The blockchain landscape is teeming with options, each promising revolutionary potential, including TON. But there’s a question: can TON provide the essential infrastructure for a startup to flourish and grow?

Among the variety of blockchains, The Open Network (TON) is capturing the attention of developers and entrepreneurs worldwide. Its unique combination of speed, scalability, and security has positioned it as a prime choice for startups looking to build innovative applications.

More and more companies, from early-stage ventures to established enterprises, are recognizing the potential of TON and are leveraging its capabilities to create groundbreaking solutions. This growing adoption is a testament to the blockchain’s ability to support a wide range of use cases, from DeFi and gaming to supply chain management and social platforms.

As a trusted TON development official partner, we will share the specific advantages that TON offers startups, exploring how its features can propel your project to new heights.

Brief history of TON

The initial concept was ambitious: a decentralized network capable of handling billions of transactions per second. Backed by a substantial Initial Coin Offering (ICO) that raised over $1.7 billion in 2018, TON promised to revolutionize the digital economy. However, regulatory challenges emerged, leading to a protracted legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In May 2019, the SEC filed a lawsuit alleging that the TON ICO was an unregistered securities offering.

Despite the legal hurdles, the TON community remained steadfast in its belief in the project’s potential. The core development team continued to refine the technology behind closed doors. The vision of a scalable, fast, and decentralized platform persisted.

In a dramatic turn of events, the project was reborn in May 2022 as The Open Network. Freed from the regulatory constraints of its past, TON embarked on a new chapter.

Why choose TON for your startup project?

Speed

TON’s lightning-fast transaction speeds can be a game-changer. With a record of 104,715 transactions per second during a live test, TON demonstrates its ability to handle even the most demanding workloads.

Compare this to other blockchains, like Ethereum, which struggles to process more than 15-20 transactions per second. TON’s superior throughput can give your startup a competitive advantage by enabling faster, more efficient operations.

With an average block time of just 5 seconds, TON significantly outperforms many competitors. This rapid processing capability is crucial for applications demanding real-time interactions, such as decentralized exchanges, gaming platforms, and high-frequency trading systems.

Moreover, TON’s finality time, the period required for a transaction to become irreversible, is equally impressive. At approximately 6-7 seconds, it’s notably faster than other leading blockchains, ensuring greater security and certainty for users.

Scalability

TON’s architecture is designed to accommodate rapid expansion without compromising performance. Its unique combination of Masterchain and Workchains enables the network to handle an increasing number of users and transactions efficiently. This scalability is essential for startups aiming to capture a large market share.

TON’s Instant Hypercube Routing system enables lightning-fast communication between different parts of the network, preventing bottlenecks and ensuring smooth operations, even as the network grows. This is crucial for startups that anticipate rapid user adoption and high transaction volumes.

Interoperability

TON stands out for its ability to seamlessly connect with other blockchains. Unlike many networks that require complex bridges, TON’s native interoperability allows for smooth asset transfers and data exchange between different platforms. This open architecture is crucial for building a truly interconnected ecosystem. By effortlessly interacting with major networks like Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and Solana, TON opens up exciting possibilities for cross-chain applications.

Comprehensive ecosystem

Comprehensive documentation and clear tutorials guide developers through every step, from building smart contracts to creating user interfaces. A rich ecosystem of libraries and frameworks accelerates development, allowing startups to focus on their core product rather than reinventing the wheel.

Support from the TON Foundation

One of the most significant advantages of building a TON startup is the unwavering support from the TON Foundation. One such program is the Open League, a competition designed to identify and support promising TON projects. Winners receive substantial financial rewards and mentorship, providing a significant boost to their startup journey.

Moreover, the TON Foundation offers grants to promising TON startups. By allocating financial resources to innovative projects, the Foundation is demonstrating its belief in the potential of the TON ecosystem. Securing a TON grant can provide your startup with the necessary capital to accelerate development and reach milestones.

Opportunity to “Get into Telegram”

The synergy between TON and Telegram is undeniable. As the brainchild of the same visionary, the two platforms share a deep-rooted connection. This opens up a world of possibilities for TON startups.

Telegram, with its massive user base of over 950 million active users, is a goldmine for businesses. By leveraging Telegram’s platform, TON startups can tap into this vast audience and acquire customers at an unprecedented scale. For example, Telegram Mini Apps development offers innovative ways to engage users and deliver value.

Imagine a TON startup that develops a financial management app. By integrating it with Telegram, users can effortlessly track their expenses, set budgets, and even make crypto transactions directly within the messaging app. This level of convenience and accessibility can propel a TON startup to new heights.

Possible limitations to be aware of

Find a team

One of the most significant hurdles in embarking on a TON startup is building a skilled development team. While the technology is promising, it’s still relatively new, and finding developers with in-depth TON expertise can be challenging. This is where partnering with a company like PixelPlex, a strategic partner of the TON Foundation, can be a game-changer.

Our hands-on experience and close collaboration with the TON ecosystem provide a significant advantage, accelerating your time-to-market and minimizing development risks.

Time to study

While TON’s advanced features offer substantial benefits, they also require a steep learning curve. Transitioning from more established platforms like Ethereum might involve a significant time investment.

Thorough research and development are essential to harness TON’s full potential. Understanding the nuances of the platform and its ecosystem is crucial for building robust and efficient TON startups. Allocating sufficient time for your team to immerse themselves in TON’s intricacies is a non-negotiable step. It’s important to note that while the learning curve might be steeper initially, the long-term rewards can be substantial.

