New Chorus One architecture simplifies Urbit use

Red Horizon can run an urbit server for users on its cloud, but it also enables them to download the file and run it themselves

article-image

DiegoMariottini/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

Chorus One, one of the largest institutional staking providers, has launched Red Horizon — software designed to streamline developers’ interaction with the Urbit server.

Urbit is an architectural framework that is blockchain adjacent. It is not a traditional blockchain, but rather a different approach to programming and design, Gary Lieberman, Urbit lead at Chorus One, told Blockworks.

The architecture is designed to be a peer-to-peer network of personal servers, where each person has their own “urbit” — or a computer that runs in the cloud.

“It’s a computer that’s always on, always connected, it’s always sending and receiving messages, and running programs that tell it what to do when it sends and receives a message,” Lieberman said.

Traditionally, when a user sends messages through encrypted messaging platforms, the information is still passed through a cloud server — usually run by a large corporation or centralized entity, such as AWS. 

Although there may be very legitimate reasons for people to want to run their own server— such as censorship resistance, interoperability and privacy — the process as it exists is rather tedious. 

Urbit simplifies this and rethinks programming by making personal servers more accessible. 

“You have a web page that looks vaguely similar to the iOS homepage, and you have different apps you can install,” Lieberman said. “The apps are then installed on your urbit, your personal server that lives in the cloud.”

Each urbit is secure and private, entirely under the control of the user. When connecting with others to send a message, a user can connect to a different user’s urbit directly, without ever having to rely on a centralized service provider.

Red Horizon is simplifying on and offboarding to Urbit 

Red Horizon is designed to simplify the onboarding and offboarding process to Urbit — removing all necessary technical skills to use the protocol — making it more accessible to non-technical users.

“You can sign up to be onboarded through us, then should you choose that your ideals are more sovereign than running your personal server in the cloud, then you can click a button and export this urbit, download your personal server as a file and run it at home,” Lieberman said.

The opposite is also possible. Any user that no longer wishes to run their own server or chooses to move from a different provider can opt into Red Horizon, which will run a user’s server in its cloud. 

According to Urbit’s network explorer, over 4,000 personal servers are running on Urbit.  

“I would expect the number of active users to be quite a bit lower than this, because Urbit’s job is to sit there and stay connected, which means even if someone is not using it, there might be a hosting provider that is holding it there, or someone who set it up and forgot about it,” Lieberman explains.

Despite this, there is still a clear interest in the Urbit mission — the number of servers on Urbit have doubled over the past six months.

“I still don’t think there are powerful products on Urbit the way people imagine them to be, but we’re so much closer to that vision and people are starting to take it more seriously,” he said.


Don’t miss the next big story – join our free daily newsletter.

Tags

Upcoming Events

Hilton Metropole | 225 Edgware Rd, London

MON - WED, MARCH 18 - 20, 2024

Crypto’s premier institutional conference returns to London in March 2024. The DAS: London Experience:  Attend expert-led panel discussions and fireside chats  Hear the latest developments regarding the crypto and digital asset regulatory environment directly from policymakers and experts   Grow your network […]

Salt Lake City, UT

WED - FRI, OCTOBER 9 - 11, 2024

Pack your bags, anon — we’re heading west! Join us in the beautiful Salt Lake City for the third installment of Permissionless. Come for the alpha, stay for the fresh air. Permissionless III promises unforgettable panels, killer networking opportunities, and mountains […]

recent research

logo.jpeg

Research

Akash is a general-purpose compute platform with GPUs, storage, LLM training or inference, and validator hosting through its two-sided marketplace.

article-image

The SEC could allow half a dozen or more such funds to launch at once, Ark Invest CEO says

article-image

2023 saw a decline in a16z crypto funding, but the behemoth VC firm teased what it’s excited for next year

article-image

“Iran Unchained” launched a new version of its grant platform to make donations to activists easier

article-image

The stablecoin marks the first time a regulated European bank has made a euro-pegged stablecoin available on a crypto exchange

article-image

Build it and they will come, perhaps, but making crypto easier to use is turning out to be just as important

article-image

Amid moves by Itau Unibanco and Nubank, the country could serve as “a proof of concept” for TradFi-crypto integrations, industry research exec says