Blog Deepdive: Getting Started with Gnosis Chain

November 17, 2022

Gnosis Chain’s Beginnings: 

In November of 2021, GnosisDAO and xDai merged ecosystems to form Gnosis Chain. Viewed as an extension of Ethereum, Gnosis Beacon Chain has Proof-of-Stake consensus and lower transaction costs to be maximally compatible with Ethereum. Rest assured, Dapps that used to live on Ethereum can now live on Gnosis Chain.

Since the beginning, Gnosis has stuck by its commitment of decentralization without compromisation. With aims to be one of the most decentralized blockchains available, Gnosis Chain encourages this with low barriers to entry and reasonable minimum stakes (1 GNO). We welcome all stake-validators, both professionals and hobbyists, and extend our reach via non-punitive uptime requirements, a fairly simple technical setup, and our collaborations with DappNode, Avado and more. To date, Gnosis Chain houses over 108,000+ validators on our network. Our ecosystem security is then derived from our progressive decentralization.

Gnosis Chain also prioritizes increasing scalability and efficiency. As one of the largest funders of Erigon (formerly TurboGeth), we are continually working to push block size limits and to shorten block times. Client diversity and account abstraction via smart contracts accounts further fortify our blockchain’s resilient network.

Constantly evolving, Gnosis Chain continues to stand by its mission through every achievement. With web3 at the forefront of humanity’s advancement, we, at Gnosis Chain, hope to one day achieve a better tomorrow through a decentralized and resilient blockchain.

Ecosystem Overview: 

DAOs: 

With over 1500 DAO projects currently deployed on Gnosis Chain, we stand out for our lush ecosystem with user-centered projects in infrastructure, development, DeFi, and legal. 

As such, Gnosis Safe has situated itself as the most trusted platform to manage digital assets on Ethereum. Trusted by the likes of Consensys and Synthetix, Gnosis Safe’s multi-signature security allows you to fully customize crypto assets management to re-optimize how you invest, earn, or borrow on any wallet.

With Gnosis Safe at its core, Zodiac’s extensive DAO tooling system can also be accessed on the interface. Built on an open standard, Zodiac’s assembly of tools allows users to ensure DAO interoperability and provide support to ever-evolving organizations. 

Learn more about Gnosis Chain’s DAOs here

DeFi: 

Gnosis Chain offers a full collection of open finance primitives so that users can pick what works best for them. 

As the first trading platform built on Coincidence Of Wants (CoW) Protocol, all trades settled on CoW Swap are handled peer-to-peer among users. With protection against MEV, without the burden of gas fees, users can now exchange tokens confidently knowing that every transaction is secure. 

Alternatively, 1inch allows you to optimize your trades across hundreds of DEXs on multiple networks. Facilitating decentralized finance, 1inch’s diverse interface benefits both traders and liquidity providers, while guaranteeing attractive swap rates. 

Learn more about Gnosis Chain’s DeFi here.

Enterprise: 

Gnosis Chain is an EVM chain with bridges to the Ethereum Mainnet and a native Stablecoin currency (xDai). Due to EVM-compatibility on Gnosis Chain, Ethereum tooling is supported, while B2B Use cases can benefit from the decentralized nature of blockchains. 

Here, we detail several ways Gnosis Chain (GC) can be useful for your prototype/working product: 

  • GC has cheap gas fees (<$0.01 per complex Smart Contract Call)
  • GC has short blocktimes (an average of 5 seconds)
  • GC is 100% Ethereum compliant 
  • GC is valid and compatible for prototypical development of EVM-web3-dApps
  • GC uses less energy for consensus 
  • Smart Contract development on xDai is easy, straightforward, and inexpensive with native stable currency (xDai is bridged 1:1 to DAI in Ethereum Mainnet)

Learn more about Gnosis Chain’s Enterprise applications here.

Games: 

Our extensive gaming ecosystem further emphasizes the importance of community partnerships and user bonds. Games such as Dark Forest offer unique user experiences, and a fully decentralized real-time strategy game. Similarly, Conquest.eth is a open-ended game of strategy and diplomacy running on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Its latest version on Gnosis Chain mirrors our continued efforts towards advancing permissionless systems and enriching user experiences.

Learn more about Gnosis Chain’s Games here.

Infrastructure:

Gnosis Chain offers advanced infrastructure in development, networks and wrappers to ensure an easy-to-use web3 platform for all users. 

Such is done with the help of systems such as the Celer Network, whose inter-blockchain interoperability protocol enables seamless utilization of diverse ecosystems and all its benefits. With a single-transaction UX and efficient cross-layer communication, Celer Network’s users can easily access their tokens, DeFi, GameFi, NFTs, and governance across multiple chains. 

We also collaborate with technology such as Dappnode, who stand by our commitment to decentralization. As a partner of Gnosis Chain, Dappnode has deployed over 1132 validators and its custom hardware has facilitated the accessibility of decentralized infrastructure to many. Now, more users can participate in the open, equitable internet that is web3 without the technical hassle.

Learn more about Gnosis Chain’s Infrastructure here.

NFTs: 

With a plethora of marketplaces, diverse infrastructures, and projects for NFTs, Gnosis Chain hosts projects such as POAP and Reality Cards, where people can turn real-world events into NFT collectibles. 

As such, platforms like Foundation offer a unique landscape for NFT artists to promote their work, host auctions, and manage bids. With a framework that services both creators and collectors, Foundation solidifies itself in facilitated transactions and wider audience reach.

Learn more about Gnosis Chain’s NFTs here.

Tools and Resources: 

In addition, Gnosis Chain features tools and resources to enhance data transparency, bridges, automation, and user privacy. With many to choose from, users can feel safe in knowing there’s an application for their every concern.

Security systems such as Orchid are deployed on the Gnosis Chain to ensure premium data protection. Through a decentralized virtual private network (VPN), Orchid allows for its users to explore the internet freely by buying bandwidth from a global pool of service providers. Similarly, like other resources on Gnosis Chain, Orchid aligns with Gnosis’s mission of furthering worldwide freedom and equality with the use of web3 technology.  

Furthermore, there are many resources available for data tracking and analytics. Dune Analytics provides free crypto analytics from its community of users. Crypto-asset analysts and investors can utilize the interface to track specific blockchain ecosystems, DeFi DApps, NFTs, and trading platforms amongst Dune’s thousands of dashboards for their multitude of projects.

Learn more about Gnosis Chain’s Tools and Resources here.

How to Get Started: 

Getting started on Gnosis Chain is fairly simple. Here are some ways to get involved:

Use Gnosis Chain apps: https://gnosis.builders/users 

Explore the Ecosystem: https://gnosischain.world/

Find the right wallet for you: https://gnosiswallets.com

Get free xDai: https://gnosisfaucet.com 

Build on Gnosis Chain: https://gnosis.builders/builders 

Become a validator: https://gnosis.builders/validators 

Gnosis Chain Stats: https://beacon.gnosischain.com/

Follow us on social media to be updated on our upcoming projects and progress: 

Twitter, Youtube, Discord, Telegram