Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, Polkadot… The list goes on. In the current crypto landscape, there are many L1s to choose from. So why build on Archway?
Layer 1s, or base-layer blockchains, were designed to serve as the foundational infrastructure for dapps, and increase composability across the applications built on the same L1. Archway, the launchpad to the Cosmos, is an L1 that rewards developers proportionally for the value they bring to the network. A baseplate for innovation, Archway enables developers to create dapps that bring new functionality to existing models.
Archway aims to be the launchpad to the Cosmos for developers by providing them all the tools they need to create innovative dapps. Starting with Area-52, Archway’s interactive learning platform, new developers and developers coming from other ecosystems are taught how to build dapps using CosmWasm, create different types of Rust smart contracts, and more. Both Archway’s and Area-52’s online communities provide a place for teams to form, encouraging developers to connect, support one another, and innovate together.
From there, deploying a dapp on Archway is straightforward thanks to Archway’s detailed docs and supporting tooling. For instance, Archway’s Command Line Interface (CLI) makes it easier to scaffold and deploy dapps by allowing devs to build, deploy, and instantiate a contract with a single command. Finally, A dedicated community of technical contributors is also available to help support developers building on Archway.

Traditionally, L1s have captured most of the value created by dapps built on top of them, making for “fat protocols” and “skinny dapps”. Archway flips that model on its head by directly rewarding developers for the value they bring to the network, allowing both the network and the dapps built on top of it to benefit. By aligning incentives for both, Archway creates a healthier ecosystem in which dapps and the protocol coexist symbiotically.
100% On-Chain Protocol Rewards

Rewards on Archway are built 100% into the protocol, and are distributed to developers proportionally based on the utilization of their smart contracts. This means that, the more usage a dapp generates, the more rewards it will capture. By implementing protocol rewards fully on-chain, Archway allows developers to deploy their dapps and start generating rewards immediately.
The three types of rewards that developers can earn on Archway are:
Gas Rebates
Gas fees collected on Archway are distributed among both validators and developers at a 50:50 split. This innovative model allows smart contracts to receive a 50% rebate on gas paid that could be used to give users fee discounts, incentivize community pools, and more.
Inflation
The total supply of the Arch token increases between 7–20% annually, depending on the amount of tokens staked. 25% of Arch token inflation will go to developers relative to the gas fees generated by each given smart contract they have deployed.
Premiums
Smart contract creators are able to configure a premium into their smart contracts, giving them more flexibility on rewards earned. This premium is charged in combination with the network fee, providing users a frictionless experience.
The Layer-1 for Innovation
As the drivers of the ecosystem, Archway’s programmatic rewards ensure developers have a greater ownership stake, and therefore, a greater say in on-chain governance. Through these rewards, developers can provide their users a better experience by lowering network fees, subsidizing certain transactions, incentivizing participation, and more. By having an accessible stake in their protocols, dapp developers push the limits of innovation while creating sustainable protocols.
For example, an NFT platform could use Arch token rewards to subsidize the gas fees for every user’s first NFT mint, delivering a far more accessible experience for mainstream users.
A DEX could eliminate certain liquidity provision fees and use Arch rewards to incentivize liquidity providers instead.
A DAO could use their rewards to incentivize governance participation, increasing the efficiency of the system.
… the possibilities are endless. These rewards are meant to give developers the freedom and flexibility to innovate, and build outside the box.

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