How To Use Blockchain For Mobile App Development
Every business niche now realises the promise of blockchain as a decentralised database. Apart from living up to its promise in securing financial transactions and preventing data breaches, blockchain is now being incorporated into all other types of applications. As mobile transactions are getting momentum for many businesses, blockchain-based mobile apps are increasingly getting popular.
The popularity is understandable with so many statistical data confirming it. By 2021, the blockchain market spending is predicted to cross $9.7 billion from just $945 million in 2017. IDC predicts that in 2018 alone spending on blockchain will be a whopping 2.1 billion. The technology will experience 42.8% growth every year until 2022. Lastly, a staggering 71% of business leaders across niches think blockchain will be the key factor in the uplifting of technology standard.
So, as a developer, you have no option but to come into terms with blockchain. Are you clueless about incorporating blockchain into your next mobile app? Do you want to know about all the key steps and tricks of using blockchain for your next app? Here we are going to explain how you can utilise blockchain for building mobile apps.
1. Know The Apps Blockchain Is Suitable For
In spite of the wide-ranging advantages, blockchain may not fit into every type of mobile app. For an app only publishing contents without any active transaction interface, blockchain may not be required at all. On the other hand, any app sporting transaction interface and payment gateways, or any app loaded with mission-critical database, needs the active support of a secure and decentralised database technology like blockchain.
In multiple ways, blockchain can be incorporated to boost the value proposition of a mobile app. It varies from so-called financial and security apps to mobile apps for manufacturing collaboration to apps for supply chain management.
Some Common Types Of Blockchain-Based Mobile Apps
- An app for exchanging cryptocurrencies can make things easier for asset traders and miners. Like stock market apps, such cryptocurrency apps allow you to have total control over your digital assets and trade with them. Cryptocurrencies that are powered by blockchain can be used for all sorts of payment and transactions through such apps.
- Electronic wallet apps that can store your digital assets and money and allow you to spend on transactions involve blockchain technology.
- There can also be digital asset tracker apps to provide you updated information about the rates, cryptocurrency trades, market dynamics and a portfolio of various cryptocurrencies.
- Retail apps allowing its customers to pay through bitcoin or other based cryptocurrencies is another type of blockchain-based app.
- Smart contract or self-executable protocols that respond automatically to some predetermined triggers is another facet of blockchain that can be used in mobile apps for driving automation.
2. Key Technology Considerations
Incorporating blockchain into mobile apps requires an in-depth understanding of the technology and the variety of constituents like the network, blockchain platforms, programming languages, various processes like back-end, front-end, and quality assurance for different mobile platforms, etc.
Key Considerations To Incorporate Blockchain Into Mobile Apps
- As for network options, you have two broad choices such as 'permissionless blockchain network 'that supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. and 'permissioned blockchain network' supporting platforms like Multichain. The first one boasts of wider and unrestrained access, while the second one is a closed network ruled by accessibility constraints and regulations.
- There are two broader categories of blockchain-based apps, respectively as apps for cryptocurrency and apps for smart contracts.
- The mobile app developers also need to choose between 25 blockchain platforms including both open-source and public platforms, as well as private platforms.
- Apart from traditional programming languages like Java, C++, Python, etc., the developers can also opt for advanced blockchain-specific languages like Simplicity and Solidity.
3. Steps To Implement Blockchain
When the objective of implementing blockchain for your app and respective benefits are clear, and when you are over with the key considerations mentioned above, we can proceed to the practical steps of blockchain-based mobile app development.
- Choose the suitable consensus-based method
As of now, you must have known that a mutual consensus mechanism ensures the unconditional accessibility and security of blockchain. Now, you need to choose a particular consensus method that suits your app character best. Some of the common alternatives are Proof of Work, Proof of Elapsed Time, Proof of Stake, Round Robin, etc. You need to select a method based on your app requirement. - Design Architecture
Now you need to choose a configuration for the design architecture. You can host blockchain with the cloud-based, hybrid, or in-house model. Now you have an array of options for configuration relating to the processor, operating system, disk size, and memory. The design architecture should be chosen based on the mobile OS platform you are developing the app for. - UI and Admin panel Design
Finally, you need to develop the app UI and admin panel of the blockchain app. This is achieved by using a front-end programming language, an external database, and designated app servers. After soft-launching the app by using the console, you need to connect it with analytics.
Conclusion
It is always important to see your blockchain application getting better over time with the valuable feedback from analytics concerning performance glitches, storage, and memory shortcomings, latency issues, and frequent crashes.