Scalability is the ability of a system, network or process to handle a growing amount of work or its potential to be enlarged to accommodate that growth. For traditional businesses, scalability refers to how well a company can increase production or services to meet demand without sacrificing performance or losing control over operations.
Think of it like expanding a coffee shop: As demand grows, you might open new locations or hire more staff to meet the needs of more customers.
In the web3 world, scalability refers to how well a decentralized network can grow to support more users, applications and transactions without compromising on speed, security or efficiency. Unlike traditional networks, decentralized networks like those built on blockchain technology operate across numerous independent nodes rather than a centralized server. This difference introduces unique challenges and opportunities for scalability.
In the web3 era, scalability isn’t just a nice-to-have feature—it’s a necessity. As decentralized networks grow, so does the demand for faster transactions, better user experiences and increased security. If a blockchain cannot scale effectively, it risks becoming slow, expensive or unreliable. This can deter users, developers and businesses from adopting the technology.
For example, early blockchain networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum struggled with scalability due to the growing number of transactions they had to process. Each transaction had to be verified by multiple nodes, causing network congestion, delays and high fees. This scalability problem led to the development of newer blockchains designed to handle more transactions per second (TPS) while maintaining decentralization and security.
In web3, scalability challenges are compounded by the decentralized nature of the networks. Since no single entity controls the system, solutions must be implemented across a wide range of participants, which adds complexity. The faster these networks can scale, the more seamless and effective decentralized applications (dApps), games and platforms can become.
Let’s compare scalability in the traditional business world with decentralized networks. In a successful traditional business, scaling might require hiring more staff, improving internal processes or automating certain tasks. For example, a rapidly growing startup might hire hundreds of new employees within a year to keep up with its success. As it scales, it will also face growing pains, such as managing a larger team, more complex operations and the need for more structured procedures.
In decentralized networks, this process can look very different. A decentralized project can achieve massive scale quickly with fewer resources because it’s not limited by centralized control. The network grows by adding more nodes and users who contribute to its security and processing power. However, this rapid growth presents its own challenges, such as maintaining consensus across a larger number of nodes, preventing congestion and ensuring the network’s security.
Blockchain projects must solve scalability issues sooner than later because, unlike most traditional centralized businesses, decentralized networks can easily grow at an exponential pace. The more participants and transactions on the network, the higher the demand for computing power, storage and bandwidth.
The Future of Scalability in Web3
In the blockchain space, it’s common to hear about the “blockchain trilemma,” which refers to the challenges of balancing decentralization, security, and scalability. Typically, improving one of these elements has come at the cost of another. For example, a highly decentralized network may struggle with scalability because each transaction requires verification from many nodes.
However, blockchain technology is rapidly evolving, and new solutions are emerging that aim to address this issue. Layer 2 solutions, sharding, and new consensus algorithms like Proof of Stake (PoS) are designed to enhance scalability without compromising security or decentralization.
GalaChain and Scalability in Web3 Entertainment
A great example of an innovative approach to scalability in web3 is GalaChain, the custom-built blockchain by Gala. GalaChain was designed to support high transaction volumes and complex interactions, particularly for the entertainment industry, which includes gaming, music and film. The gaming industry in particular places enormous demands on blockchain scalability because of the sheer volume of interactions required by millions of users engaging in actions like in-game purchases and character customizations. Gamers have notoriously high standards for their tech.
By focusing on scalability from the start, GalaChain ensures that its network can handle the growing demands of the entertainment industry. GalaChain is built to accommodate future growth, which means the more people who use it, the better it becomes at handling large-scale operations. This “bigger it gets, the bigger it can get” concept reflects the idea that scalability is not just about managing current demand but preparing for exponential growth.
Why Scalability is Critical for the Future of Blockchain
The web3 era moves incredibly fast, and one of the biggest risks for blockchain developers is falling behind on scalability. During development phases, the technology can leap forward, leaving slower-moving projects struggling to catch up. This is why it’s essential for blockchain platforms to not only solve current scalability issues but to anticipate future demands.
For example, as blockchain adoption spreads across industries like finance, healthcare and supply chains, the number of transactions and interactions on these networks will skyrocket. Developers need to build systems that can handle this explosion in activity. Without proper scalability, blockchain projects risk becoming obsolete or too costly for widespread use.
In the web3 world, scalability is everything. It’s the key to unlocking mass adoption and enabling decentralized applications to compete with traditional technologies. As decentralized networks like GalaChain continue to grow, scalability ensures that they can meet the demands of tomorrow, not just today. Whether it’s handling millions of game transactions or enabling the next generation of decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, scalability will determine which platforms thrive in the future of web3.
Check out this developer deep dive into GalaChain from LF Decentralized Trust:
At Gala, we’ve always believed that decentralization can empower creators, innovators and communities alike. Now, with GalaChain evolving into a decentralized, developer-first web3 haven, we’re stepping up our mission to bring cutting-edge web3 techy to the forefront of multiple industries.
One of the most exciting milestones on this journey is the integration of GalaChain functionality into leading cryptocurrency exchanges. In the coming weeks, look for announcements that will allow users to exchange and interact with GalaChain tokens on mainstream crypto exchanges for the first time.
