The larger the number of blockchains continues to grow, the more challenging it becomes to transfer information and value across them. Polkadot addresses this challenge head-on by providing an underlying architecture that enables developers to build blockchains atop it. This system is made up of “parachains” that are able to talk to one another and run in parallel atop the network.

Polkadot is a highly scalable blockchain built on top of highly customizable substrate technology. Through heterogenous sharding, Polkadot connects several chains, known as parachains, into a single network. Parachains inherit core features of the Polkadot mainchain, such as its security and node architecture. This empowers a diverse ecosystem of independent blockchains that are also interoperable.