Flow is a fast, decentralized blockchain built with developers in mind. It was launched in 2020 by Dapper Labs, the same studio behind CryptoKitties, the 2017 craze that overloaded the Ethereum network.

Because of this origin, Flow was built for games like these and for the on-chain digital assets that power them. It uses a specialized multi-role setup intended to increase scale without sharding, delivering higher speed and throughput versus many other blockchain designs.

What are Flow’s key features and how does it work?

Flow is built around four core features, with its Multi-role architecture at the center. The platform’s approach is designed to help the network handle billions of users while avoiding sharding and without lowering the decentralization level of its consensus.

This is done by splitting transaction processing into four node categories. Collection nodes handle gathering data to improve connectivity and data availability. Consensus nodes determine which transactions are accepted and set their ordering. Execution nodes carry out the needed computation, while verification nodes review and confirm what execution nodes did.

Flow also uses resource-oriented programming. Its smart contracts are written in Cadence, a programming language created to be relatively straightforward and safer for crypto assets and applications. Flow further provides a dedicated developer website where people can learn and work with Cadence.

Thanks to this design, Flow stays developer-friendly for dApp teams. Smart contracts can be updated, enabling dApps to launch in beta while development continues. The ecosystem also includes built-in logging support for the Flow Emulator.

For Flow, it’s also notable that it’s often described as an “NFT blockchain,” and it has been ahead of others in NFT transfers (or NFT sales, or something similar). In addition, several major brands have partnered with Flow to build NFT collections.

What can Flow be used for?

As mentioned earlier, Dapper Labs created Flow to address scalability challenges it faced on other blockchains. Today, Dapper uses Flow across its own initiatives, including NBA Top Shot. At the same time, other developers can build crypto-focused games and platforms like NFT marketplaces.

Where can you buy FLOW?

FLOW can be bought on the DEXs and CEXs shown in the list here.