Introduction - On-Chain Data Container
Data is at the core of all digital interactions. As Blockchain Technologies continue to mature and expand, it is becoming increasingly important to enable more flexible and sophisticated on-chain data management solutions. In particular, mutable data containers have been identified as a critical missing piece in the on-chain data ecosystems.
The Nexera Protocol is the Reference Implementation for ERC-7208 (opens in a new tab) which introduces a set of interfaces that we call the On-Chain Data Container (ODC). It addresses the limitations of traditional solutions by enabling on-chain data mutability and providing a universal framework for standardized, interoperable, and composable on-chain data management.
An ODC is a dynamic on-chain data container designed to house both data and metadata. It exhibits mutability, extensibility, and composability (i.e. seamless integration with other assets). Furthermore, it can be characterized by specific Properties, governed by Restrictions, and is capable of triggering defined actions through Hooks.
At the core of the ERC-7208 lies a conceptual abstraction of logic from storage.
This abstraction enables the programmability of ODCs through Property Manager smart contracts, allowing the implementation of multiple interfaces for the same stored values.
In practical terms, this means that a single storage variable can concurrently represent different assets based on the implemented interpretation.
For instance, a uint value of 100 stored as a Property within the ODC, could be simultaneously exposed as both 100 USDT and 100 USDC, through the use of token-based Property Managers.
Practical improvements implemented by Nexera over the ERC-7208 standard include:
- Procedurally generating Metadata from the information stored within the ODC
- Storing arbitrary amounts of information within the DataStorage Library (dynamic Properties)
- Restrictions based on programmable conditions (transfer restriction, locking assets, internal and external hooks)
- Wrapping of native assets, including ERC tokens (both current as well as future implementations)
- Fractionalization, merging, attaching, and detaching of information
- Tokenization of assets (both tangible and intangible) including Real World Assets (RWA) and Financial Assets
- Exposing multiple interfaces for the same data container (Property Managers)
- Identity management (opens in a new tab) (ZKP, Compliance Rule Engine)
- Smart Wallet (opens in a new tab) (Account Abstraction, programmable rules, recovery rules, automated transactions, etc.)
- On-chain oracle aggregation with subscription, payment streaming, and automated on-chain triggers
(e.g. for rebalancing a DeFi position based on a tokenized strategy)
Following these practical improvements, ODCs emerge as on-chain mutable storage entities, seamlessly interacting with both on-chain and off-chain data. With broad support for existing and emerging ERC standards, ODCs overcome existing limitations of current standards and allow developers to quickly adapt and integrate future ones.
Getting Started
Main concepts
To effectively use the ODC and build solutions based on it, it's important to first grasp the fundamental concepts.