Decentralized Application

A **decentralized application** (dApp) is a software application that operates on a decentralized network rather than being controlled by a single entity or central server. DApps commonly utilize [[blockchain]] technology and [smart contracts](/wiki/Smart-Contract) to achieve decentralization, enabling greater transparency, security, and [[immutability]] compared to traditional centralized applications. DApps can replace most common applications in various fields, including social networks, games, entertainment, productivity tools, or finance.^[1] DApps typically rely on the [[computational power]] of the blockchain, which hosts their smart contracts. While [[Bitcoin]] can also be considered a decentralized application, the rise of dApps as perceived today came with BitShares, created by [[STEEM]] founder Dan Larimer in 2014, which was one of the earliest [decentralized autonomous organizations](/wiki/Decentralized-Autonomous-Organization) (DAOs) and [decentralized exchanges](/wiki/Decentralized-Exchange) (DEXs),^[2] and especially with [[Ethereum]], which revolutionized the dApp landscape by introducing a blockchain platform specifically designed for building and deploying smart contracts and running dApps.^[3] [[Hive]] blockchain is capable of hosting dApps. It offers fast feeless [transactions](/wiki/Transaction), a set of different [private keys](/wiki/Private-Key) granting different permissions, high scalability, and simple [wallet names](/wiki/Wallet).^[4] Moreover, dApp development is eligible for [DHF funding](/wiki/Dhf-proposal).
## Popular dApps Popularity-based rankings may not be truly relevant, as there is no reliable comparison with a clear methodology yet. Rankings based on the number of unique participating wallets or total transaction volume may be affected by the nature of the app and the very high volatility of their [tokens](/wiki/L2-Token). Nevertheless, dApps often cited as popular in 2024 include: * PancakeSwap and Uniswap V2, leading decentralized exchanges^[5] * Compound, a leading DeFi protocol^[6] * OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace^[7] * [[Splinterlands]], the most played Hive game with over 30,000 active players per day^[8] ## Popular Hive dApps Hive primally hosts social media dApps and games. Besides various [front ends](/wiki/Hive-Frontend) intended for content creation ranging from [[microblogging]] to [vlogging](/wiki/Vlog) and Splinterlands, among the most popular ones are:^[9] * [[Actifit]] (sports tracker) * [[dCity]] (game) * [[dCrops]] (game) * [[Hive Engine]] (DeFi) * [[Hive Slot Games]] (gambling) * [[Rise of the Pixels]] (game) * [[Rising Star]] (game) * [[Terracore]] (game) ## Further Reading * [List of Hive gaming dapps](/wiki/Hive-Gaming-Dapps) * [List of Hive non-gaming dapps](/wiki/Hive-Non-Gaming-Dapps) ## References 1. ↑ Benedict George, coindesk.com (2022) What Is a Dapp? Decentralized Apps Explained https://www.coindesk.com/learn/what-is-a-dapp-decentralized-apps-explained/ 2. ↑ @cedar-book (2018) BitShares Documentation - What is BitShares? https://docs.bitshares.org/en/latest/technology/what_bitshares.html 3. ↑ Sydney Butler, howtogeek.com (2022) What Are Decentralized Apps (dApps) and How Do They Work? https://www.howtogeek.com/781789/what-are-decentralized-apps-dapps-and-how-do-they-work/ 4. ↑ https://hive.io/ 5. ↑ Abhijith G, geekflare.com (2024) 10 Best Decentralized Applications (DApps) in 2024 https://geekflare.com/top-dapps/ 6. ↑ Kraken https://www.kraken.com/learn/what-is-compound-comp 7. ↑ Tobi Opeyemi Amure and Amanda Jackson, investopedia.com (2024) What Is OpenSea? https://www.investopedia.com/what-is-opensea-6362477 8. ↑ https://peakmonsters.com/dashboard 9. ↑ https://dappradar.com/rankings/protocol/hive ## Related Articles [[Blockchain]] [[Immutability]] [[Computational power]] [[Bitcoin]] [[Steem]] [[Ethereum]] [[Hive]] [[Splinterlands]] [[Microblogging]] [[Actifit]] [[Dcity]] [[Dcrops]] [[Hive engine]] [[Hive slot games]] [[Rise of the pixels]] [[Rising star]] [[Terracore]]