Web3 is spreading like wildfire, and more businesses are becoming convinced that the future of digital interactions will find a home in decentralized, blockchain-based networks.
The blockchain is impacting everything from the way business operations are executed, to how financial transactions are handled, how startups raise money and how art and real estate are bought and sold. Businesses are seeing this, and more of them have decided that it’s time to take the plunge and embrace the vision of a permissionless and decentralized internet.
Advocates of Web3 say it’s the future of the internet, built on a foundation of new-age technologies like blockchains, cryptocurrencies and NFTs. By building on Web3, businesses can tap next-generation capabilities such as ownership of digital assets, data immutability, censorship resistance and complete data privacy.
Decentralized applications or dApps enable powerful new business models, such as revenue-sharing and a creator-focused economy, with enhanced security and a more equitable economy in which everyone can participate, free from the influence of traditional intermediaries. That’s why businesses are looking for ways to migrate their Web2 applications to Web3, or build new dApps from scratch.
What Goes Into Web2-To-Web3 Migrations?
Migrating a Web2 app requires a firm understanding of the different application architecture that supports Web3 dApps.
Whereas Web2 apps have three main components, the backend, frontend and database, Web3 dApps are based on a backend that lives on the blockchain, supported by blockchain nodes. The Web3 dApp’s frontend connects with those nodes to access the blockchain platform it’s built on. Furthermore, the backend leverages IPFS and data indexing protocols to store files and retrieve data hosted on the blockchain. To interact with a Web3 dApp, users must have a digital wallet with integrated authentication.
Understanding this, it’s clear that Web3 application architectures are more complex than their Web2 counterparts, but the process of migrating an app to Web3 can be broken down into various steps.
1. Infrastructure migration
The first step is to migrate the app from its centralized infrastructure, such as a database hosted on a server, to a decentralized blockchain. These blockchain infrastructures consist of numerous distributed nodes that make up a network, working with one another to verify and add “blocks” to the blockchain. By migrating to a blockchain such as Ethereum, Web2 apps will be able to support smart contracts, which can execute transactions based on predefined conditions, without any intermediary.
2. Code migration
When moving an app from a traditional server to a blockchain, it’s necessary to translate its codebase to a specialist language that understands how decentralized networks operate. If your Web2 app is written in a programming language such as Javascript, it will need to be rewritten in Solidity if, for example, you wish to migrate it to Ethereum.
3. Oracle integration
Most applications require access to offchain data. In a Web2 environment, this is done through the use of APIs. But in Web3, there is a requirement that off-chain data comes from decentralized sources so it cannot be manipulated. This means tapping into data oracles such as Pyth Network.
4. Data storage
One thing that doesn’t have to change is the underlying storage resource. Because blockchains are extremely inefficient at storing data such as content and user information, Web3 dApps use the same kinds of storage services as their Web2 cousins, such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud or DigitalOcean.
5. Payment gateways
Embracing Web3 means also embracing crypto, which is the currency of the decentralized world. In that case, it’s important to either build a Web3 wallet into your app, or else enable users to connect to it using a third-party wallet such as MetaMask or Trust Wallet. With this Web3 wallet, app users have a way to store, manage and transact with crypto assets such as cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
Most dApps will also want to incorporate what’s known as a crypto on-ramp, which makes it easy for their users to exchange fiat money into cryptocurrencies. It’s essential to integrate this with the dApp, because if users are forced to exit the dApp and go to a cryptocurrency exchange, there’s a big risk that they’ll never come back to use your dApp again.
Developers can integrate crypto on-ramps and off-ramps using an API-based service such as Transak. All they have to do is paste in a couple of lines of code, and the Transak widget will appear within their dApp, giving users an easy way to buy and sell digital tokens from within the app in just a few clicks. What’s more, by integrating with Transak, dApps also don’t need to worry about the KYC process to onboard new users, as this is streamlined as part of the process of purchasing crypto.
6. User flows
The actual user experience won’t likely be impacted too much. The trend these days is to abstract away as much of the complexity of blockchain as possible, so users won’t even know they’re interacting with it. The main difference is that users will have ownership of their content, data and assets, free of any censorship or control.
How To Perform A Web2-To-Web3 App Migration?
Now we understand what needs to be done, we can set about doing it step-by-step.
A. Consider your use case
First off, the task begins with understanding the requirements of your app migration and the new use cases you want to introduce with Web3. This involves making a list of the blockchain features and functions you desire. For instance, if you’re migrating a video game from Web2 to Web3, you’ll probably want to introduce crypto and NFTs that support specific features.
Developers should also consider the existing use cases of their Web2 apps and see if these can be improved with Web3. By moving to the blockchain, it’s possible to introduce more secure transactions, enhance data integrity, increase transparency and decentralize identity management.
B. Choose a blockchain
The choice of blockchain is an important one, and includes deciding whether to go with a public or private chain. Some of the best public blockchains include Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Polkadot, TON and Avalanche, while private chain options include Corda, Cosmos, Hyperledger and Hyperledger Fabric. You’ll want to consider the various functions and capabilities of the blockchain, as well as its level of performance, transaction fees, the type of smart contracts it uses, and so on.
C. Create your smart contracts
The nature of your smart contracts will be determined by the features and functionalities you want to bring to your migrated Web2 application. Smart contracts are what power everything that goes on behind the scenes in Web3 dApps, and enable code to be executed automatically when specified conditions are met.
D. Integrate your app
Once you have everything set up, you’ll need to make your dApp composable by integrating with various Web3 APIs, libraries, node endpoints, frameworks, SDKs and other developer tools that might be relevant. It’s these integrations that make it possible for users to interact with your dApp, fetch and query data, enable smart contract logic and so on.
E. Test, upgrade and deploy
You’re now ready for the testing process, which should be rigorous and conducted on an ongoing basis to ensure everything works smoothly and no vulnerabilities are introduced. The final step is to deploy your Web3 app on the mainnet. Be sure to perform best practices to optimize the performance of your new dApp, to streamline transaction speeds and lower costs.
You’re now blockchain-ready
Web2-to-Web3 application migration is a tricky and time-consuming process. It requires careful planning, a significant degree of expertise with blockchain platforms and smart contracts, and a strong commitment to the cause of decentralization.
That said, migrating to Web3 is a no-brainer for any business that understands where the future of the internet is headed, enabling them and their users to take advantage of the numerous benefits and opportunities to be found in a world where every app will eventually run on a decentralized network.