

Komodo is an open, composable Smart Chain platform. With a unique multi-chain architecture, Komodo gives every project an independent and custom blockchain solution, known as a Smart Chain, with its own decentralized peer to peer network and its own coin.

Smart Chains created with Komodo’s technology are also fully modular. This allows you to build the custom blockchain solution that fits your individual needs. This post will explain the 18 different ways you can customize your blockchain with Komodo.

Independent Smart Chains vs. Smart Contracts

Before we dive into the 18 customizable options, it’s important to fully understand what it means to launch an independent Smart Chain with Komodo.

When you launch a Smart Chain with Komodo, you have the same level of autonomy as if you were to code your own blockchain from scratch or fork an existing blockchain, plus you have the option to use Komodo’s Antara Framework to program dApps and host smart contracts natively.

If you choose to make a Proof of Work chain, then it will be mineable. If you choose to make a Proof of Stake chain, then it will be stake-able. Either way, anyone in the world can choose to join your network to earn block rewards, contribute to the decentralization of your ledger, and increase your network’s security.

Just like any other blockchain, each Smart Chain created with Komodo’s technology has its own coin and an independent peer to peer network. The network determines the validity of every transaction and block. Blocks are created according to the chosen consensus rules. Smart Chains launched with Komodo’s technology are not tied to the Komodo blockchain or network in any way.

While launching a Smart Chain with Komodo’s technology offers the independence and autonomy that normally comes with coding a blockchain from the ground up or forking an existing blockchain, it is far easier and faster than either of these options.

A Smart Chain can be customized and launched with Komodo’s technology in just a few minutes. You can use the Antara Composer to make a custom blockchain solution with just a few clicks. Check out this tutorial video on how to use Antara Composer and read this blog post on how to make a blockchain to learn more.

It’s important to differentiate between creating a Smart Chain and using blockchain technology via a smart contract. Projects that create a smart contract on a single-chain platform do not get an independent blockchain. Instead, they are creating tokens on the platform's blockchain. Tokens are typically not mineable or stake-able.

Worse still, projects that create tokens are sharing the same blockchain and decentralized network with all of the other projects built upon that particular platform. This leads to crippling congestion and sky-high transaction fees.

In reality, a project that builds on a smart contract platform is simply paying gas fees for that platform’s decentralized network to run its code. The success of any single project does more to benefit the platform than it does the successful project itself. At the same time, there is no way for successful projects to grow because the platform has but one shared blockchain with one shared network. It is too congested to scale.

Although they did much to generate interest and excitement in the blockchain industry, the limitations of smart contract platforms prevent adoption. Many talented developers are working hard to innovate solutions to the issues that a single-chain model creates, but they’re failing to address the more fundamental problems of the design itself.

Komodo’s 4 Pillars Of Blockchain Technology

Komodo is the world’s only blockchain platform with a multi-chain architecture. Every project that builds with Komodo gets a customizable, independent Smart Chain, complete with a built-in library of modules and an integration layer. Komodo provides features to support the 4 Pillars of Blockchain Technology.

Security

Komodo’s innovative delayed proof of work security mechanism protects every blockchain with the power of the Bitcoin hash rate. This effectively recycles the energy used to run the Bitcoin network, extending its massive level of security to the entire Komodo ecosystem.

Scalability

As every projects gets an independent Smart Chain, Komodo eliminates many of the blockchain scalability issues that continue to plague smart contract platforms. At the same time, Komodo offers every project the ability to scale out on linearly with the Multi-Chain Syncing feature. This allows multiple chains to act as one, boosting transaction-processing capabilities on demand.

Interoperability

There are a number of blockchain interoperability features available within the Komodo ecosystem. Smart Chains can choose to become part of a cluster, which allows cross-chain verification of transactions. Moreover, all chains built with Komodo have access to Komodo’s industry-leading atomic swap technology, which enables peer-to-peer trades between 95% of all coins and tokens in existence.

Adaptability

Smart Chains launched with Komodo are customizable in 18 different ways. The Antara framework also offers a library of powerful modules, which can be activated at time of launch. This gives you the flexibility and adaptability you need to create valuable blockchain solutions for your specific use case.

18 Ways To Tailor Your Custom Blockchain Solution

There are currently 18 different ways that you can tailor your custom blockchain solution with Komodo, leading to hundreds of millions of different possibilities to choose from. Below are descriptions of all the options available to you when building a Smart Chain with Komodo.

Parameter #1: -ac_Name

Choose the ticker symbol for your Smart Chain's currency. You may only use capital letters and numbers.

Parameter #2: -ac_Blocktime

Choose the amount of time, in seconds, that elapses between the generation of blocks in your Smart Chain. The default block time is 60 seconds, allowing the network to produce one block (either through mining or staking) per minute.

Parameter #3: -ac_Supply

Choose the number of pre-mined coins generated prior to your Smart Chain being launched publicly. If you don’t want any pre-mined coins, simply set this equal to zero. If you would like to raise funds, then this parameter allows you to choose how many coins you want to make available for the crowdfund.

