Internet Computer : The Promising Future Decentralized Technology and Why you Should to Develop on It?

DApp Problem Now

When first introduced in 2014, decentralized applications (DApps) on the Ethereum blockchain promised a grand vision of transparency, data immutability, and independence from centralized entities. Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, stated, “Instead of putting the taxi driver out of a job, blockchain puts Uber out of a job and lets the taxi drivers work with the customer directly.”

However, the reality has been different. In fact, until now, most DApps are not fully independent from centralized services, especially in hosting application logic and frontend, which still involve cloud services such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and others. This reliance on centralized infrastructure undermines the very principles of decentralization that DApps were meant to uphold.

This criticism has been voiced by the founder of Signal Messenger, Moxie Marlinspike. In his blog, Moxie writes about how DApps currently rely on centralized services and potentially lead to a business model similar to Web2, where a few large entities control data and infrastructure. This situation raises concerns about the sustainability and true decentralization of the DApp ecosystem.

Buterin, as quoted by the Times in the article “The Man Behind Ethereum Is Worried About Crypto’s Future,” said, “The properly authenticated decentralized blockchain world is coming, and is much closer to being here than many people think.”

Internet Computer : The Solution is not ‘is coming’ but Present

Internet Computer (ICP) presents a solution that is not just a future promise but a present reality. ICP enables developers to host applications directly on the blockchain, ensuring true decentralization and eliminating the need for centralized cloud services.

How is This Possible?
Canister is a smart contract that runs on ICP. Unlike existing smart contracts, a Canister is a computational unit that combines both code and data. Canisters can contain any arbitrary code or data, from serving web pages to creating a secure messaging app, or implementing a decentralized token exchange. The code referred to here is logic (as in smart contracts in general) in the form of WebAssembly bytecode, and data in the form of persistent memory pages.

ICP Canister Running on Sovereign network which mean decentralized collection of node machines that responsible for executing the code of canisters and storing their data. They work together in a decentralized manner, ensuring that the system remains resilient and secure. Each node operates in isolation, which protects the network from potential malicious activities.

Internet Computer adopt Byzantine Fault Tolerance, meaning that even if some nodes fail or act maliciously, the overall system continues to function correctly. This architecture allows canisters to scale effectively, supporting a diverse range of applications, from simple web services to complex decentralized finance platforms.

How ICP Ensures Decentralization on Nodes Provider?

For ensure the decentralization of the network, each node provider is carefully checked and approved by token holders through the NNS, which is the Decentralized Autonomous Organization that manages the Internet Computer. To become a node provider, one must submit a proposal along with a self-declaration document that outlines the provision of node machines, their intentions, and proof of identity. The community then votes on whether to accept the proposal. If node providers are accepted and their machines are operational, they earn rewards for their services. These rewards are determined by the NNS.

😎 Cool Fact About Canister :

As mentioned previously, the architecture of the Internet Computer allows canisters to scale effectively, supporting a diverse range of applications, from simple web services to complex decentralized finance platforms, all fully on-chain without depending on centralized cloud services.

What’s even cooler, applications built on-chain on Internet Computer smart contracts can be directly indexed by all popular search engines, eliminating the need for frontends on traditional clouds.

Not Done Yet: Discover More Features That Will Benefit You as a Developer !

In the previous section, we explored how ICP enables the development of 100% on-chain applications. Here are some another cool features that will benefit you as a developer.

Good Bye Oracles : Connect to Third Party App Directly

Most smart contracts on blockchain cannot directly connect to third-party data. However, many business models for decentralized applications (dApps) require this, especially those related to IoT or real-time exchange rates. This limitation makes it challenging for developers to utilize Web3 effectively. To access data from outside the blockchain, they often rely on centralized oracles, which can be vulnerable to hacking and typically charge high fees.

The HTTPS outcalls feature allows canisters on the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) to make outgoing HTTP requests to conventional Web 2.0 servers. The responses from these requests can be safely used in the computations of the canister, eliminating the risk of state divergence between the subnet replicas. This capability benefits developers by providing a more practical and cost-effective solution compared to oracle services, along with improved scalability.

To facilitate applications that require real-time cryptocurrency price data, the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) has introduced the Exchange Rate Canister (XRC). This canister fetches data from Web 2.0 servers and operates entirely on-chain. It interacts with major cryptocurrency exchanges through their public APIs to retrieve both real-time and historical pricing information.

Click Here for Learn More about HTTPS Outcalls

Decentralized AI : Not Only Narrative!

Decentralized AI or the combination of AI and blockchain has become a hot topic lately. There are at least two reasons behind this. First, AI can be manipulated in an undetectable way. This means that the integrity of the AI's output can be compromised without anyone knowing. The second reason is how AI operates within a ‘black box’ where users cannot visibly and transparently see where the generated responses come from.

