{"id":12084,"date":"2025-07-11T14:56:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T13:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/investx.fr\/en\/?p=12084"},"modified":"2025-07-11T15:07:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T14:07:28","slug":"near-protocol-how-it-works-uses-potential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/preprod.investx.fr\/en\/learn\/crypto\/near-protocol\/","title":{"rendered":"NEAR Protocol (NEAR) : How It Works , Use Cases , and Significance in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What is Near Protocol (NEAR) ?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Near Protocol<\/strong> is a revolutionary layer 1<\/strong> blockchain designed to democratize access to decentralized applications and facilitate the emergence of Web3<\/strong>. This decentralized infrastructure stands out with its unique approach combining artificial intelligence and blockchain<\/a> technology, positioning NEAR<\/strong> as the first truly AI-native<\/strong> blockchain in the market.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Near<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The unique feature of Near Protocol<\/strong> lies in its ability to process up to 100,000 transactions per second<\/strong> thanks to its Nightshade sharding<\/strong> technology. This innovative approach allows data and calculations to be split across multiple parallel fragments, eliminating bottlenecks that limit traditional blockchains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Near Protocol<\/strong> ecosystem extends far beyond a simple blockchain. It includes educational initiatives such as NEAR University<\/strong> and NEAR Academy<\/strong>, designed to train a new generation of Web3 developers. This holistic approach aims to create a complete ecosystem where technology, education, and innovation converge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The History of Near Protocol<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The story of Near Protocol<\/strong> begins in 2018<\/strong> with the ambitious vision of three tech entrepreneurs determined to solve the scalability and accessibility problems of existing blockchains. This initiative was born from frustration with Ethereum<\/a>‘s limitations and the technical complexity that was hindering the mass adoption of decentralized applications.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"history<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The development of Near Protocol<\/strong> accelerated throughout 2019<\/strong> and 2020<\/strong>, with several phases of intensive testing that validated the effectiveness of Nightshade sharding<\/strong> and the Doomslug<\/strong> consensus algorithm. Near Protocol’s mainnet<\/strong> was officially launched in October 2020<\/strong>, marking the culmination of more than two years of research and development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021<\/strong> was marked by exponential growth of the ecosystem, with the launch of numerous decentralized applications and the establishment of strategic partnerships. Finally, in 2022<\/strong>, Near Protocol reached an important milestone with the integration of artificial intelligence features, foreshadowing its positioning as an AI-native blockchain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Created Near Protocol ?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Near Protocol<\/strong> was created by a trio of visionary entrepreneurs: Alexander Skidanov<\/strong>, Illia Polosukhin<\/strong>, and Erik Trautman<\/strong>. This founding team brings exceptional technical expertise and a clear vision for the future of blockchain technology.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"creator<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Alexander Skidanov<\/strong>, co-founder and former engineer at Microsoft, brings solid experience in software development and distributed systems architecture. His technical expertise was crucial in designing Near Protocol’s unique architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illia Polosukhin<\/strong>, co-founder and former researcher at Google, is recognized as one of the pioneers of modern artificial intelligence. He notably contributed to the development of transformers, the technology behind ChatGPT and other advanced AI models. His AI expertise was crucial in positioning Near as the first AI-native blockchain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erik Trautman<\/strong>, entrepreneur and trainer, founded the Viking Code School and brings a unique perspective on technological education. His vision of democratizing access to blockchain programming is reflected in Near Protocol’s educational initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is the NEAR crypto used for ?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The NEAR<\/strong> token forms the central element of the Near Protocol ecosystem, fulfilling several essential functions that ensure the proper functioning and security of the network. Unlike purely speculative tokens, NEAR<\/strong> has real and multiple utility that makes it a fundamental digital asset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first function of NEAR<\/strong> involves paying transaction fees<\/strong> on the network. Each interaction with the blockchain requires payment of fees in NEAR<\/strong>, ensuring network security by making DDOS attacks costly while compensating validators who maintain the infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"What<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Staking<\/strong> represents the second major use of NEAR<\/strong>. Holders can lock their tokens<\/a> to participate in securing the network and receive rewards proportional to their stake. This mechanism not only secures the blockchain but also offers investors a way to generate passive income with attractive yields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decentralized governance<\/strong> constitutes the third pillar of NEAR<\/strong>‘s utility. Holders can participate in important decisions regarding protocol evolution, technical updates, and network parameters. Voting power is proportional to the amount of NEAR<\/strong> held and staked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Near Protocol<\/strong> ecosystem is experiencing remarkable growth with notably 46 million monthly active users<\/strong> by mid-2025, positioning the blockchain as the second most used in the world. This massive adoption demonstrates the practical utility of the NEAR<\/strong> token in a rapidly expanding ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does the Near Protocol network work ?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Near Protocol<\/strong> network is built on a revolutionary technical architecture that combines several innovations to achieve exceptional performance while maintaining robust decentralization. This layer one<\/strong> blockchain uses advanced mechanisms that fundamentally distinguish it from traditional networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Nightshade sharding<\/strong> technology constitutes Near Protocol’s most remarkable innovation. Unlike traditional blockchains that process all transactions sequentially on a single network, Nightshade divides the network into multiple parallel fragments<\/strong> called shards. Each shard can process its own transactions and smart contracts independently, significantly multiplying the overall processing capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Nightshade<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Doomslug Algorithm<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Doomslug consensus algorithm<\/strong> accompanies sharding by offering fast finality and robust security. Doomslug is an optimized variant of “Byzantine Fault Tolerance<\/strong>” (BFT) that allows consensus to be reached even in the presence of malicious or failing nodes. This approach guarantees block times of 600 milliseconds<\/strong> and finality of 1.2 seconds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Near Protocol’s parallel execution<\/strong> architecture allows multiple types of operations to be processed simultaneously. Smart contracts can execute in parallel on different shards, optimizing resource use and reducing wait times. This approach contrasts with traditional blockchains where operations are processed sequentially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Highly Connected Blockchain ?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The interoperability solutions<\/strong> developed by the Near Protocol team include the Aurora protocol<\/strong> for EVM compatibility, Rainbow Bridge<\/strong> for cross-chain transfers, and Octopus<\/strong> Network<\/strong> for interoperability with other blockchains. These tools allow developers to create applications that can interact with the entire blockchain ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Near Protocol (NEAR)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An objective evaluation of Near Protocol<\/strong> requires a balanced analysis of its strengths and weaknesses in the current competitive blockchain landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 5 main advantages of Near Protocol :<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n