Decentralized apps also known as Dapps are similar to normal mobile applications. They offer similar functions, but the key difference is that they are run on a peer-to-peer network, such as a blockchain while using smart contracts. They are decentralized meaning that they can’t be controlled by a single person or entity. 

They run on a blockchain network in a public, open-source, decentralized environment and are free from control and interference by any single authority. For example, a developer can create a Twitter-like dApp and put it on a blockchain where any user can publish messages. Once posted, no one including the app creators can delete the messages.

Common features Dapps have;

They are open-source and operate on their own without any one entity controlling them.

Their data and records are public.

They use a cryptographic token to help keep their network secure.

Most of the dapps are built on networks including Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Polygon. They include Uniswap, Aave, Pancake swap, Upland, steemit among others.

Among the most popular dapps at present are decentralized finance (DeFi) applications such as decentralized exchanges (DEXs). These enable people to swap one cryptocurrency for another without the need for a centralized gatekeeper like you’d find on exchanges like Binance, and Coinbase.

While many in the blockchain and crypto community believe that dapps should have all of these features, as the industry has matured, there are dapps that use some, a combination of, or none of the above.

DApps, which are frequently created on the Ethereum platform, can be created for a number of uses, such as social media, gaming, and finance.

Advantages and Disadvantages of dApps

Many of the advantages of dApps center around the program’s ability to safeguard user privacy. With decentralized apps, users do not need to submit their personal information to use the function the app provides. DApps use smart contracts to complete the transaction between two anonymous parties without the need to rely on a central authority.

Proponents interested in free speech point out that dApps can be developed as alternative social media platforms. A decentralized social media platform would be resistant to censorship because no single participant on the blockchain can delete messages or block messages from being posted.

With Ethereum’s flexible platform for building new dApps, developers have the infrastructure they need to concentrate on coming up with creative uses for digital applications. This could enable rapid deployment of dApps in a variety of industries including banking and finance, gaming, social media, and online shopping.

Some of the disadvantages include Dapps being experimental which means they may not be able to scale, it is hard to develop user-friendly interfaces on their platforms, and they are difficult to modify.

In conclusion, Dapps are still in their infancy. However, there are already tens of thousands of dapps that provide a wide range of activities, including trading NFTs, investing in DeFi, and playing video games.

By Q1 of 2022, there were almost 2.4 million daily active users of dapps. But there’s still a long way to go. Before dapps reach the mainstream, developers and the networks on which they build dapps have a long list of challenges to work through, including scalability, security, and UX.

Once they do, the dawn of the decentralized app will be upon us.