Ecosystems
The ICON Foundation currently supports three main sub-ecosystems, which aim to be complementary. They are listed below with some key traits. Please consider these traits when looking to find your best fit.
Blockchain Transmission Protocol (BTP)
- Open-source standard for cross-chain interoperability
- Public utility tool available to all decentralized ecosystems
- Easy to add to new chains, able to send generic messages, and charges low fees
ICON Network
- Open-source, general purpose blockchain network
- Unique “layer 1” blockchain service, support for Java smart contract execution environment
- Hub for generic cross-chain communication
- Native ICX token
ICE / SNOW Networks
- Open-source, general purpose parachains within the Polkadot & Kusama ecosystems
- Facilitates connection between ICON and Polkadot/Kusama ecosystems via BTP
- Ink! and Solidity smart contracts
- Substrate SDK and Ethereum Virtual Machine execution environment
- Native ICY (ICE Network) and ICZ (SNOW Network) currencies
