Chainlink Facts

Learning Chainlink Smart Contracts

To fully appreciate the advantages of Chainlink and how it operates, it is necessary to comprehend the basic, interconnected ideas. Let’s begin with smart contracts..

Smart contracts are agreements that have been pre-defined on the Blockchain that analyze data and execute automatically if certain requirements are fulfilled. Crowdfunding is an excellent example: if a specific amount of Ethereum (ETH) is deposited into a smart agreement by the specified date, the money will be transferred to the charity. If not released, then the funds is returned to the donors.

Since smart contracts are based on Blockchain, they’re impervious to change (can’t be altered) and observable (everyone can see they are visible to everyone) which means they can be trusted to provide an extremely high degree of trust between the parties to ensure that they conform to the specifics of the agreement. They can be executed if, and only if those conditions are fulfilled.

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To allow smart contracts to create agreements other than those related to the data stored within the blockchain network, they need off-chain information in the in-chain format. The challenge of connecting external sources of information to blockchain-based smart contracts using a language that both comprehends is among the biggest limitations of how smart contracts can be utilized.

Chainlink Facts

Chainlink Oracles Cross the Off-Chain and On-Chain Chasm

This is the point at which oracles can be found. Oracles are software referred to as middleware that functions as an intermediary, converting information directly from the actual world into blockchain smart contracts and back.

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A single central oracle can create the exact issue that a decentralized smart contract secured by Blockchain seeks to fix — the central vulnerability. If the oracle is flawed or not functioning properly, then how do you be able to tell if your information is true? What is the value of a secure and reliable smart contract on the Blockchain if information that feeds it is not in good condition?

Let’s take brief recaps of oracles and smart contracts:

1. Smart contracts are unalterable and verifiable contracts that run in an IF/THEN framework once certain conditions are satisfied.
2. The information that determines these conditions is typically derived via the Blockchain.
3. Recently, oracles were introduced to the crypto market to transfer off-chain data into smart contracts on-chain.
4. However, centralized oracles limit the advantages of smart contracts because they could be unreliable or even faulty.

Chainlink is an uncentralized system of nodes that provide information and data from other sources to smart contracts on the blockchain using oracles.

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This, in conjunction with the extra secure hardware, removes the problems with reliability that can be experienced if you only use one source.

Different types of Chainlink Smart Contracts

The process starts on a smart-contract-enabled blockchain when a smart contract requires data. This smart contract inquires (Requesting Contract) to obtain information.

The Chainlink protocol records the request as an “event and then creates the appropriate smart contract (Chainlink Service Level Agreement (SLA) Contract) which is also stored located on blockchains, to obtain this off-chain information. This Chainlink SLA Contract produces three sub-contracts: A Chainlink Reputation Contract and the Chainlink Order-Matching Contract Chainlink Order-Matching Contract, and the Chainlink Aggregating Contract.

Chainlink Reputation Contract, also known as the Chainlink Reputation Contract, checks the history of an oracle company to confirm its legitimacy and the history of its performance. It also reviews and rejects insecure or insecure nodes.

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Chainlink Order-Matching Contract Chainlink Order-Matching Contract transmits requests from the Requesting contract’s demand to Chainlink nodes. It then takes its bid on this request (when it is not, the Requesting Contract does not select an exact set of Nodes) (and chooses the best number and kind of nodes that will fulfill the request.

The Chainlink Aggregating Contract uses all the data from the chosen oracles and checks and/or reconciles them to ensure an exact result.

How Chainlink Nodes Validate the validity of data

Chainlink nodes will then look up the Requesting Contract’s request for data and then use “Chainlink Core” software to translate the request from a programming language on Blockchain to an off-blockchain language that a real-world data source could understand. The translation of the data request is transferred through an outside (API) that collects data from the source. After the data is taken, it is translated to a language on-blockchain through Chainlink Core and sent back to the Chainlink Aggregating Contract.

This is where things become exciting. Chainlink Aggregating Contracts can verify data from one source and several sources. In addition, it can reconcile data from several sources.

In other words, if five nodes provide an answer from a weather detector, but two other nodes give an alternative result, The chainlink aggregating Contract will recognize that the two nodes are in error (or fraudulent) and reject their results. In this way, Chainlink nodes can validate the data coming from a single source.

It is possible that the Chainlink Aggregating Contract can run the validation process for different sources and then reconcile the validated data by averaging them into one bit of information. In certain situations, not all data can be averaged, but for simplicity, we will not get into more detail here.

In addition to the data source, Chainlink has created a method of reliably and effectively delivering precise data to smart contracts based on smart-contract blockchains.

How Do LINK Tokens Fit in?

Requesting Contract holders utilize the LINK for payment to Chainlink node operator for work. The prices are determined in the hands of Chainlink’s Chainlink node operator by the amount of data they can provide and the market price for the information.

Chainlink node operators also utilize LINK to stake their claim on the network. Node operators need to pay LINK through Chainlink to show their commitment to the network and reward high-quality service.

The Chainlink Reputation Contract considers the stake of a node (among other factors) when comparing nodes’ requests for information. Nodes with a higher stake are thus more likely to meet requests (and consequently earn LINK tokens in exchange for their services). Furthermore, the Chainlink network penalizes inefficient or untruthful nodes by imposing a tax on their stake in LINK in the event of poor service.