Why We Want Many Front Ends for DeFi Projects (TRUE Decentralization Component)

The average crypto user needs an easy way to interact with a blockchain protocol. 

This is where front ends come into play.

But if that front end gets hacked or goes offline, the protocol would become very difficult to use?

This is where MULTIPLE decentralized front ends become necessary. 

Read on to learn more about this often overlooked component of a True DeFi protocol. 

What is a Front End in Crypto?

In the context of smart contracts, the "front end" refers to the user interface or the graphical interface that allows users to interact with the smart contract on a blockchain platform. It is the part of the application that users see and interact with directly.

Smart contracts are self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement written directly into lines of code. While smart contracts function on the blockchain's backend, they can be quite complex for ordinary users to understand and interact with directly.

Therefore, front ends are built to provide a user-friendly experience, making it easier for individuals to engage with the smart contract's functionalities without needing to interact with the raw code directly.

Front ends typically include web applications or mobile apps that provide buttons, forms, and other user interface elements to input data, trigger smart contract functions, and display the results or responses from the blockchain. They abstract the underlying complexity of the smart contract's code and present it in a way that regular users can easily understand and utilize.

The Problem with a Single Front End

If a protocol has a one front end, it can become a single point of failure for that protocol and/or offer less than optimal user experience, counterparty risks, and middleman features.

A single front end can:

1. Be shutdown by a government of a particular jurisdiction (Tornado Cash)
2. Be ordered by a jurisdiction to change certain features
3. Can go offline for a variety of other reasons (Overhead costs, Natural disaster, etc)
4. Can get hacked and altered to become malicious
5. Offer a limited and less than optimal user experience

One recent example of this is UniSwap censoring certain tokens on its platform.

Luckily, since the code is separate from the front end, other individuals have created their own front ends to allow access to these tokens. 

Why We Want Multiple Decentralized Front Ends

True DeFi protocols need multiple decentralized front ends because they protect them from single point of failure problems, censorship issues, and suboptimal user experience.

For example, having a competitive front end landscape results in:

1. The best front end rising to the top due to having no fees outside of the protocol, best user experience (stats, design, speed), etc.
2. Having alternatives if one site gets censored or goes offline