Mediaboss Marketing

Tableland, a permissionless relational database for Web3 applications, announced today that it has secured $8 million in a Series A funding round led by CoinFund, bringing the total amount raised to $10.4 million. Other participants in the round included Multicoin Capital, Blueyard, and A Capital.

The funds will be used to launch Tableland on the mainnet, release new developer tools, and roll out Tableland Studio later this year.

Tableland is built on the SQLite engine, and it enables developers to construct complicated relational data models for decentralized games, apps, and NFTs. The models are stored and distributed on the Tableland Network, a decentralized network of validators governed by the Tableland Protocol.

The Tableland Network is currently available in beta on Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, and Optimism, with an incentivized testnet planned for Q4 2023, followed by a production mainnet in early 2024.

SQL is by far and away the most popular programming language in the world for relational databases, yet it is practically non-existent in web3, said Alex Felix, Founder & CIO at CoinFund. The talented and ambitious Tableland team is solving this problem by bringing the familiarity of serverless relational databases and SQL to web3, thus paving the way for a new era of data-centric applications to emerge.

Tables in Tableland are on-chain assets that can be grouped into data models controlled by wallet-based authentication, row-level permissions, or smart-contract integration. Developers can create tables, insert or query data, and grant write access to their databases with other NFTs, access tokens, or address-based rules. The combination of these features makes the database layer of applications more composable and web3 native.

Tableland Studio is a new developer platform for designing and reusing relational database models that helps developers build apps faster. It provides a directory of pre-built data models, easy connectors for smart contracts, collaboration tools, and a suite of pre-built integrations with other protocols, such as IPFS, Filecoin, and ENS. Tableland Studio is making exciting progress and approaching its initial release for beta testers.

For NFT creators, Tableland offers an efficient and structured alternative to storing data on-chain, said Andrew Hill, Co-founder at Tableland. For game creators, Tableland makes crafting NFTs easier due to the composability of each NFTs metadata. It also makes creating Lootboxes cheaper by moving state mutations off-chain.

Tableland currently supports Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, and Optimism, and is set to announce Filecoin FVM integration in the coming weeks. Further plans are in place to support zkEVMs later this year.

Read Also: Oracle announces Oracle Database 21c with Immutable Blockchain Tables

The rest is here:

Tableland raises $8M Series A Funding Led by CoinFund to bring SQL to web3 with permissionless relational database - AlexaBlockchain

Best Cardano DEXes in 2023

In the world of cryptocurrencies, decentralized exchanges (DEXes) are becoming an increasingly popular way for people to trade digital assets, stake ADA and liquidity mine in a secure, decentralized environment. With so many options available, it can be difficult to know which platform is the best fit for your needs. In this article, we will explore why WingRiders could be the best Cardano DEX.

First, lets take a look at what a decentralized exchange is and how it works. Unlike centralized exchanges, which are controlled by a single entity, decentralized exchanges are built on blockchain technology and operate on a peer-to-peer network. Smart contracts are used to allow traders to execute orders without the need for an intermediary. This means that its possible to have complete control over assets and there is no central authority controlling the platform.

WingRiders is a decentralized exchange built on the Cardano blockchain. This means that it leverages the advanced security features of the Cardano network to provide a safe and secure environment for trading. Additionally, the platform is designed to handle a high volume of trades, making it an efficient and scalable option for trading digital assets.

DEXes have many advantages compared to centralized exchanges, other than being non-custodial including;

Centralized exchanges must check tokens for local compliance before listing them. Decentralized exchanges may list any token created on their blockchain, therefore new projects will likely list on them before its centralized equivalents.

On DEXes, users identity is protected when exchanging one cryptocurrency for another. Users do not need to go through a conventional identification process known as Know Your Customer, as opposed to centralized exchanges (KYC). KYC procedures require traders to provide personal information such as their complete legal name and an image of a government-issued identity document. As a result, DEXes attract many people who do not want to be recognized.

