NEAR’s smart contract runtime
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2025 9:17 am
NEAR uses a WebAssembly (WASM)-based runtime environment. This allows developers to write smart contracts using languages like Rust or AssemblyScript. The platform also supports compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), allowing projects running on Ethereum to be easily ported to NEAR.
The technical infrastructure of NEAR Protocol is based on several important innovations. The most important of these is the sharding technology called Nightshade, which we briefly mentioned above. Unlike traditional sharding approaches, Nightshade uses two different node types: “chunk-only producers” and “block producers”. This structure allows the network to provide both high performance and security.
NEAR’s consensus mechanism is a variant special lead of PoS called “Doomslug.” Doomslug provides fast block generation and low latency, while also ensuring Byzantine fault tolerance. This mechanism relies on block producers to produce blocks in order, and if one producer fails, the next producer quickly steps in.
is based on WebAssembly (WASM). WASM offers significant advantages in terms of speed and efficiency. For example, since WASM code runs directly in a format close to machine code, it is much faster than interpreted languages such as JavaScript. This allows smart contracts and dApps running on NEAR to run with high performance.
NEAR stores data using a “trie” data structure. This structure works similarly to Merkle trees and allows for quick verification of data. Additionally, in NEAR’s state model, each account has its own subtree, making account-based operations more efficient.
The technical infrastructure of NEAR Protocol is based on several important innovations. The most important of these is the sharding technology called Nightshade, which we briefly mentioned above. Unlike traditional sharding approaches, Nightshade uses two different node types: “chunk-only producers” and “block producers”. This structure allows the network to provide both high performance and security.
NEAR’s consensus mechanism is a variant special lead of PoS called “Doomslug.” Doomslug provides fast block generation and low latency, while also ensuring Byzantine fault tolerance. This mechanism relies on block producers to produce blocks in order, and if one producer fails, the next producer quickly steps in.
is based on WebAssembly (WASM). WASM offers significant advantages in terms of speed and efficiency. For example, since WASM code runs directly in a format close to machine code, it is much faster than interpreted languages such as JavaScript. This allows smart contracts and dApps running on NEAR to run with high performance.
NEAR stores data using a “trie” data structure. This structure works similarly to Merkle trees and allows for quick verification of data. Additionally, in NEAR’s state model, each account has its own subtree, making account-based operations more efficient.