Layer by Layer: Canto Sees Growth but Also Centralization

Earlier this week, we reviewed the latest events in the Cosmos ecosystem, where a key vote to determine the future roadmap of the Cosmos Hub is currently underway. During this discussion, we looked at some of the pivotal developments in Cosmos history that paved the way for the interconnected network of app chains that exists today. Continued updates to the Cosmos software development kit (SDK) and the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol have streamlined the process of deploying blockchains for application developers and enabled the significant growth in IBC chains over the past few years. 

An increasing amount of mindshare is now being dedicated to providing infrastructural resources and lowering the cost of bootstrapping security for new app chains, as evidenced by the Cosmos Hub’s intense focus on engendering Interchain Security (ICS) adoption in recent months. Meanwhile, project teams have continued to launch new IBC-enabled chains built upon the Cosmos SDK without relying on ICS services that have yet to be fully released. One such example that we will dive into today is the Canto chain, which we previously took an initial look at following its launch in July.