Counterparty risk occurs when the other party in a transaction fails to perform its half of the bargain and breaches its contractual duties. This danger is minimized since decentralized exchanges operate without middlemen and are based on smart contracts.

There are a number of key features that set it apart from other decentralized exchanges.

First and foremost, WingRiders DEX stands out for delivery and development ranking number 1 for;

Alongside these firsts as a DEX in Cardano, WingRiders is also fully DAO operated, Auto-stakes all ADA, offers voting across Stakepools and has direct integration into the Nu.Fi Wallet and many other popular tools.

Offering early market adoption and services using top hardware wallet integration, stable tokens and more to lessen the risk is beneficial and shows a strong desire to be at the front of the market.

With regular crypto yield farming, you deposit your LP tokens that you received for providing liquidity to a pool into an active farm and receive one type of token as a gain.

Taking this to an entirely new level, WingRiders partner up with other projects that wish to distribute their Cardano native tokens to the community. A liquidity pool is created with the two tokens and then an associated farm meaning you will gain not just with one, but two types of tokens from that farm.

Explore WingRiders

In addition to its technical features, WingRiders also offers a friendly interface that makes trading simple and intuitive. This makes it an attractive option for both experienced traders and those new to the world of decentralized exchanges.

One of the biggest advantages of WingRiders is its commitment to providing the best possible experience. The platform is constantly evolving and improving, with new features and upgrades being added on a regular basis such as the above charting upgrades, offering the ability to monitor and analyze the assets price movement, TVL and trading volume within pools to develop trading strategies over time. This means to expect a top-notch trading experience that continues to get better over time.

Related Wingriders Article: Trading Tool Guide

Finally, WingRiders has a large and growing community. The platform has moderators who are available to assist with any questions or concerns. This means that getting help quickly and as easily as possible, without waiting for a response from a centralized authority is available.

In conclusion, if youre looking for the best Cardano DEX, WingRiders can be a great option. Earning double rewards using their DEX token WRT in yield farming, with the platforms advanced security features, smart contract technology, user-friendly interface, and commitment to providing the best possible experience, its a top choice for decentralized trading. Whether youre an experienced trader or new to the world of decentralized exchanges, WingRiders has everything you need to trade digital assets with confidence.

Please take time to research platforms, and make decisions to lessen risk. Its important to remember that you are ultimately responsible for your own investments and you need to take care across all DEX, crypto wallet and other available services in DeFi.

Access WingRiders App

Excerpt from:

What is the Best Cardano DEX, and Why is it WingRiders? - DataDrivenInvestor

tl;dr (Don't worry if you don't understand, a full explainer follows): A zkEVM is an EMV-compatible rollup that is secured by a ZKP. Zero-Knowledge Rollups (zk-Rollups) are a type of rollup that uses Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs). A ZKP is a cryptographic proof that verifies the transaction data within a zk-Rollup is accurate.

The ZKP in a zk-Rollup enhances both the privacy and security of a rollup as this proof verifies the transactions in it no trust or optimism is required. It is called zero-knowledge in the sense that you can verify the truth of all the data and transactions in a zk-Rollup without needing to know the details of every transaction contained within it.

In order to understand zkEVMs, we need to go back a few blocks and explain this dense portmanteau of acronyms (zk-Rollups and EVMs). The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) is the computing environment of the Ethereum blockchain. The EVM could be thought of as a decentralized virtual computer; this is why Ethereum is sometimes referred to as the global supercomputer. The EVM is where smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps) on Ethereum interact with each other. Ethereums EVM is one of the core protocol features that has made it a pillar of the blockchain ecosystem.

Rollups bundle transactions in order to improve a blockchains throughput (data or transaction processing capability over a specific time frame) while lowering transaction costs at the same time. In essence, a rollup rolls up (combines) a number of transactions from a Layer-1 protocol (a blockchain like Ethereum) and executes them off-chain (not on the primary blockchain) using a Layer-2 protocol such as a sidechain or an EVM-compatible blockchain.

