At the recent Decahack event, projects built on the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) faced intense questioning regarding the safety and trustworthiness of the ICP platform. While concerns about the security of any new technology are valid, it's essential to recognise that ICP offers unique features and advantages that make it a trustworthy and reliable platform for developers and users alike. In this article, we'll explore why Internet Computer Protocol deserves to be trusted for its safety, capacity, and use cases compared to other blockchain platforms.

The Internet Computer uses cryptography and tradeoffs to operate at a speed and cost comparable to cloud providers, using a reverse-gas model where smart contracts pay for their execution, computation, and storage. Users can interact with on-chain dapps over the web without a token wallet, and NFTs and assets can be hosted on-chain.

The software runs on "canisters," bundles of code and persistent memory pages, with WebAssembly bytecode compiled from high-level programming languages. Canisters and smart contracts are tamperproof, similar to traditional technology systems.

Why Build on the Internet Computer Protocol?

1. Irrevokable APIs

The Internet Computer allows platform developers to promise not to revoke API access from applications built on their platform. This has been a common practice in platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, which have benefited from third-party developers. However, when these platforms were later developed, they altered their API policies, restricting the applications that aided in their expansion. Because developers now know they are building on a trustless terrain, they are much more cautious when creating on new platforms. The Internet Computer solves this problem by designating APIs as "permanent," meaning no one can revoke or degrade access to them.

2. Full on-chain technological stack

The Internet Computer serves as the entire technology stack, eliminating the need for external databases to save state, web servers, content delivery networks, and other complications that developers have historically needed to use. The tech stack is made much simpler for developers by the Internet Computer.

Developers that build on top of the Internet Computer do not need to utilise a firewall or any other security solutions that developers may be accustomed to using because the Internet Computer is secure by default.

3. Bootstrap Network effects with Tokens

Tokens can be used by developers on the Internet Computer to bootstrap network effects on new platforms. New platforms with a small user base are not very useful since networks are helpful to many people. Developers can employ tokens—which can be anything from partial control to a currency or NFTs—to reward early adopters in order to draw in more users. By offering money in exchange for joining a platform before it becomes useful, encourages users to do so.

4. Access to Developer Grants

Regardless of their location in the world, developers can get a substantial amount of financing for creating applications on the Internet Computer in the form of grants. Developer Grants are designed to support visionaries building groundbreaking solutions on the Internet Computer Protocol. Whether you're a budding developer or an experienced coder, we have funding opportunities ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, and for exceptional projects, grants of up to $100,000 are available.

Read up on how to qualify for an ICP grant.

5. Engaging with the Community

The Internet Computer has a vibrant and active community of developers, enthusiasts, and contributors. Engaging with the community through forums, social media, and developer meetups can provide valuable insights, support, and networking opportunities as you embark on your journey with the platform.

Internet Computer (ICP) aims to become a profound internet alternative in the next decade, potentially affecting giants like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Amazon. As a potential crypto with unique projects, ICP has a promising future in the internet sector. So don't be laid back, ICP awaits your innovative ideas to be built on its platform.