The Parachain Runtime Builder (PRB) platform is designed to simplify blockchain ideation, experimentation, and development within the Polkadot ecosystem. By leveraging Polkadot’s modular architecture, PRB allows you to generate a fully functional blockchain in just a few clicks.
In this post, we will walk you through the process of creating your custom blockchain. We will also explore some of the most common blockchain use cases as well as pre-built templates you can utilize to make one of them.
Choosing Between a Solochain and a Parachain
Before customizing your blockchain, you must decide whether to build a Solochain or a Parachain.
Solochain is a standalone blockchain that operates independently without being connected to Polkadot’s Relay chain or relying on its shared security. Solochains have their consensus mechanisms, governance models, and security frameworks. However, they don’t benefit from the interoperability and scalability of Polkadot’s ecosystem. Solochains are a great choice if you want a fully independent network that doesn’t rely on external protocols.
Parachain is a blockchain connected to Polkadot’s Relay chain, benefiting from its shared security, scalability, and interoperability with other parachains. This option is ideal for projects that want to tap into Polkadot’s ecosystem and leverage its robust infrastructure.
For this guide, we will proceed with a Solochain. However, most of the steps listed below also apply to Parachain configuration.
Environments
After choosing Solochain (in our case) or Parachain, you’ll land on the main dashboard. Here, you can set up your blockchain step by step.
Before adding pallets and customizing your blockchain’s features, you must decide whether your blockchain should be EVM-compatible or WASM-compatible.
EVM-compatible blockchain works with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), which allows you to deploy and run Ethereum-based smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Since most smart contracts today are built on Ethereum, EVM compatibility gives you access to the largest ecosystem of existing dApps and tools.
Additionally, Solidity is the most popular programming language for smart contracts, which means that more developers will be familiar with your blockchain, making it easier to find people to build and contribute to your project.
On the other hand, a WASM-compatible blockchain uses WebAssembly (WASM) for smart contracts. WASM is designed to be fast and efficient, especially for Rust-based blockchains standard in the Polkadot ecosystem. Choosing WASM compatibility makes your contracts more flexible and optimized for performance.
Pallets
Finally, we move to the most crucial step – defining your blockchain’s features by selecting and configuring pallets. As we highlighted in our previous post, pallets are pre-built blockchain modules containing common blockchain functionalities and capabilities. They are like LEGO blocks that can be used, modified, and upgraded to fit the custom blockchain logic you need.
Essential Pallets
At the top of your dashboard, you will find a list of essential pallets. These are the building blocks that every Polkadot-based blockchain needs. They are automatically included in your setup and can not be removed, as they ensure your blockchain meets the basic requirements of the Polkadot ecosystem.
Additional Pallets
Beyond the essential ones, you can add plenty of other pallets to your blockchain. Each brings additional functionalities. You can explore what each one offers by clicking on it.
For example, if you want to allow fractional ownership of NFTs where a single NFT can be divided into multiple fungible shares, you can add the NFT Fractionalisation Pallet. This makes it easier to share ownership or improve liquidity for high-value NFTs.
Configuring Pallets
Even though pallets are pre-built, many of them are customizable, allowing you to tailor them to better fit your specific needs. For example, if you want to include multisig wallets as part of your blockchain, you can add the Pallet Multisig. Additionally, you can configure parameters such as the maximum number of signatories, ensuring the functionality aligns perfectly with your requirements.
Pallets Dependencies
Managing pallet dependencies is one of the most challenging parts of building a Polkadot-based blockchain. Some pallets depend on others to function correctly, while some combinations may cause conflicts. Without the PRB, handling these relationships can feel like being stuck in an endless loop or trying to solve an unsolvable puzzle
Luckily, the PRB handles all of this for you. It automatically resolves dependencies, ensures compatibility, and guarantees that your blockchain will compile without errors. This means you can focus on building your blockchain’s features instead of worrying about technical issues.
Use Cases
Creating a blockchain requires adding multiple pallets since each pallet provides specific functionalities. To further streamline this process, we have implemented an option to choose from a list of predefined use cases.
By selecting a use case, you can automatically add all the pallets required to support it with just one click. Currently, the platform supports five use cases: DeFi, Gaming, DAO, Supply Chain, and NFT.
We are actively working on defining and adding new use cases.
Deployment
You are ready to deploy your blockchain once you have added all the functionalities you need. You can publish it directly to your GitHub account or save it to your local storage. After deploying, you can use Polkadot.js to interact with and test your blockchain by initiating transactions and exploring its features. Stay tuned for our upcoming blog post, where we’ll dive deeper into this topic!
What’s Next
We are actively working on supporting the remaining steps of launching Solochains and Parachains, such as node setup, deploying your Solochain to the mainnet, and connecting your Parachain to Polkadot’s Relay chain to go live. These features are currently available upon request, so feel free to reach out to us if you need assistance or have suggestions on how we can further refine this process.
Now, it’s time to visit the Parachain Runtime Builder and create your first blockchain! For any questions or feedback, you can contact us at [email protected].
