What is Cartesi?

Cartesi is a Layer-2 platform designed to enable developers to create decentralized applications (dApps) on the Linux and standard software stack. Unlike other common blockchain environments, which usually require specialized language knowledge (such as Solidity), Cartesi allows developers to use mainstream programming languages and tools they are already familiar with, such as Python, C++, and even machine learning libraries. This opens up blockchain development to a wider group of software engineers and allows for the creation of more complex and computationally intensive dApps.

This solution allows for off-chain computing, which helps alleviate the burden on the blockchain and enables applications to perform tasks that would be too expensive or slow on the chain. Off-chain computing is securely anchored to the blockchain, ensuring the integrity and security of dApps, while avoiding the limitations of on-chain processing.

The platform achieves this goal through Cartesi Machine. Cartesi Machine is a virtual machine that simulates the RISC-V architecture and is capable of running a full Linux operating system. This setup allows developers to build applications that require complex file systems, databases, and other features that are difficult to implement in traditional smart contract environments. In addition, Cartesi supports a variety of Rollup solutions, including optimistic rollup. This not only helps to improve blockchain throughput, but also maintains decentralization and security at the same time.

Cartesi operates primarily on the Ethereum blockchain but also supports integration with other blockchains, including Binance Smart Chain (BNB), Polygon, and Avalanche. This multi-chain compatibility enables developers to flexibly deploy their decentralized applications (dApps) in multiple blockchain ecosystems.

The Development History of Cartesi

Cartesi Development Team

Establishment and Early Development (2018 - 2019)

Cartesi was founded in 2018 by a group of experienced professionals in the field of blockchain and software development. The founding team includes Erick de Moura (CEO), Diego Nehab (CTO), Augusto Teixeira (CSO), and Colin Steil (COO). These founders bring together expertise from academia, software engineering, and entrepreneurship, with a focus on addressing the most pressing challenges in blockchain development, particularly around scalability and usability.

Cartesi's core vision is to create a platform that allows developers to use mainstream software stacks (especially Linux) in a decentralized environment, using familiar programming languages and tools. This innovative design aims to eliminate the gap between traditional software development and blockchain technology. The goal of Cartesi is to empower developers to build complex and scalable decentralized applications (dApps), overcoming the computational limitations of traditional blockchains.

Initial Coin Offering (ICO) and Token Launch (April 2020)

In April 2020, Cartesi launched its initial token offering (ICO), selling 100 million CTSI tokens and raising approximately $1.5 million.

After the ICO, Cartesi focused on developing its core technologies, including the Cartesi Machine, the Noether sidechain for data availability, and Descartes Rollups, which is an optimistic rollup solution that allows for scalable off-chain computation.

These technologies together form the infrastructure of Cartesi, enabling dApps to process complex tasks off-chain while maintaining the security and decentralization of the blockchain.

Ecosystem Growth and Expansion (2021 - 2022)

As technology matures, Cartesi gradually attracts more developers and projects to join its ecosystem. The platform can integrate with major blockchains such as Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and Polygon, further increasing its appeal. Its technology allows for the construction of more complex dApps, especially in the fields of gaming, finance, and real-world data applications.

Challenge and Continuous Development (2022 - Present)

Despite its success, Cartesi still faces challenges related to its technical complexity and ecosystem maturity. The platform relies on a Linux-based environment, which brings a learning curve for developers unfamiliar with this setup. Additionally, due to the early stage of the ecosystem, resources and community support are still in continuous development.

To address these challenges, Cartesi is committed to improving developer tools, enhancing user experience, and expanding its ecosystem through strategic partnerships and integrations. A typical example is the integration with Avail (a modular blockchain framework) aimed at optimizing data availability and scalability for Cartesi-driven dApps, thus advancing Web3 development.

By 2024, Cartesi will continue to improve its technology and expand its ecosystem, focusing on improving the scalability and efficiency of decentralized applications, while making it more friendly and easy to use for a wider group of developers.

Roadmap

Cartesi's roadmap focuses on three core goals: improving platform scalability, expanding the range of blockchain integrations, and optimizing dApp development tools. Future milestones include supporting more blockchains, optimizing performance, and introducing decentralized governance mechanisms to actively involve the community in the platform's development process. This roadmap clearly illustrates the strategic priorities of the Cartesi ecosystem in terms of feature expansion and application promotion.

Highlights

• Developer Accessibility: Cartesi enables developers to use familiar programming languages (such as Python and C++) to create complex dApps, thus extending blockchain development to a wider audience.
• Off-chain computation: Through Cartesi Machine, the platform supports off-chain computation, alleviating the computational burden of the blockchain and making resource-intensive tasks possible.
• Scalability Solution: Cartesi adopts optimistic rollups technology to increase blockchain throughput while maintaining decentralization and security.
• Blockchain Integration: While primarily based on Ethereum, Cartesi also integrates with other blockchains such as Binance Smart Chain, Polygon, and Avalanche, enhancing its versatility.
• Continued development: Since its establishment in 2018, Cartesi has been committed to optimizing its ecosystem through technological advancements, strategic partnerships, and expanding developer tools.