Core development tools

A spectrum of SDKs

At the heart of TON development lies Software Development Kits (SDKs). These libraries provide a bridge between your programming language of choice and the TON blockchain, streamlining interaction and data manipulation. The TON ecosystem boasts a rich selection of SDKs, catering to various programming preferences:

TypeScript/JavaScript: This dominant duo reigns supreme with options like ton, tonweb, tonkite/adnl, tonutils, and foton. With a vast developer base and extensive documentation, these libraries are ideal for building web-based TON startups. (Did you know? Over 70% of TON dApps are currently built with JavaScript!)
Java, Python, C#, Rust, and Go: TON caters to a diverse pool of developers. Languages like Java (with ton4j), Python (with pytoniq, pytonlib, and more), C# (TonSdk.NET), Rust (tonlib-rs), and Go (tonutils-go) each have dedicated SDKs, allowing developers to leverage their existing expertise.

APIs

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are the secret sauce for rapid and secure TON development. These interfaces expose vital blockchain functionalities, enabling developers to focus on building innovative applications rather than reinventing the wheel.

TON core APIs: The TON ecosystem boasts several core APIs to streamline development:

TON HTTP API: This workhorse API facilitates interaction with indexed blockchain data, perfect for building applications that require historical data analysis or querying specific events.
TON ADNL API: Security is paramount in the blockchain world. The ADNL API offers a secure way to interact with the TON network, ensuring the integrity of data and transactions.

TON center API: TON Center, a key player in the TON ecosystem, provides its own API (toncenter/v2) for developers seeking a convenient way to interact with the network.

Third-party options: The TON developer landscape thrives on innovation. Numerous third-party APIs like tonapi.io, dton.io, and others offer additional functionalities or specialize in specific use cases.

Testing and refining

Before unleashing your TON startup on the mainnet, rigorous testing is crucial. Thankfully, TON offers a robust testnet environment that mirrors the capabilities of the main network. This allows developers to:

Deploy contracts for testing: The testnet provides a sandbox environment where developers can experiment with smart contracts and decentralized applications without impacting the real network.
Simulate real-world scenarios: TON’s testnet features essential services like an explorer, a web wallet, testnet-specific APIs, and a bridge to facilitate seamless testing and debugging.

FunC: the foundation of smart contracts

At the heart of TON’s smart contract ecosystem lies FunC, a powerful programming language designed specifically for this purpose. While it might seem daunting at first glance, FunC’s syntax is surprisingly intuitive, making it accessible to developers with varying levels of experience. This means less time grappling with complex language nuances and more time focused on crafting ingenious contract logic.

Tact: simplifying smart contract development

For TON startups seeking to accelerate their development cycles, Tact is a game-changer. Positioned as a user-friendly abstraction layer over FunC, Tact empowers developers to rapidly prototype and deploy intricate smart contracts. Its approachable syntax and rich feature set have made it a darling of the TON community. By lowering the entry barrier to smart contract development, Tact is fueling a surge of innovative projects.

Fift: the assembly language of TON

While FunC and Tact offer high-level abstractions, there are instances when developers need to dive deeper into the machine for optimal performance or to tackle highly specialized tasks. This is where Fift comes into play. As TON’s assembly language, Fift provides granular control over contract execution, enabling developers to fine-tune their code for maximum efficiency. Although it demands a steeper learning curve, mastering Fift can unlock significant performance gains for demanding applications.

Success stories: Notcoin and others

Notcoin, a seemingly simple click-to-earn game startup, has defied expectations to become a global phenomenon with a staggering 35 million players. This remarkable success story is a powerful testament to the potential of the TON ecosystem.

Born as an experiment, Notcoin leveraged Telegram to engage users in a fun and addictive gameplay loop. Initially focused on in-game rewards, the project later introduced the $NOT token, which has skyrocketed in value. A generous airdrop to early players and strategic token distribution fueled explosive growth, propelling Notcoin to a billion-dollar market cap.

What sets Notcoin apart is its ability to attract and retain millions of users without spending a dime on marketing. This organic growth is a result of a compelling product, simple gameplay, and a strong focus on community building.

StormTrade

StormTrade, a leveraged trading platform built on TON, is redefining the investment landscape. With its user-friendly interface and a wide range of tradable assets, StormTrade has attracted a growing community of traders seeking to maximize their returns. By leveraging TON’s speed and low transaction fees, StormTrade offers a seamless trading experience, allowing users to execute trades with lightning-fast speed and precision.

GetGems

GetGems offers a secure and efficient platform for trading NFTs, collectibles, and other digital goods. With a focus on user experience, GetGems has made it easy for both creators and collectors to participate in the booming NFT market. By leveraging TON’s scalability, GetGems can handle a high volume of transactions, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable shopping experience.

Megaton Finance

This solution throws its weight into the ring by offering advanced trading features like margin trading. With Megaton, seasoned traders can leverage their positions, potentially amplifying their returns (but also magnifying their risks). Imagine a high-octane version of crypto trading on TON, allowing experienced users to make bolder bets.

Summing up

The internet is transforming, and decentralization is leading the charge. TON is at the forefront of this revolution, providing the perfect foundation for your startup’s success. With its lightning-fast speed, vast capacity, and dedicated support for developers, TON empowers you to build groundbreaking applications.

Partner with PixelPlex to turn your vision into reality. As a trusted TON development expert and official partner, we’ll guide you through every step of the process. Join a vibrant community of innovators and build the project you imagine.

Ready to embark on this exciting journey? Contact us today and let’s build something extraordinary together.