Marlin: The Future of Decentralized Computation?
As a computer science student, I've always been fascinated by the potential of decentralized systems. So when I first heard about Marlin, an open protocol that allows users with spare infrastructure to share their computational resources with application developers, I was immediately intrigued. But what sets Marlin apart from other decentralized networks out there?
First and foremost, let's define what decentralized computing is. In a decentralized system, no central authority controls the flow of information. Instead, data is distributed across a network of computers, each of which has a copy of the data. This allows for a more resilient and secure system, as there is no single point of failure.
Marlin is built on a decentralized network of nodes that allows for low-latency data transmission. This makes it perfect for long-running backend services, for example, decentralized RPCs and oracles. Additionally, Marlin offers integrity protection through secure enclaves, zk-based prover computations, scheduling actions based on events in the mempool, caching, et cetera. As far as I’m aware, it's a one-stop shop for all your decentralized computation needs.
But here's the thing: Marlin isn't the only player in the decentralized computation game. There are other companies and projects out there that also aim to democratize access to computational resources. So what sets Marlin apart?
Well, for one, Marlin is currently working on upgrading the network to support decentralized computation using Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs). TEEs, such as SGX, allow computations to happen verifiably and securely without revealing data to the node operator. This opens the door for a wide range of novel use cases, such as decentralized frontend hosting services, decentralized backends for dynamic websites and apps, APIs, and even decentralized caches and CDNs.
But perhaps the most exciting aspect of Marlin's upgrade is the potential for new dapps to be built on the network. For example, a team could run a decentralized service that accepts transactions and runs MEV (miner extractable value) algorithms to securely redistribute profits. Or perhaps, a DAO could run its own liquidation bot and share profits with its governance token holders. Building such a system would be impossible today without the ability to deploy one's own node network.
Keep reading my articles for more innovative tech and crypto-related stuff. Check out their social media pages and links if you're interested in Marlin and want to know more about the project.
Twitter: MarlinProtocol
Telegram Announcements: t.me/MarlinProtocolAnn
Telegram Chat: t.me/MarlinProtocol
Website: marlin.pro
In the next article, I will delve deeper into the technical aspects of TEEs and their potential implications for the future of computation. Stay tuned!