To get started with Clarity or collaborate on this open-source initiative, visit the Clarity website or Github.
We’re excited to announce that together with Algorand, we’ve formed an independent, open-source project to support future design and development of the Clarity Smart Contract Language. Algorand is an industry leader with deep scientific roots similar to our own.
Scientists at both Algorand and Blockstack PBC recognize the need for smart contract languages that are more safe, secure, and predictable if the industry is to mature beyond its current state. In collaborating, we hope to bring new rigor to smart contracts and welcome other individuals or entities that would like to join together to serve the needs of developers working on high-stakes transactions. Contributions from Blockstack PBC and Algorand will be lead by PhDs from MIT and Princeton, including current core developers of Clarity.
Unlike common “undecidable” languages, that by their nature make it impossible to know precisely how a contract will behave in certain situations without prior execution, Clarity is a “decidable” language, meaning developers can know, with mathematical certainty, what a program will and will not do ahead of time. This shift addresses a key obstacle currently preventing large-scale, serious use.
Algorand Founder Dr. Silvio Micali said, “Smart contracts are an integral driver of blockchain adoption, as they eliminate the need for a third-party intermediary and facilitate frictionless economic exchange. With high volumes — and values — of assets stored in smart contracts, the emergence of a next generation programming language such as Clarity has the potential to unlock blockchain-based solutions for large-scale enterprises and governments, which demand a higher level of trust and security.”
Additionally, we see this work on Clarity as a way to work toward interchain communication and invite others to join in that endeavor. Ultimately, we want to do away with walled gardens, reliance on 3rd party intermediaries, and to empower developers to initiate and execute contracts between each other seamlessly through the use of a widely adopted, decidable, open-source language.
To date, this is the first time two leading cryptocurrency projects have come together to support an alternative smart contract language and we’re excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for Clarity.
For more information or to collaborate on this open-source initiative, visit the Clarity website or Github.