Parameter #4: -ac_Rewards

Choose the number of coins awarded when someone successfully mines or stakes a new block. This is known as a block reward. Of course, the higher your block rewards, the greater the total supply of your Smart Chain's currency.

Parameter #5: -ac_Halving

Choose the number of blocks between reductions in block rewards. Block times are ~1 minute. So, for example, if you want your block rewards to decrease once annually, you would set this parameter equal to 525,600. There are no restrictions on how frequently reductions in block rewards can occur.

Parameter #6: -ac_Decay

Choose the size of each reduction in block rewards. Traditionally, block rewards decrease by 50% but this need not be the case. They can decrease by any percentage you want. Block rewards will decrease by the percentage you choose with this parameter at the block heights you selected with the -ac_Halving parameter.

Parameter #7: -ac_End

Choose when your Smart Chain's block rewards will end. It can be any block height you want. After that block height is reached, miners/stakers will still receive the transaction fees for the blocks they generate, but they will not receive a block reward.

Parameter #8: -ac_Public

Choose whether or not to enable private zero-knowledge transactions. If you would like to prevent private transactions on your blockchain, then set this parameter equal to 1. If you’d like to make private transactions an optional feature, simply set it to 0.

Parameter #9: -ac_Private

Choose whether or not to make private z-transactions mandatory. Set -ac_Private to 1 for optional privacy. Set it to 0 for mandatory zero-knowledge-proof transactions. Note that -ac_Public must be set to 0 in order for this parameter to work properly.

Parameter #10: -ac_Staked

Choose the percentage of blocks generated through staking. If you want a 100% Proof of Work chain, ignore this parameter. Proof of Work (PoW) is the default mechanism for blockchain consensus.

If you’d like a 100% Proof of Stake chain, then you can simply set -ac_Staked to 100. All other percentages work, as well. For example, setting this parameter equal to 30 would mean that roughly 30% of the blocks in your chain would be generated through staking, with the remaining 70% being mined according to PoW rules. The -ac_Staked parameter uses PoS64 rules.

Parameter #11: -ac_TimeLockFrom, -ac_TimeLockTo, and -ac_TimeLockgte

These 3 parameters give you the option of timelocking any block rewards greater than or equal to (gte) the value you choose with -ac_timelockgte. If a miner or staked receives a block reward greater than or equal to the value of your choosing, then those coins are temporarily time locked.

Locked rewards are randomly unlocked at blocks between the “from” and “to” block heights you select. For instance, if you set -ac_timelockfrom==250000 and -ac_timelockto==500000, then all time locked funds will become unlocked randomly at some point between block height 250,000 and 500,000. All funds would be unlocked by block 500,000.

Parameter #12: -ac_CC

Choose whether or not to enable Antara framework and select to which cluster your blockchain will belong. Values less than 100 are for ordinary blockchain interoperability features, like cross-chain transactions proofs. Values greater than 100 create a fungible cluster with other chains using the same value for -ac_CC.

Parameter #13: -ac_CCactivate

Activate Antara modules for an existing Smart Chain. If you’re launching your Smart Chain for the first time, ignore this parameter and use -ac_CC instead.

For existing blockchains that do not already have Antara modules enabled, setting -ac_CCactivate equal to a future block height will activate Antara modules at that block. This parameter requires hard forking the existing chain. All nodes will need to update their daemons.

By default, ac_ccactivate uses the default ac_cc value of ac_cc=2. It is not necessary to further specify ac_cc in the launch parameters, unless a value other than 2 is required.

Parameter #14: -ac_Perc

Decide whether or not to receive extra funds, as a percentage specified with this parameter, of all transactions sent and all block rewards generated on your chain. These funds are created in addition to both transacted funds and block rewards so use of this parameter causes inflation.

Parameter #15: -ac_Founder

For this parameter to take effect, it must be used in conjunction with -ac_Perc. While -ac_Perc can be used without -ac_Founders, -ac_Founders has no effect without -ac_Perc.

If both parameters are set, then -ac_Founders specifies, in blocks, how often you receive your transfers of the funds generated from the -ac_Perc parameter. Use of the -ac_Founders parameter limits your funds to a percentage of each block reward (as opposed to a percentage of all block rewards and all transactions, as is the case with -ac_Perc alone).

Parameter #16: -ac_PubKey

Designate the PubKey of the address to which you want -ac_Perc rewards and -ac_Founders rewards sent. Make sure to set this parameter if you’re using -ac_Perc, and/or -ac_Founders!

Parameter #17: -ac_Script

Choose whether or not you’d like to enter a Script Hash address to receive coins generated from the -ac_Perc, and/or -ac_Founders parameters. In effect, this allows these coins to be sent to a multi-signature address.

It may be a multi-sig address controlled by key team members of a blockchain project, such that multiple team members must approve a transaction before any funds are moved.

