Polkadot's Multi-Chain Smart Contract Hub for the WebAssembly and EVM Ecosystems
Astar Network is a **Polkadot parachain** built using the Substrate framework, positioning itself as a leading smart contract platform within the Polkadot ecosystem. Astar’s mission is to be the premier destination for multi-chain $\text{dApp}$s, supporting both major virtual machines: the **Ethereum Virtual Machine ($\text{EVM}$)** and the **WebAssembly ($\text{WASM}$) Virtual Machine**.
This dual compatibility is crucial for developer adoption. $\text{EVM}$ support attracts existing Solidity developers from Ethereum, while $\text{WASM}$ offers higher efficiency and access to the Rust/C++ developer communities. By bridging these two major development environments, Astar promotes superior interoperability across the decentralized web.
Astar's most unique feature is **DApp Staking**, a mechanism designed to create economic incentives for developers by sharing the network's block rewards with them. This solves the fundamental problem of how to fairly reward developers for building valuable applications.
Users (token holders) can stake their native $\text{ASTR}$ tokens to their favorite $\text{dApp}$ projects deployed on the network. This is similar to staking to validators in traditional Proof-of-Stake systems, but here, the target is the application itself.
A portion of the network’s block rewards is distributed to the developers of the $\text{dApp}$s based on the amount of $\text{ASTR}$ staked to them. The more popular an application, the higher its staking pool, and the larger the reward for the developers.
This mechanism ensures developers have a sustainable funding source directly tied to community support and usage, fostering long-term growth and quality in the Astar ecosystem.
$\text{ASTR}$ holders can vote on proposals and network changes, including adjusting parameters for $\text{dApp}$ Staking and general protocol upgrades.
$\text{ASTR}$ is used to pay for transaction fees (gas) across both the $\text{EVM}$ and $\text{WASM}$ layers of the network.
The primary utility: users stake $\text{ASTR}$ to their chosen applications to earn rewards and support development (as detailed in Section 2).