Key takeaways:
- The BNB Chain Application Sidechain (BAS) will be launching on Binance’s blockchain network, according to the company’s spokesperson
- Sidechains provide a high degree of flexibility and scalability and alleviate some of the computational pressure of their parent chains
- The exact BAS launch timeline is not yet known, however, it was revealed that the first BAS testnet will feature GameFi projects
Application-specific sidechains are set to improve the performance of dApps on BNB Chain
According to a recent news report from The Block, the BNB Chain Application Sidechain (BAS) is coming to Binance’s blockchain network. While the company’s spokesperson didn’t specify when sidechains will launch, he did provide a brief overview of BAS’ capabilities:
“The BAS is an infrastructure introduced to help developers and node operators build and run their own blockchain as their internal value system for a massive number of users while still maintaining a close connection with BNB Chain.”
A sidechain is a specialized blockchain that runs in parallel with the main chain and has its own consensus algorithm. It is connected to its parent chain via a two-way blockchain bridge, which allows seamless transfer of data and digital assets between the two. This concept allows for greater flexibility and scalability of blockchain ecosystems since sidechains take some of the computational strain off of the main chain.
BAS will allow projects to deploy decentralized applications to their own sidechain. Each sidechain will operate independently, which means that the teams will have to rely on their own security systems rather than on the mainnet.
This can present some challenges. For instance, earlier this week, Axie Infinity’s sidechain Ronin was exploited for more than $600 million worth of ETH and USDC, after the unknown attacker gained access to the majority of the network’s validator nodes. While sidechains provide massive benefits in terms of scalability and transactional throughput, they are not as decentralized as their parent blockchain counterparts, which makes them more susceptible to attacks.
A Binance spokesperson revealed to The Block that the first BAS testnet will be focused on GameFi projects that are actively developing their projects on BNB Chain.
