Web 3.0 is such a concept that remains vague to non-technical people, although it has been known for about 20 years. All we know about it is just decentralized applications or security, but what exactly are they? This article will give you an explanation of web 3.0 architecture, breaking it down from layer to layer.<h2>From Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 architecture</h2>Since web 3.0 is the next level of web 2.0 - where all the data is centralized and controlled by giants like Facebook, Amazon, etc., we will dig into its structure first to know why web 3.0 is revolutionary.<img src="https://cdn.builder.news/news/11ecd5bbcc30a212a8e6023f659fee92.jpg" alt="Compare web 3.0 architecture vs web 2.0" title="web-3.0-architecture-vs-web-2.0" width="640" height="360">First, web 2.0 requires a constantly updated database to store essential data, such as users, content, reaction and so on. The database may be easily used by corporations for advertising and controlling user content, which may lead to data leaks.The second layer is the backend. Backend code (written in such coding languages as Node.js, Java, or Python) must define the platform’s logic. For example, what happens when users click a button, when a new user signs up and publishes new posts/articles?The third layer is front-end code (typically written in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS) that must define the platform’s UI logic. For instance, what does the site look like, and what happens when a user interacts with each element on the page?This is a good high-level summary of how most Web 2.0 applications work today. Long story short, frontend is the layer that the user directly interacts with, which will then deliver data to backend, then talk to the database. The code is hosted on centralized servers and sent to users via an internet browser.But as mentioned, this structure has limitations and users are controlled by big sharks. That’s why blockchain technology has unlocked a new direction for the architecture of Web 3.0 applications with huge changes.<h2>Web 3.0 architecture: Layers in detail</h2><h3>Backend in Web 3.0 architecture</h3>Decentralization is the key of web 3.0. By this difference, a centralized database or server is no longer needed while you can utilize blockchain instead. In web 3.0 architecture, the blockchain will act as a “state machine” — maintaining the program state and stability through validating the predefined rules. The state machine is spread between all the participants of a blockchain network and validation is archived through the consensus about program stability.<img src="https://cdn.builder.news/news/11ecd67fe7ec18b8a8e6023f659fee92.jpg" alt="Backend in Web 3.0 architecture" title="Backend in Web 3.0 architecture" width="640" height="427" class="lykafe1">The backend logic is implemented via smart contracts that will be later deployed to shared state machines (blockchain network). So backend resides in a peer-to-peer network that everyone can contribute by matching some criteria (ex. owning and locking cryptocurrency in order to vote the changes or make a proposal to the program). But how the front end works then?<h3>Frontend in Web 3.0 architecture</h3>The main frontend architecture in the case of Web 3.0 is focused on communication with smart contracts (decentralized programs). That’s the difference from the Web 2.0 frontend-backend communication.The state of the program is carried in every node in the blockchain network, and if you want to communicate with the smart contract, you have to communicate with one of the nodes, which could be:<ul><li>Third-party providers, such as Alchemy, Infura, and Quicknode, etc.</li><li>Your own node by running the state machine on your own;</li></ul>Launching the blockchain infrastructure is quite challenging, especially when you would like to scale up to add more nodes. There are times when a user provides will be handy, the downside is it creates a centralized dependency component.All providers are implementing JSON-RPC specifications to communicate with the blockchain networks. RPC, or Remote Procedure Call — is a request-response protocol that defines the rules to allow the client to send the message to the remote machine to execute the function and retrieve the response. In such a communication, the program runs as it is located on the client's machine, meaning the client doesn't know about the remote machine. All the communication is going through HTTP or Web Sockets.When providers are connected to the blockchain, the client is able to get information about the state of the blockchain. But how do clients write to the blockchain network? All the write request transactions need to be signed with the client's private key. Each transaction will cost a client a gas fee is a cryptocurrency that will go to appreciate other nodes (miners) which verify the transactions.Such provider as Metamask, is acting like a transaction signer and provider. It stores the private key in the browser and signs when the client makes a transaction request, it also connects to the blockchain network.<h3>Data storage in Web 3.0 architecture</h3><img src="https://cdn.builder.news/news/11ecd67fe7ec2095a8e6023f659fee92.jpg" alt="Web 3.0 architecture data storage" title="Web 3.0 architecture data storage" width="640" height="427" class="lykafe2">In web 3.0 architecture, the data is no longer centralized, it’s all yours. However, storing data in blockchain could be relatively costly for gas fees. It is recommended to use a non blockchain solution such as peer-to-peer storage — IPFS or Swarm - which is more reasonable.<ul><li>IPFS: this is a peer-to-peer file system protocol, which allows you to store data across a network of machines. Without native support from popular browsers, IPFS uses private or public gateways to connect to the network.</li><li>Swarm: it is similar to IPFS, with the only difference being that the system sustains through the smart contracts in the Ethereum blockchain network.</li></ul>In order to make your frontend be decentralized as well, you may use the same peer-to-peer storage solutions. And finally for simplifying querying the data stored in blockchain or peer-to-peer network: The Graph. It converts GraphQL queries into smart contract events and peer-to-peer gateways.ConclusionThis is just a simple analysis of web 3.0 architecture. Understanding the surface of web 3.0 application architecture will help you access this world in an easier way, although the following journey is full of challenges. But don’t worry because we will come back with the working flow of web 3.0 in the next articles!Follow our channels and subscribe not to miss any intriguing daily insights!

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Web 3.0 architecture: Initial layers to enter the decentralized world