programming language so that it can retrieve actual data from the Internet.
The aggregation contract is then used to validate the data from one or more sources. This allows the Chainlink network to pass the data seamlessly and reliably to the smart contract.
Is Chainlink (LINK) a Good Investment?
The Chainlink network has gained popularity due to the ever-increasing demand for blockchain technologies and smart contracts. It’s slowly becoming the recommended network for integrating real-world data into smart contracts. The platform is a vital part of the future of blockchain technology.
As cryptocurrencies and decentralized applications become more prevalent, the Chainlink network will grow in importance and value. This is one of the primary reasons why a long-term investment in LINK tokens can be beneficial. The Chainlink network has a wide range of use cases. It can be used to feed information from IoT devices into smart contracts on blockchain technology.
With the rising popularity of the platform and strong technological support, Chainlink is far ahead of its competitors. It’s established a stable position in the market. This makes the LINK token an excellent investment to buy and hold.