Some rollups are optimistic, meaning they are assuming (optimistically) that all the transactions in a rollup are valid and not fraudulent. For this reason, there is a period (typically several days) where one can challenge the validity of a transaction. Examples of Optimistic Rollup (ORs) for Ethereum include Optimism, Arbitrum, and Boba Network. While ORs significantly lower costs and increase transaction throughput, faulty transactions can get through if they are not challenged in a timely manner.

Popular zk-Rollup solutions include dYdX and Loopring. While these have security advantages, zk-Rollups tend to be a little more computationally expensive than ORs.

Comparing these two Ethereum rollup types, they both have some downsides. While ORs tend to be EVM compatible, they come with some concerns about fraud and security. While zk-Rollups tend to be praised for having better security, they generally can only used in specific transactions as they typically lack EVM compatibility; this means that zk-Rollups are limited to being used for bespoke processes that limit their adoption and use cases.

For these reasons, many have expressed the desire for a rollup that combines the best features of these alternatives into one solution; that solution is now here.

A zkEVM is an EMV-compatible rollup that is secured by a ZKP. This gives it the enhanced functionality of some of the Optimistic Rollup solutions that are EVM-compatible while also giving it the security of earlier zk-Rollup options that didnt offer compatibility with Ethereums EVM. These new zkEVMs allow for enhanced Ethereum process functionality (smart contracts and dApps) while also lowering gas costs and increasing Ethereum network throughput.

Ethereum as a blockchain has suffered at times from high transaction fees and transaction confirmation delays. Further, the Ethereum blockchain itself can not natively process more than approximately 30 transactions per second (TPS). Each rollup solution can increase transaction throughput by up to 2,000 TPS or more. While Ethereums recent upgrade (called The Merge) will increase scalability, many expect Layer-2 scaling solutions such as rollups to remain popular for some time in order to ameliorate Ethereum transaction congestion issues. Scalability is one major benefit of zkEVMs.

While scalability had already been enhanced via earlier rollup iterations, zkEVMs combine this scalability with privacy, security, and enhanced interoperability. By combining ZKPs with EVM compatibility, zkEVMs keep the security and privacy-preserving features of zk-Rollups while enhancing Ethereum interoperability by preserving EVM compatibility. This allows zkEVMs to be interoperable with smart contracts and dApps used on Ethereum. Further, these zkEVMs should also work on EVM-compatible blockchains such as Avalanche, Solana, and Fantom.

Like other rollup solutions, zkEVMs significantly lower transaction costs. At the time of writing, Ethereum transaction costs were approximately $0.90/transaction (when converted to USD). As zkEVMs can process hundreds or thousands of transactions in a batch off-chain, this transaction cost can be split amongst all the transactions in a rollup by simply verifying the proof of the rollup on Ethereum in a single transaction. This can lower the cost per transaction to less than $0.01 for simple solitary transactions and a bundle of around 100 transactions could be executed for less than $0.10 worth of crypto.

Another big benefit of zkEVMs is their interoperability. Existing smart contracts and dApps can easily be migrated to a zkEVM to take advantage of rollup benefits without requiring any coding changes. And because zkEVMs are verified on Ethereum just like other rollups, they have largely the same level of security as the native Ethereum blockchain protocol.

Launched just days apart in late March 2023, the first two zkEMVs to be released to the public were from zkSync and Polygon (on March 24th and 27th, respectively). In development since 2019, zkSyncs solution called zkSync Era went live to much fanfare and is the first zkEVM to be publicly available. The Polygon zkEVM is open source and Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin was given the privilege of sending the first transaction following its public release.

Both options already have long lists of crypto projects that have indicated they plan to use one or both of these zkEVM solutions. It should be noted that while these zkEVMs have undergone significant security testing, both teams have cautioned that these are early versions that should initially be used carefully. Like the first iterations of other blockchain breakthroughs, they may go through some developmental growing pains and security upgrades over the coming years.

