BlockChain Agnosticism : What It Is and Why it Matters for Devs?

Why blockchain agnostic SDKs are crucial for building - and scaling - your Web3 application.
Written by
Shivam Srivastava
August 10, 2023
2
min. read

Remember the feeling of puzzlement you faced, when you first encountered raw blockchain data? Luckily, most of us don't need to understand the intricate details of blockchain's hexadecimal gibberish. That's where response abstraction in Web3 SDKs comes into play.

What Is Blockchain Agnosticism?

In the simplest terms, blockchain agnosticism refers to the value-add that service providers offer when they convert the raw blockchain data into a format that's more digestible for developers. Instead of having to wade through raw node data, you're presented with the information in a structured and comprehensible format.

An Example of Chain Agnosticism:

Consider an SDK that returns a balance in BigNumber format. That's raw data, as barebones as it gets. Now, imagine another SDK that gives you the balance in a decimal format, and additionally, provides details such as the number of decimal places in a token, transaction history, token symbol and more. The latter scenario illustrates blockchain agnosticism, where raw data is transformed into meaningful information.


When you fetch balance from a raw function:

BigNumber {

_hex: '0xd47cca060a3e...',

_isBigNumber: true

}

When you fetch balance from an abstracted function:

Balance{

result : "6.5560815771722537667235e+22”,

Why Is Blockchain Agnosticism Crucial?

Blockchain agnosticism can make a huge difference in terms of ease of development. It dramatically simplifies interaction with the blockchain. It saves time, improves efficiency, and allows developers to focus on building great applications rather than decoding raw data. 

Here's why:

  1. Ease of use: Raw data from blockchain nodes can be complicated and tedious to understand. Blockchain agnostic SDKs simplify this data, making it easily understandable and implementable.
  2. Time-saving: Blockchain agnostic tools save developers’ time, eliminating the need to parse and interpret raw blockchain data manually.
  3. Better integration: Abstracted responses often fit better into existing software architectures, making the integration of blockchain functionalities smoother.
  4. Increased productivity: By handling the low-level details, blockchain agnostic SDKs allow developers to concentrate on higher-level functionality, ultimately boosting productivity.

In the rapidly evolving world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, blockchain agnosticism in Web3 SDKs acts as a powerful tool for developers. It paves the way for increased accessibility and widespread adoption of blockchain technology. 

You can give it a try here by making a simple call to an RPC node. 

And next time you get the balance of your favorite token neatly served, remember the magic of blockchain agnosticism!