<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" width="40px" /> If you are a team currently researching which platform to use for your decentralized application, we are here to provide some guidance.
In this article you'll find a brief explanation about the Interchain, Cosmos, as well as a list of resources you can use to see if the Interchain Stack is for you, and a who's who to help you orient around this highly decentralized ecosystem.
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The Interchain, also known as the “Cosmos Ecosystem”, is an interoperable network of sovereign blockchains. The primary thesis of the appchain philosophy is that decentralized applications benefit greatly from high throughput and complete control of the underlying software that runs their app, without compromising on interoperability.
The Interchain Stack is a set of modular development tools that allow teams to build completely sovereign Layer 1 blockchains that come pre-built with a consensus and application layer. Using the CometBFT (Tendermint) Consensus algorithm and the Cosmos SDK, app developers can easily create modules that execute the state changes required for their chain. Using the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol, apps are able to communicate with other chains in a completely permissionless way.
If you need a comprehensive overview of the full Interchain Stack, the best place to get started is the Developer Portal. The ICF also offers a free 7-week guided training program for developers through the Interchain Developer Academy which is based mostly on the content from the Developer Portal and is operated by B9lab. You can apply here.
The Cosmos SDK is a modular application layer written in Golang. The codebase comes pre-built with modules to provide basic blockchain functionality such as staking, token transfers, governance, DAOs, authorizations and more. App developers write their modules in the x/ directory and wire them up in app.go .
The Cosmos SDK is maintained by Binary Builders.
CometBFT is a Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus engine that interfaces with the application layer thought ABCI. Written in Golang, it comes with the Cosmos SDK by default, but you can also opt to run it as a standalone binary and create a custom application layer if desired.
CometBFT is maintained by Informal Systems.
The IBC protocol is a set of standards that define how blockchains can communicate in a generalizable and permissionless way. The protocol is agnostic to which ecosystem you're in and there are currently several implementations being built for non-Cosmos chains.