This expansion marks a major stride toward making GalaChain more accessible, empowering users to trade, exchange and manage their assets seamlessly. We’re thrilled to announce that new exchange partnerships are now just over the horizon.
These developments will open up new opportunities for GalaChain users and pave the way for enhanced liquidity and engagement with the tokens of the growing Gala universe.
The Era of Bridge-Free Asset Management
Since the earliest days of GalaChain, users have had to bridge their assets between GalaChain and Ethereum, enduring hefty and often unpredictable bridging fees on both sides. Soon, this cumbersome process will be a thing of the past. Our upcoming updates will eliminate the need for costly bridging by offering native solutions within GalaChain, enabling users to exchange, manage liquidity and interact with assets entirely within our ecosystem, no matter where they prefer to trade crypto.
This streamlined approach will not only enhance the user experience but also reduce costs associated with bridging between chains. By saying goodbye to unnecessary fees and the hassle of switching between wallets, users can stay within GalaChain’s secure and efficient environment without compromising accessibility.
What This Means for Creators, Innovators and Communities
We are committed to making GalaChain a decentralized world where creators, players, collectors and innovators from every industry can thrive. This next wave of updates will bring exciting advancements that go far beyond technical improvements. GalaChain will become the home where creators can build, exchange and manage their own ecosystems within the decentralized GalaChain framework we are building in collaboration with LF Decentralized Trust and Hyperledger Fabric. This milestone reflects our ongoing mission to deliver the blockchain the world deserves, one that meets the needs of a wide variety of industries and users, all while maintaining the ethos of decentralization.
Watch the news closely as we continue to unveil new partnerships, integrations and features that will elevate the GalaChain experience for everyone, from blockchain novices to Web3 pioneers.
California has introduced a groundbreaking law, AB 2426, set to take effect in 2025, requiring retailers to inform consumers that digital games can be revoked at any time.
This initiative addresses the growing frustration among gamers over the lack of genuine ownership in digital goods. Inspired by incidents involving companies like Ubisoft and Sony, this law is a wake-up call for the gaming industry and an endorsement of Web3 technology’s potential to restore true ownership to players.
Before the internet era, gamers could purchase physical copies of their favorite games, truly owning the experience. However, with digital gaming, ownership has become conditional. Game publishers often control access to the game even after purchase, essentially making ownership a relic of the past.
Many gamers who have witnessed the not-so-gradual transition from the freedom of physical cartridge ownership to today’s unlock access approach are recognizing the lack of ownership in gaming. Publishers are free to continually sell new expansions that require ongoing purchases for players to stay competitive, and they’re free to clean out player accounts for violations of a multitude of terms and conditions as they see fit.
In early 2024, Ubisoft’s Director of Subscriptions, Philippe Tremblay spoke on the importance of getting gamers comfortable not owning their games.SOURCE
California Making Moves
It’s no surprise that California is the first state in the US to pass legislation intended to protect consumers from being misinformed when “purchasing” access to digital games.
This new warning label law acknowledges the problem but doesn’t solve it—players often still lack real control over their digital assets, even if they will be made aware of the real situation. This is where Web3 comes in.
At Gala, we’re building an ecosystem that empowers gamers to own their digital experiences and assets permanently. With blockchain technology, players regain control over many aspects of their gaming experiences, such as land, characters and items, ensuring that no central authority can revoke access without their consent.
The new California law is a reminder that the gaming industry must evolve, and Web3 is the key to making that transformation a reality.
With the power of web3, Gala Games is poised to reclaim ownership control for gamers all over the world in a way they have never known. For more details, check out this original PC Gamer article
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a type of hosting service that provides dedicated virtualized server space on a physical server. Essentially, a VPS mimics a dedicated server environment within a shared server.
This setup is made possible by using virtualization technology, which splits a single physical server into multiple smaller virtual servers. Each VPS has its own operating system, storage and bandwidth, which are isolated from other servers on the same physical machine.
Think of a VPS as an apartment in a high-rise building. While all the apartments share the same infrastructure (building, elevators, utilities), each unit is separate and offers privacy and control to its occupant. Similarly, a VPS offers users their own private space to run applications and websites independently, without interference from others using the same physical server.
Imagine a homeowner with a nice yard pays a landscaping crew to take care of their lawn and garden. While the homeowner is physically able to do these tasks on his own, he may not have the time needed or the skills to make his garden perfect like a professional crew. Additionally, he probably doesn’t have the tools to get the job done to professional standards and he has his own full time job to worry about. For all these reasons it becomes sensible to pay for an ongoing service that specializes in gardening.
Why are VPS Important in Decentralized Ecosystems?
Virtual Private Servers are crucial in the context of web3 and decentralized networks due to their flexibility, cost-effectiveness and scalability. They provide an ideal solution for running nodes, decentralized applications (dApps), and other blockchain-related services without the high cost associated with dedicated physical hardware.
Cost-Effectiveness: For those who want the power of a dedicated server but at a fraction of the cost, a VPS is a perfect choice. This makes it more accessible for developers and node operators to get involved in decentralized projects.