While these are the first two zkEVMs to be available for public use, there are numerous other zkEVM projects in development with a public release on the horizon, including alternatives from Consensys, Scroll, and Taiko. While Ethereum continues to work towards on-chain scaling through future upgrades to its protocol, these upgrades can often be delayed significantly due to their requirements and technical complexity. Layer-2 solutions like zkEVMs are continuing to solve pain points for Ethereum as it continues its developmental goals of scalability, security, throughput, decentralization, and enhanced functionality.

Read more:

What Is zkEVM? The Zero-Knowledge Proof's Role in Smart Contracts - Decrypt

The OpenZeppelin Defender smart contract security platform has now integrated with Coinbases Base network, allowing Web3 app developers on Base to automate security tasks.

According to an April 19 announcement from blockchain cybersecurity firm OpenZeppelin, app developers on Base can now use the Defender software to create multi-signature admin contracts and timelocks, employ Relayers to store keys and sign transactions along with creating automated sentinels to monitor the blockchain and react when events occur.

These tools can be used for routine but sensitive admin tasks such as upgrading contracts, tweaking numerical parameters, or pausing a contract should an emergency occur according to the programs documentation.

The Defender app was available on Ethereum and most other networks in the past, but as it was not integrated with Base, developers could not use it on the new testnet until now.

OpenZeppelin's CTO Jonathan Alexander stated in the announcement that the integration will make smart contracts "more secure and expansive while Base lead Jesse Pollak signaled excitement at the team-up saying that security is key for a thriving onchain ecosystem."

Related: Unchained raises $60M to offer collaborative custody Bitcoin services

Coinbase announced the launch of the Base test network on Feb. 23. It plans to produce a mainnet version as a layer-2 of Ethereum once testing is complete.

Some Ethereum users have speculated that Coinbase wants to help onboard institutional investors to Web3 through the new network as it will feature Masa Finance identity verification tools.

OpenZeppelin is most known for its library of open-source smart contracts which are often modified by developers and used for their own purposes throughout the Ethereum ecosystem.

Read more:

Coinbases Base network gets OpenZeppelin security integration - Cointelegraph

Ethereum layer 2s, such as Optimism, Arbitrum and Polygon, increased in popularity in the first quarter of 2023, according to a report from Web3 development platform Alchemy. Over 635,000 Ethereum users bridged crypto assets to these networks from January to March, an increase of 44% over the fourth quarter of 2023 and 518% over the first quarter of 2022.

The report, titled simply Web3 Development Report, cited Dune Analytics as its source for this data. It showed that only 103,000 users made bridging transactions to layer 2s in the first quarter of 2022, whereas the same three months saw over 635,000 users perform these transactions.

Alchemy suggested that this increased activity may have been reinforced by successful airdrops from Optimism and Arbitrum in Q1, 2023.

In addition to increased asset bridging from users, layer 2s also showed greater activity from developers. Although the deployment of smart contracts related to layer 2s decreased by 30% relative to Q4 2022, it still increased by 160% when compared to Q1, 2022, the report said.

The crypto industry is coming off the back of a steep downturn in trading volume and crypto prices during 2022, with scandals like the UST depegging and FTX collapse causing many investors to shy away. But despite this negative sentiment, users still flocked to these new scalability solutions.

Related: 3 signs Arbitrum price is poised for a new record high in Q2

The Ethereum ecosystem as a whole also showed increased developer interest. Ethereum software development kits (SDKs) such as Ethers.js, Web3.js, Hardhat and Web3.py were downloaded 1.3 million times in Q1 2022. This became 1.9 million in the first quarter of 2023, an 8% increase. In addition, downloads of the MetaMask SDK, a tool used to develop apps that can interact with Ethereum wallet MetaMask, increased in each month of the first quarter.

Ethereum layer 2s have been offered as a solution to Ethereums scalability problem, which has been periodically causing high gas fees since as early as 2020. Some experts have argued that sharding the Ethereum network will also help to cut down on gas fees.

This story was updated on April 18 to clarify that the number of users bridging has increased by 518%, not the amount of assets bridged.

Read the rest here:

Ethereum layer 2 bridging up sixfold year-on-year in Q1 Alchemy - Cointelegraph