Foundations
What you can build on Irys
On Irys you can build things that are difficult or impossible on other chains, including chain snapshots, expiring data, and fully onchain apps. These three are examples, not the full list, and each became practical with the Cascade upgrade and the gateway.
All three come from the same design. Irys is a programmable datachain: a blockchain where storage, execution, and verification are built to work together.
Each has its own section:
- Chain snapshots.Blockchains store and verify their own state on Irys, with no dependence on any single storage company.
- Expiring data.Data is created, extended, and eventually expires. You pay only for the time you need.
- Fully onchain apps.The frontend, the data, the logic, and the payments all live on the same network.
Frequently asked questions
A programmable datachain is a blockchain where storage, execution, and verification are built to work together. Irys is a programmable datachain. That design is what makes chain snapshots, expiring data, and fully onchain apps practical.
No. They are examples of what the Cascade upgrade and the gateway made practical, not the full list. Each one shows something the network can do that it could not before.
The Cascade upgrade and the gateway. Cascade added protocol-level term storage and related changes, and the gateway added cryptographic receipts and the ability to serve application frontends.