Alternatively, this parameter can be used to send funds to a multi-sig address that funds a specific Antara module. For instance, the Rogue Antara module is funded by setting the -ac_Script parameter equal to a specific script hash. The -ac_Perc rewards are deposited to that address, which then allows users to receive payouts from successful gameplay.

Parameter #18: -ac_Eras

Customize your Smart Chain's coin emission schedule. If enabled, the -ac_eras parameter allows you to implement up to 3 “eras” of block rewards. This differs from block halvings because, with -ac_Eras, your Smart Chain's emissions curve can be virtually anything you want. For instance, block rewards can increase over time, rather than only decreasing by the percentage of your choosing (as is the case with only the -ac_Decay and -ac_Halving parameters).

Additional Parameters In Testing

-ac_txpow

Choose whether or not to enforce a transaction rate limiter. If set equal to 1, this parameter serves as an effective way to prevent spam transactions on your blockchain, as it requires all transactions other than coinbase transactions to have a transaction ID starting and ending with 00. This feature can only be used with Proof of Work blockchains.

This parameter is currently a proof of concept. Many of the traditional RPC commands, such as sendtoaddress or sendmany, are not currently supported with this parameter. The createrawtransaction andsignrawtransaction commands must be used with this parameter.

-ac_algo

Choose which hashing algorithm you would like your Smart Chain to use. If this parameter is not specified, your blockchain will use the Equihash algorithm. If this parameter is set to -ac_algo=verushash, then the VerusHash 1.0 algorithm is used. The talented development team at Verus Coin created this unique hashing algorithm.

However, the Verus Coin team discovered a vulnerability in the first edition of the VerusHash algorithm that allowed a certain variety of FGPA miners to find blocks with a significant advantage over CPU and GPU miners. Verus implemented VerusHash 2.0, which has eliminated the vulnerability, but this updated algorithm is not yet available for Smart Chains launched with Komodo’s technology.

In addition, the Komodo team is testing and refining -ac_algo to make it compatible with -ac_staked. Currently, this combination is not recommended.

-ac_veruspos

Choose whether or not to implement the PoS consensus rules created by the talented development team at Verus Coin. If activated, the -ac_VerusPoS parameter must be set equal to 50 (no other values can be used). This allows 50% of all blocks to be generated according to Verus PoS rules. The remaining 50% of blocks will be created via Proof of Work mining. This parameter is an alternative to -ac_Staked but more testing is necessary before it is available for production blockchains.

-ac_CCenable

Choose which Antara modules you would like to activate on your Smart Chain. In order for this parameter to function properly, -ac_cc must be activated. If -ac_cc is set, but -ac_ccenable is not, all Antara modules will be enabled.

The -ac_ccenable parameter must be set to the corresponding eval codes, in decimal separated by commas, to activate the desired Antara modules. The eval codes can be found here.

Once thorough testing is complete, the Komodo team will make these four additional parameters available for all projects that launch a blockchain with Komodo’s technology.

Komodo’s Antara Framework

As other projects within the blockchain space begin to explore multi-chain architecture, Komodo is staying at the cutting edge of the industry with the Antara framework.

This innovative technology makes each blockchain created with Komodo’s technology completely dynamic. Antara modules are added to your Smart Chain like plug-ins. The Antara module library includes tokens, oracles, gateways, quantum-secured blockchain signature schemes, lightning payments, and more.

If the Antara module library doesn’t have the technology you need, you can program your own custom modules. Modules are written in C or any language that compiles to C. There are no constraints on what you can program an Antara module to do. It can be a game, an application, a specific piece of software, or the adoption of an existing open source technology.

Since Antara modules are programmed separately from the code that dictate the blockchain’s ordinary consensus rules, creating dApps and games with the Antara framework speeds up blockchain development cycles several times over. Better still, there are no gas fees for Antara modules. It is the optimal way to run any blockchain-based game, application, or software.

Launch A Custom Blockchain Solution With Komodo

If you’re ready to launch a custom blockchain solution with Komodo, there are several different ways to get started.

First, you can customize and launch your Smart Chain with the Antara Composer. The Antara Composer is an easy-to-use web app for building custom Smart Chains. As Komodo is an Advanced Technology Partner of Amazon Web Services (AWS), the app is powered by AWS cloud servers. To learn more, see this blog post on how to make a blockchain.

The second option is to launch a Smart Chain yourself from the command line. In order to go this route, you must install the Komodo daemon and set your parameters manually. If you’re comfortable with launching a chain from the CLI, see Komodo’s Developer Docs here to get started.

The third and final option is contact a third-party service provider. Right now, there are three service providers who can help you customize and launch your Smart Chain with Komodo: RedFOX Labs, ChainMakers, and ChainZilla. You can contact any service provider directly or send an email to [email protected] for a formal introduction with a Komodo team member present.

To get all the latest updates from Komodo, join the monthly email list. On the first Friday of every month, you'll receive a newsletter with information about all of the most important developments from the previous month. You can also join the Komodo Community Portal to chat with other community members and the Komodo team.

Join us as we continue to lead the blockchain revolution.