Scalability: VPS instances can be easily scaled up or down depending on the needs of the network or application. This is especially useful in blockchain environments where usage patterns can fluctuate greatly.
Flexibility: VPS users have root access to their servers, allowing for a high degree of customization. This means they can install and configure any software required to run their specific decentralized application or node.
VPS in the Gala Ecosystem
Gala Founder’s Node operators often utilize Virtual Private Servers to run multiple nodes efficiently. Running nodes on a VPS allows operators to avoid the logistical challenges and high costs of maintaining multiple physical machines. By using VPS, node operators can ensure that they have enough memory, processing power and bandwidth to support their nodes without the need for additional hardware.
The Gala Founder’s Node ecosystem is made up of dedicated community members who wish to power a portion of the network in exchange for some computing power. If a community member wishes to run 5 nodes, for example, they can either scale up their hardware and internet service to accommodate their workloads, or they can simply operate their nodes on a virtual private server, using one of many trusted VPS services available to them.
Benefits of Using VPS for Node Operations
Resource Optimization: A VPS can be customized to allocate the exact amount of CPU, RAM, and storage needed to run multiple nodes. This avoids the over- or under-utilization of resources that can occur with physical servers.
Easy Maintenance and Management: With a VPS, operators can remotely access and manage their nodes from anywhere in the world. This remote management capability simplifies the process of maintaining and upgrading nodes.
Reliability and Uptime: Reputable VPS providers offer high uptime guarantees and automated backups, ensuring that nodes remain online and functional even in the case of unexpected issues.
Security: VPS environments are typically more secure than shared hosting services because they offer isolated instances. This isolation means that security vulnerabilities in one VPS do not affect others on the same server.
Why VPS is an Ideal Solution for Decentralized Networks
In the context of decentralized networks and web3 projects, VPS instances provide a stable and reliable way to run nodes and other network services. Some of the reasons why VPS is particularly suitable for this use case include:
Decentralization Without High Costs: VPS allows individuals to participate in decentralized networks without the prohibitive costs of physical servers. This aligns well with the ethos of decentralization by lowering the entry barrier for participation.
Geographic Distribution: VPS can be deployed in data centers around the world, contributing to the geographic decentralization of the network. This ensures that the network remains robust and resistant to localized disruptions or attacks.
Flexibility for Different Roles: VPS can be used to run different types of nodes—validator nodes, storage nodes, and more—allowing operators to contribute in various ways depending on the network’s needs.
The Future of VPS in Web3
As web3 continues to grow, the demand for decentralized infrastructure solutions will only increase. Virtual Private Servers will continue to play a crucial role by providing a bridge between the scalability needs of large networks and the accessibility required by smaller operators. As projects like GalaChain and others evolve, the ability to quickly deploy, scale, and manage nodes using VPS will become a fundamental part of ensuring that decentralized networks remain performant and resilient.
Hyperledger Fabric is an open source, modular blockchain architecture developed by the Decentralized Trust. Compared to many other chains in the web3 world, Hyperledger Fabric has distinct utility because of its unique pluggable consensus, horizontal scalability and innate ability to be customized.
Check out the replay of the live stream from October 2nd with Gala’s own Koushik Gavini as he dives deep into the details of our L1 blockchain, built for entertainment but ready for anything.
Why Hyperledger Fabric
Hyperledger Fabric was designed to be the basis of enterprise-level solutions, and it’s currently used by nearly 150 businesses that leverage it as an immutable ledger in their ecosystems. It’s capable of customized permissions and has a modular architecture that allows each channel to develop how they need to for specific projects.
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This is huge for the world of entertainment, where some data often must be masked for security purposes, but a public ledger is still required. Permission control lets developers control access to certain functions within their own channel, so that they can build how they want.
Finally the horizontal scalability of the multi-channel approach to blockchain allows developers to prioritize what they need. Need transactions on your channel to be lightning fast? You can do that. Real-time applications demand real-time speeds and responsiveness, and the needs of your channel are all you need to worry about.
Building Bigger and Better
Since Hyperledger Fabric was designed specifically to function at a high level for businesses, there’s tons of utility that can be built on it. Consensus, governance, a decentralized and immutable ledger – these things are all present, but they increase HLF’s utility rather than limit it.
The fact that Fabric was designed for utility, however, makes it so that developers can create unique networks using GalaChain channels that can do things no other chain out there can. Features like permissioned allowances, full oracle support and external wallet authorization make developing a competitive, next-generation project on GalaChain easy.
What’s more, developers can hop right into GalaChain. Using the powerful Fablo tool (contributed to the HLF community by the Gala team), devs can easily set up a network and be running right away. Execute chaincode in your first hour on your own channel.
Most chains you have to learn an obscure, clunky language for development. Not with GalaChain! Write chaincode and smart contracts in TypeScript – the fifth most popular programming language in the world!
Build With Us
GalaChain is getting more and more developed all the time, and the time to hop in is NOW! The innate utility of Hyperledger Fabric has helped us create something that’s simple, accessible and extremely powerful on GalaChain.
No matter what you want to build, you’ll find powerful solutions on GalaChain https://galachain.com/
