What is Cosmos?
Cosmos is a network and ecosystem for creating interoperable, sovereign blockchains that communicate via the inter-blockchain communication (IBC) protocol.
Background
Jae Kwon and Ethan Buchman launched Cosmos in 2014 with support from the Interchain Foundation.
How Does It Work
Cosmos chains are created using the Cosmos SDK, which provides the fundamentals for developing a Cosmos blockchain. The Cosmos SDK’s default consensus layer, Tendermint Core, offers a Byzantine Fault-Tolerant, Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism. Cosmos chains are highly customizable, allowing developers to design the whole tech stack based on their intended application(s).
The Cosmos Hub is one of the many independent Cosmos chains. Its native token $ATOM, is the largest in the Cosmos ecosystem by market cap.
Key Takeaways
- Cosmos is a network of smaller interoperable chains.
- The Cosmos Hub is one of the chains in the network.
- Developers use the Cosmos SDK to make the chains and IBC for interchain communication.
- $ATOM is the native token of the Cosmos Hub and is often thought of as the primary token of Cosmos.
