Cosmos

Cosmos is a decentralized network that provides open-source tools for developers to create their own interoperable blockchains. Cosmos is looking to become the “internet for blockchains” by allowing blockchains to connect to each other.

ATOM is the native token.

In 2016, Tendermint (a software company that is a core contributor to the Cosmos network). Co-founders Jae Kwon and Ethan Buchman released the white paper “Cosmos: A Network of Distributed Ledgers” describing a new protocol for connecting blockchains.  Later that year, they launched the Interchain Foundation to shepherd development of Cosmos. In 2019, Cosmos launched an initial version of the project as well as the Cosmos Hub, the first blockchain operating on the protocol. In early 2021, Cosmos launched the Stargate upgrade, activating IBC, a critical piece of the project that connected hundreds of Cosmos’ blockchains together for the first time.

Cosmos’ origins can be dated back to 2014, when Tendermint, a core contributor to the network, was founded. In 2016, a white paper for Cosmos was published — and a token sale was held the following year.

To secure its network, Cosmos uses the proof-of-stake method. In Cosmos, each individual blockchain is called a “zone.” Each blockchain is tied to the inter-blockchain communication (IBC) protocol, which connects all the blockchains together. With the deployment of both Tendermint’s Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus protocol and the IBC protocol, blockchains built on top of Cosmos retain their independence while interacting with other blockchains.