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RAIRprotocol is the open deployment layer for web3
This whitepaper is currently undergoing review and is NOT in final format. Once published we wil lock the final version to IPFS / Arweave and post a hash to the full whitepaper in pdf format.
Imagine you are trying to develop a dApp aka a "distributed" application. You want to build an engaging application that is connected to an underlying blockchain database in someway.
How much is it going to cost, how long is it going to take? Digging deeper, what does vendor lock-in look like? Are you taking shortcuts now, to get locked into proprietary platforms in the future?
These problems are why Web3 hasn't scaled. All the horsepower exists on the infrastructure layer, while none of the tools are easily accessible, deployable, and most importantly open.
What if a talented team developers larger than you could ever amass yourself has already spent years and millions of dollars making an open dApp deployment layer you can spin up for free in minutes. Not just use like other "open source" platforms, but truly OWN.
This is RAIRprotocol.
Deployment Layer
RAIRprotocol allows developers to build their own sovereign dApp infrastructure. RAIRprotocol acts as a dApp deployment layer, and as such does not require its own internal API to function. E.g. RAIRprotocol is designed for users to deploy their own open source Backend.
Open source exists on a continuum, where most project selectively open source certain aspects of their codebase, while keeping other locked up to preserve their ability to monetize in a traditional SaaS model.
RAIRprotocol is fully open infrastructure, meaning our backend is also fully open. When new devs want to deploy RAIRprotocol, they can see the full source code not just the source code for a frontend SDK that connects to a centralized backend.
We will lay out in plain detail in our full whitepaper why a token model is the ONLY WAY to accrue value to a fully open source project (as there is no way to DRM gate access to a full open source backend) Devs can simply comment out the DRM.
Deployment Models
We need context for how dApps are made today, to discover why the full open sourcing of RAIRprotocol is such a bold step forward to wider Web3 adoption. Let's examine how RAIRprotocol compares to the 3 other dominant models in the dApp building vertical.
Project
RAIRprotocol
Venly
Vottun
Thirdweb
API Key Required
NO
YES
YES
YES
Syncing
Native RPC + Alchemy
Unknown Closed API
Unknown Closed API
Closed API through RPC Edge product
Database
Mongo, REDIS
Unknown Closed API
Unknown Closed API
Postgres, REDIS
Smart Contracts
Self Deployment
Through API
Through API
Self Deployment
Monetization
Affiliate revshare, License Token Model
SaaS
Usage Token Model
SaaS, Managed Service
Deployment
Open Backend
API Secret
API Secret
API Secret
Closed SaaS
Closed Source APIs can only be called via blackbox. Builders creating on top of these closed systems are reliant on a centralized API. If such a system ever stopped operating, all of the effort would be lost. E.g. like building Farmville on top of Facebook.
These models are popular with traditional Web2 enterprises wanting a familiar SaaS arrangement to operate inside of. They understand the benefits of a centralized support system, and know when they pay SaaS to the company operating such a system, they have access to
The existential risk to this model is in the centralization. As Recur (defunct NFT platform) and others proved, if there is no follow on VC financing, there is no API.
Closed Token
This model is the same as Closed Saas, except attempts to place a token on top. This is particularly problematic from an incentives standpoint, as well as from a regulatory point of view.
It combines the centralized platform risk of a normal closed SaaS platform, with a token component required to interact with the system.
As the development is still proprietary and centralized, token holders are trusting the coordinated centralized efforts of others to enhance the value of the token.
Partially Open Source
Another common model is a hybrid open source closed source model where such of the frontend of the system is open sourced via an SDK (Software development kit)
While developers can see deeper into how the system works by using prewritten function calls to build their dApps, they are still beholden to a closed API key that governs access to the system. This is still a centralized failure point where if the master API server we're ever to fail, the system would fail.
Fully Open Source
Now that we've covered a bit about the 3 most common deployment models, let's unpack how open sourcing everything including the backend changes the web3 deployment paradigm. In RAIRprotocol, developers have full unvarnished access to everything, including the full backend and server configurations.
This means if the team behind RAIRprotocol we're ever to cease existing, like HTTP, SSL and other open standards, new developers would be able to come in and keep the systems operational.
Moreover if xyz RPC, xyz L1/L2, xyz IPFS provider, or even xyz cloud provider were to fail, each sub system is interchangeable thus making RAIRprotocol a resilient decentralized API deployment layer.
By going fully open, RAIRprotocol loses the ability to DRM (digital rights management) access gate its codebase. Anyone can come in and deploy their own entire backend with their own API using our source code.
As such we need to invent a new term...
DAO Rights Management
We'll explain throughout this whitepaper how a token model is the only way to grow and full open source deployment layer. With no hard power to turn users off if they stop paying their API bills, we need a kind of new incentive model to promote the sustainable growth of the RAIRprotocol ecosystem.
Before we look into the future, let's briefly review the history of open source..
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