TON or The Open Network (previously Telegram Open Network) is a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain introduced by Nikolay Durov, brother of Telegram’s inventor Pavel Durov in Q4, 2018.
TON is a programmatic blockchain which supports Func (C++). As such, it can supercharge decentralized applications of all types. It leverages native virtual machine dubbed TVM (TON Virtual Machine).
TON blockchain accomplished 5 seconds block time and sub-second transaction finality. Theoretically, TON blockchain supports sharding (can be divided into an ecosystem of interconnected subnets): 2^60 shards can be integrated by TON with nearly-zero latency of cross-shard interaction.
As such, TON’s performance is way more impressive than that of its closest competitors, Solana (SOL) and upcoming Ethereum 2.0.
Clients can easily access TON’s shared nodes via GetBlock.
What is TON’s development background?
Initially, the first version of TON’s whitepaper was proposed by the Durov brothers and other early contributors of Telegram Messenger. However, in 2020 due to the legal restrictions in the United States and heated debate with The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Telegram team was forced to abandon the development process.
Then, the development, research, maintenance and promotion of Telegram Open Network became fully community-driven. It is the first time in Web3 history when the team abandons the project in favor of the community since the inception of Bitcoin (BTC).
In 2022, Telegram Open Network was re-branded to The Open Network.
What is special about TON nodes?
The TON nodes ecosystem includes lite clients and full nodes. Lite client acts as a wallet: it is connected to blockchain 24/7 and requires synchronization with full nodes to download ‘blockchain state’.
In turn, ‘Full Nodes’ are synchronized with the blockchain at all time: they store the entirety of the blockchain history or some of its parts.
In TON, running a full node comes with a couple of functionalities: i.e. archive node, lite server or validator functionality. Archive node stores full history of blockchain since mainnet launch, lite server receives requests from clients and responds to them while validator - if filled with sufficient TON balance - can be rewarded for supporting the network’s integrity.
GetBlock’s shared nodes for TON are easily integratable into your business.
Why is using TON’s shared nodes a smart bet for devs?
In Q2, 2022, TON decentralized applications (dApps) ecosystem is still in its infancy. That’s why joining it can provide a developer with ‘first mover’ advantage.
Currently, TON operates a stack of applications created by its team and community (wallets for mobile and desktop devices, plugins, Telegram bot and native swap modules) as well as a number of third-party dApps (NFT marketplaces, explorers, token bridges, and games).
GetBlock shared nodes for TON are set to allow dApps developers to join this vibrant and eccentric ecosystem in a fast and resource-efficient manner. To connect a dApp to TON, you don’t need to run your own self-hosted node: just sign up on GetBlock, get API key and explore The Open Network for your business.
