Now we move to the next stage: the path to Devcon 8 in Mumbai.
To get there, the whole tech team will be focused on one job: rebuilding our stack. Their mission will be to better reflect Arkiv's original data-centric vision, and incorporate the feedback we've received in recent months. The focus will entirely be on the new architecture, rather than splitting effort between it and the networks we run today.
That has a practical and immediate consequence for everyone building on Arkiv:
Braga sunsets at 23:59 CET on 12 August.
An experimental devnet, built on a new architecture, will be released in August, with limited access while we stress test it. A public testnet follows in September. During that time, there'll be no open network to build on. If you'd like devnet access during that time, please reach out to us on Discord. We'll be open to discussions and will aim to help where we can. If you have data on Braga you'd like to keep, export it before 12 August or contact us directly afterwards.
More on what's coming: arkiv.network/roadmap
Arkiv: purpose-built foundation
Last year, to move quickly, we wired Arkiv's data logic into DB-Chains built on the OP Stack. While that got us to a working chain fast, the OP Stack was designed for a different job - running general-purpose smart contracts as a rollup. Over time, that mismatch has become a constraint.
What's changing?
- Rebuilding Arkiv's DB-chain from the ground up around a data-centric design.
- Braga testnet still runs next to an EVM & Ethereum-defined state. The chain we're working toward won't: its execution logic and state representation will be purpose-built for Arkiv.
- We're custom-building the components that are core to what Arkiv does, simplifying everything that isn't.
That's our goal for Devcon 8 in Mumbai. The testnet we're launching in August is the next step in that direction.
Alongside the new architecture, we're introducing improved operations and richer attribute types for entities - making working with Arkiv a more organic experience with fewer workarounds.
In the meantime
Stay tuned to our Discord channel, where we'll periodically keep you posted on the progress of the transition, and shape of the architecture. Our devs check and respond to discussions here, so feel free to make this a two-way conversation.
Over the coming weeks we'll still be attending events, running ad hoc tests and rolling out access to the new testnet where it helps onboard the next gen of Web3 database builders. Santiago (X: @SantiagoDevRel) and Shantelle (X: @shantelleawo) are keen to talk to everyone interested in building on Arkiv, or joining our ecosystem.
More soon.