In one section of an article in Forbes titled‘Watch Decentralized AI In 2025: The Convergence Of AI And Crypto’ there is a part discussing ‘DeAI in 2025: Mere Narrative or True Innovation?’

What’s exciting here is how ICP has already been concerned about the development of running AI models as smart contracts. This is made possible because ICP adopts the WebAssembly virtual machine that provides near-native performance, with nodes featuring standard specifications of 32-core CPUs, 512GiB RAM, and 30TB NVMe, along with the revolutionary Smart Contract Canister concept that allows code and data to be executed on-chain.

In early 2024, the Founder of Internet Computer, Dominic Williams, presented a world first: a demonstration of AI running on the blockchain as a smart contract. You can watch the video below:

Build Bitcoin DApp with Native Bitcoin smart contracts

Bitcoin, as the pioneer of cryptocurrency and the largest market capital since its introduction in 2009, has focused on being a financial transaction tool. However, we can now build incredible dApps that natively interact with the Bitcoin network using Canister smart contracts. Thanks to the Internet Computer! With Chain Fusion Technology, ICP canister smart contracts can hold a Bitcoin public key, sign transactions with it, and directly read from and write to the Bitcoin network.

How Do Canister Smart Contracts Operate on Bitcoin? Smart contracts running on the Internet Computer (ICP) can directly interact with the Bitcoin network without the need for bridges. This is achieved because ICP nodes can fetch and validate Bitcoin blocks, making them accessible for smart contracts to query. Additionally, these smart contracts can sign and send Bitcoin transactions, allowing them to hold BTC directly.

There are two key features that enable this functionality:

1. Secure Key Storage: Smart contracts can securely store a secret key using chain-key cryptography, which is compatible with the Bitcoin blockchain. This key enables the digital signing of messages and Bitcoin transactions.

2. Bitcoin Adapter: ICP includes a subnet with nodes that participate in the Bitcoin network, responsible for fetching the Bitcoin state and blocks, as well as sending transactions to the network.

Click Here for Learn More about Bitcoin Integration

So you want to start developing DApp on ICP, here are the tools you need to know :

It is important to note that in addition to the tools I mentioned below, there are many other tools designed to assist an ICP Developer.

1. Motoko

   Motoko is the primary programming language designed specifically for developing canister smart contracts. It is important to note that canisters also support development with other programming languages such as Rust.

   With Motoko, the building time for developing a dApp will be faster, and there are several reasons for this:

   -Motoko is designed specifically for ICP, with fully automatic Candid support built into the Motoko runtime and compiler system. Candid is an interface description language with the primary purpose of describing the public interface of a service. In reference to ICP, a service is a program deployed in the form of a canister. Each canister has a Candid file that defines the interface description for the service.

   -As previously explained, the code that runs on canisters is compiled into WebAssembly (Wasm), and the Wasm output generated by Motoko is smaller in size compared to Rust.

   -The simpler syntax shortens development time and makes it easier to learn.

2. IC SDK
   IC SDK is a Software Development Kit for creating and managing canister smart contracts on the ICP blockchain. By installing the IC SDK, we can easily work within the ICP development ecosystem because the IC SDK is composed of several components that are required for developing on the Internet Computer. These components are:

   • dfx: The CLI tool used to interact with and develop canisters on ICP. Motoko is included in the installation of dfx.

   • moc: The Motoko runtime compiler.

   • replica: The Internet Computer's local network binary.

3. Framework for DApp Frontend Tools

One of the most important elements in DApp development is the frontend that can be accessed by users, and in the ICP ecosystem, this becomes even more crucial because the frontend is deployed within canisters.

Conceptually, application frontends are hosted on ICP using asset canisters. Asset canisters compile frontend assets like CSS and JavaScript into a Wasm module that can be deployed on ICP as a canister.

You can also use JavaScript frameworks such as React or Next.js in the development of DApps. One template that simplifies the creation of full-stack Web3 applications is https://github.com/rvanasa/vite-react-motoko, which is a starter project for Vite + React + TypeScript + Motoko.

So, are you ready to become an ICP Developer?

Thank you for reading until the end ! The promise of true decentralization is present by ICP. By leveraging canisters, developers can create applications that free from the constraints of traditional cloud services. ICP represents a significant step toward realizing the original vision of DApp : empowering users and ensuring data integrity with truly on-chain

You have everything you need to start building robust, decentralized applications. ICP ecosystem offers environment for blockchain innovation. So, are you ready to dive in and become an ICP developer? The future of decentralized applications is present !