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Technology
Overall, The Sandbox consists of three layers that enable its overall functionality:
These three layers represent The Sandbox’s technology stack, of which each consists of its own architecture that creates the whole of The Sandbox as a metaverse platform.
Ethereum Blockchain
The Sandbox is built on top of the Ethereum blockchain, which serves as the underlying technology that powers its ecosystem. Ethereum is the most widely adopted decentralized, open-source blockchain that enables developers to build and deploy decentralized applications (dApps) on top of its platform. Other metaverse platforms built on Ethereum include Decentraland, Otherside, and NFT Worlds.
Token Standards
The Sandbox uses Ethereum’s existing development standards to provide the basis for its own architecture, digital assets, and tokenomics. For example, The Sandbox uses the Ethereum network as the underlying infrastructure for its SAND token, an ERC-20 token.
ERC-20 is a standard for fungible tokens on the Ethereum network. This means that each SAND token is interchangeable with every other SAND token and that all SAND tokens have the same value and properties. By using the ERC-20 standard, SAND can be traded on decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and easily integrated into other Ethereum-based projects.
In addition to SAND, The Sandbox also makes use of two other token standards on the Ethereum network: ERC-1155 and ERC-721. These standards are used to represent unique digital assets within the Sandbox ecosystem.
ERC-1155 is a standard for semi-fungible tokens, which means that each token can have unique properties or attributes but is still interchangeable with other tokens of the same type. This makes it ideal for representing items within a game, where each item can have unique properties, such as rarity or attributes, but can still be traded like other items of the same type. In The Sandbox, ERC-1155 is used to represent digital assets, such as game items and other collectibles.
On the other hand, ERC-721 is a standard for non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which are unique and indivisible digital assets that can't be exchanged for other tokens. Each NFT represents a one-of-a-kind asset, such as a piece of art or a virtual real estate property. In The Sandbox, ERC-721 is used to represent LAND, which is virtual land in the game world that players can buy, sell, and build on.
Consensus Mechanism
The Sandbox secures its network through a Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism that requires staking the SAND token. Like most other PoS projects in the space, The Sandbox gains the advantages of the consensus mechanism being far more energy-efficient over PoW while also being more widely accessible to ensure more network participation .For The Sandbox validators, the amount of outstanding SAND that a validator has staked determines their likelihood of validating the next block of transactions. For their efforts, validators are rewarded with a portion of the transaction fees paid out in SAND. Thus, validators are incentivized to hold greater amounts of SAND to maximize their validator reward potential.
As far as responsibilities, validator duties on The Sandbox are straightforward. Like most PoS networks, validators are responsible for processing and verifying transactions that are executed on The Sandbox platform. This includes through in-house marketplaces and through experiences. Outside of maintaining the state of the blockchain and verifying transactions, validators are also heavily involved in the platform’s governance, which they're immediately eligible for via staking.
Sandbox Platform Architecture
The second layer, built on top of the Ethereum blockchain, is the Sandbox Platform. The Sandbox Platform is an open, decentralized ecosystem that uses Ethereum, which enables the creation of secure, transparent, and immutable smart contracts. The Sandbox's smart contracts are hosted on the Ethereum blockchain and are publicly accessible for anyone to view and interact with. The smart contracts are responsible for managing the creation and trading of digital assets, as well as the staking and rewards system for participants in the ecosystem.
The platform's codebase is available on its GitHub page, which features several repositories. The main repository is called Sandbox-Game and is responsible for the core smart contracts that govern the platform's functionality. These smart contracts are written in the Solidity programming language, which is specifically designed for Ethereum smart contracts.
Another important repository is the Sandbox-Cli, which provides the command-line interface for interacting with the platform's smart contracts. The Sandbox-Cli is written in JavaScript and can be used to manage digital assets, staking, and other platform features.
In addition to Ethereum and the platform’s base architecture, The Sandbox platform is fully enabled through the combination of a number of other technologies, tools, and integrations. This represents the core technology of the project.
InterPlanetary File System
The Sandbox uses IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) to store relevant information about digital assets in a decentralized manner. IPFS is a distributed file storage system that uses content-addressable storage, meaning each file is given a unique hash based on its content, which makes it immutable and tamper-proof.
Digital assets, such as virtual lands, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and other game assets are stored on IPFS, which allows for the assets to be easily accessed and shared by users without being subject to the vulnerabilities of centralized storage. This ensures that ownership of these assets is recorded immutably on the blockchain and can be securely transferred between users without the risk of data loss or corruption.
Additionally, The Sandbox uses IPFS to store game assets, such as game logic, scripts, and game assets created by developers, which are used in the GameMaker software. By using IPFS, developers can be sure that their assets are securely stored and can be accessed by the game maker software for development and game creation purposes.
