Author: Oasis中文

In this era where users highly value data sovereignty, privacy dApps have also become a necessity for Web3. However, there exists a privacy paradox in traditional blockchains, where all user data is publicly stored.

Recently, Oasis launched the industry's first and only EVM-compatible privacy ParaTime, "Sapphire," on the testnet, providing a viable solution to break the paradox between blockchain transparency and privacy protection. Sapphire allows developers to build dApps that fully protect user data while executing smart contracts.
Sapphire is now live on the testnet: the first EVM-compatible privacy ParaTime

Sapphire is a groundbreaking development environment that will drive blockchain technology to become the backbone of Web3, bringing more innovative possibilities to the entire industry. Additionally, due to its EVM compatibility, the familiar development environment allows Solidity developers to easily leverage the unique privacy protection technologies offered by the Oasis network to create rich dApps, thus unveiling broader application scenarios.

This article will introduce you to what Sapphire is, how it protects user privacy, and how it drives blockchain technology to become the backbone of Web3. Let's take a look at the exciting content together.

Why the Blockchain World Needs Privacy

Currently, user data in blockchain technology is publicly and transparently stored, which gradually contradicts the data sovereignty that most users expect. Data privacy protection is an inevitable trend. If blockchain technology wants to further expand into Web3 and promote its development, it must pay attention to data and protect users' sensitive data!

Sapphire allows developers to build dApps that fully protect user data while executing smart contracts. For example, transactions between wallets can remain visible and transparent while ensuring security, but the data regarding transaction volumes is protected by privacy.

This is different from what we see today on any public EVM. If transactions are conducted on a public EVM DEX, anyone can see the inputs and outputs of the transactions.

Hiding certain aspects of smart contract execution is a powerful tool for Web3. Sapphire enables EVM developers to add privacy features to their dApps through privacy smart contracts, which also benefits developers in expanding their creations into the Web3 world.

As the industry's first EVM-compatible privacy ParaTime, Sapphire is the only way for Solidity developers to build dApps that protect user privacy.

What is Sapphire ParaTime

As the first official privacy ParaTime compatible with EVM on the Oasis network, Sapphire can achieve:

• Private confidential state, end-to-end encryption, private confidential randomness
• EVM compatibility
• Easy integration with EVM-based dApps, such as NFTs, metaverse, GameFi, and DeFi
• Scalability — increased transaction throughput
• Low cost — over 99% lower gas fees than Ethereum
• Cross-chain bridge for cross-chain interoperability (coming soon)

Due to its EVM compatibility, Sapphire provides a familiar development environment for a large number of blockchain developers. Coupled with privacy protection technology, Sapphire becomes a groundbreaking and unprecedented ParaTime, serving as the only way for Solidity developers to participate in the expansion into Web3.

How Sapphire Protects Data Privacy

Sapphire incorporates Oasis's privacy technology, which requires nodes to use a secure computing technology called Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). TEE is similar to a black box for executing smart contracts.

By using key management, encrypted data enters the black box (called Secure Enclave) along with the smart contract, where the data is decrypted, processed by the smart contract, and then re-encrypted before being sent out of the Secure Enclave.

This process ensures that the data remains encrypted and is not disclosed to node operators or application developers, ensuring data privacy throughout the entire process.

Sapphire Provides Developers with a Familiar Development Environment

At Oasis, Sapphire builds privacy protection technology alongside other ParaTimes like Cipher. Moreover, Sapphire's compatibility with EVM means it will be a familiar development environment for developers, including familiar Web3 gateways, wallets, block explorers, and familiar development tools such as Solidity/Vyper, Hardhat/Truffle, Web3.js/Ethers, etc.

With Sapphire, developers can port their dApps in minutes and start using privacy technologies along with new features like RNG, signatures, and privacy encryption.

Sapphire Will Rapidly Expand into Web3

We have observed that as technology gradually matures towards Web3, the demand for confidentiality of sensitive data is increasing. However, in the Web3 world, privacy protection remains an empty market. The reasons for this situation are mainly twofold:

• Developers have not prioritized the protection of users' sensitive data
• The development environment is not mature enough, forcing developers to abandon dApps that incorporate privacy protection

Now, Oasis will change this situation. On one hand, Sapphire possesses privacy protection capabilities, which will leave a significant mark on the development of blockchain technology in the Web3 world. On the other hand, with Emerald, Oasis enables dApp developers to transition from Ethereum or other EVM-compatible chains to Oasis and experience many benefits of building here.

Oasis announces the launch of Emerald: fully EVM-compatible, unlocking a broader DeFi market

Sapphire brings privacy protection to EVM, leveraging the current Oasis infrastructure, tools, and ecosystem to quickly bring Solidity developers who want to create privacy dApps to market.

Welcome Developers to Create dApps on Sapphire

Sapphire ParaTime is currently deployed on the testnet, with plans for mainnet deployment later in 2022. We encourage developers to experience Sapphire on the testnet, which is the first EVM-compatible privacy ParaTime.

We have a guide that describes the differences between Sapphire and Ethereum and explains how to integrate with Sapphire to write secure dApps.

You can click the link below to view the guide

In addition, Oasis will host the first Sapphire Hackathon in September, giving developers the opportunity to build the first EVM-compatible privacy dApp. Participants in the Sapphire hackathon will also have the chance to win generous rewards! Stay tuned for more information about the Sapphire hackathon.

About Oasis

The Oasis network officially launched on November 19, 2020, and is the world's first decentralized blockchain network with privacy protection features and scalability. In terms of technological innovation, Oasis's unique layered network architecture separates smart contracts into consensus and ParaTime layers, ensuring absolute security of user privacy information while achieving higher performance and stronger customizability, further unlocking new use cases and applications for blockchain.

At the same time, the Oasis network has innovatively proposed the concept of "data tokenization," allowing users to fully control their private data and earn rewards by sharing private data, further achieving privacy protection and promoting the construction of a responsible data economy.

Oasis is also supported by a number of well-known industry investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Polychain, Pantera, Dragonfly, and Binance Labs. With high performance + security + privacy protection, Oasis will redefine centralized finance and fundamentally change the way open finance operates.

Since its launch, the Oasis network has conducted hackathons, global ambassador recruitment, and the ROSE token bloom plan, attracting countless industry-leading application developers/blockchain infrastructure teams and node operators to join us, resulting in unprecedented prosperity in the Oasis network ecosystem.