Ankr
About Ankr
Ankr is an infrastructure platform built on blockchain technology that aims to make it easy for anyone to leverage decentralized networks and build Web3 apps. Founded in 2017 by technology veterans, Ankr is on a mission to become the “AWS of Web3” by providing simple, affordable, and decentralized infrastructure services.
Overview of Ankr’s Services
At its core, Ankr offers a distributed computing platform that allows users to deploy blockchain nodes with just a few clicks. This eliminates the complexity of running nodes manually and lowers the barriers to participating in blockchain networks like Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and Polygon.
Beyond staking nodes, Ankr provides developer tools like APIs, software development kits (SDKs), and infrastructure modules that make building dApps, smart contracts, and blockchain-based services incredibly simple. With Ankr’s modular system, Web3 developers can quickly integrate blockchain data, payments, identities, and more into their apps.
For enterprises, Ankr also offers reliable infrastructure solutions to harness blockchain’s capabilities in a compliant and secure manner. This allows businesses to launch blockchain-powered apps, accept crypto payments, and more without needing blockchain expertise.
What is ANKR Token
The ANKR token is a utility token used for staking, governance, and paying for services within the Ankr ecosystem. ANKR holders can stake their tokens to operate nodes and earn rewards. Enterprises also pay for infrastructure services in ANKR.
As Ankr expands its platform and usage grows, holding ANKR could potentially grant governance rights and influence over the network’s development. The token economics are designed to incentivize long-term participation and decentralization of the network over time.
ANKR token economics
The ANKR token is designed as a utility token that powers the Ankr ecosystem. It has several use cases related to the platform’s services:
- Staking: ANKR holders can stake their tokens to operate nodes and earn staking rewards from supported blockchains. The more ANKR staked, the more nodes that can be operated, which helps scale Ankr’s computing capacity.
- Fees: Usage of Ankr’s developer tools, enterprise solutions, and other services require payment in ANKR tokens. As adoption grows, more fees should be driven into the ecosystem.
- Governance: In the future, ANKR may grant governance rights to token holders, allowing them to vote on platform changes. This helps decentralize Ankr over time.
The maximum supply of ANKR is 10 billion tokens. New token emission rates decrease over time based on a fixed schedule. This controlled inflation funds ongoing development and is distributed to node operators as staking rewards.
The token economics are designed to incentivize participation, security, and decentralization of the network. As more users stake ANKR for nodes or pay fees to use Ankr’s services, the token value may increase based on higher demand and use cases within the ecosystem.
Ankr’s Distributed Computing Model
To provide affordable node infrastructure, Ankr leverages an innovative multi-cloud, distributed computing architecture. By spreading infrastructure across many providers like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and others, Ankr taps into their unused capacity at discounted rates.
This allows Ankr to reduce costs significantly compared to traditional cloud services. The distributed model also enhances security and uptime. Even if one provider experiences downtime, Ankr’s network stays online due to its distributed nature.
Using Ankr for Web3 Development
For developers building blockchain-based apps, Ankr offers powerful tools and services to simplify development. Ankr’s APIs and SDKs provide fast access to blockchain data from multiple networks. This helps developers easily build non-custodial wallets, exchanges, prediction markets, NFT services, and other decentralized apps.
With Ankr’s modules, developers can also integrate payment gateways, identity management, data storage, and more. By handling infrastructure under the hood, Ankr enables developers to focus on their app’s core product value.
Staking on Ankr’s Network
Ankr allows almost anyone to earn passive income from crypto by staking ANKR tokens to operate nodes on supported blockchains. The process requires very little technical expertise. Users simply deposit ANKR and with a few clicks can start validating transactions and earning staking rewards.
Ankr currently supports 25+ chains and counting, providing diverse options for staking. As an infrastructure provider, Ankr is blockchain-agnostic and aims to support many networks. The rewards from staking provide an incentive for ANKR holders to secure the network in a decentralized manner.
Partnerships and Integrations
To drive mainstream adoption, Ankr partners with prominent platforms in the blockchain industry. Integrations with chains like Binance Smart Chain and Polygon allow Ankr to offer node infrastructure to their growing ecosystems.
Ankr also works closely with wallet providers, exchanges, DeFi platforms and others to provide infrastructure solutions tailored to their needs. These partnerships help showcase Ankr’s services to millions of users and drive utilization of the network.
Prominent investors like Binance, Coinbase Ventures, and Bitmain back Ankr’s vision and development. As Ankr expands, the right strategic partners will be key to achieving global scale and cementing its position as the go-to platform for Web3 infrastructure.
The Future Outlook for Ankr
As blockchain technology disruption continues across industries, Ankr aims to be the backbone powering this shift. Its infrastructure platform has the potential to do for Web3 what AWS did for cloud computing.
Ankr’s roadmap includes support for additional chains, improved staking rewards, and new developer tools. Expanding its enterprise solutions will also be key to achieve mainstream business adoption. With strong execution and prudent partnerships, Ankr could establish itself as a foundational Web3 infrastructure provider for the coming decentralized internet.