Holochain

Frequently asked questions
from our community

What is a chaperone error?

If you received an error message that looks something like the one below, we call that a chaperone error. It is similar to a simple 404 error in the world of the centralized web.

 

What if I lost the USB drive that came with my HoloPort?

No problem. Most USB drives should work fine. It is important for the USB drive to be formatted correctly and have sufficient space. Make sure your replacement is at least 16GB. And format for FAT32.

For troubleshooting details login to the Forum and go to this thread: https://forum.holo.host/t/your-holoport-led-lights-for-testing-only/4875

What are public and private keys?

The keys are the basis of the cryptography in Holochain and Holo. Your private key is stored on an encrypted keystore on your HoloPort. Your public key is your address on the Holo network and the first part of your web address for reaching your HoloPort. We also call that your HoloPort ID.

What is the best way to save my seed file and passphrase?

It’s super important for you to save the seed file and the passphrase you create somewhere safe—and somewhere you will remember. We recommend saving it to your hard drive or a USB drive, or both. Alternatively, you can write both on a piece of paper and keep that piece of paper somewhere safe and memorable.

What is a passphrase?

Your passphrase decrypts your seed file. You’ll need both your seed file and passphrase to restore any keys that are created from your seed file.

What is a seed file?

You can think of this file as the ‘seed’ from which your cryptographic (public and private) keys will be generated during the Quickstart process. These keys are the basis for your identity in the Holo network, which is why it is important to keep your seed file somewhere safe and memorable. You’ll need both your seed file and passphrase to restore any keys that are created from your seed file.

How do I get a registration code?

You will receive a registration code via email from Holo during the Holo Registration process. Currently, only HoloPort owners will be able to get a registration code.

What do the LED light colors on my HoloPort mean?

High Level

Blinking Light–Something is in process.
Solid Light–Something needs attention.

Blinking Lights

Blinking Blue
HoloPort startup phase. This happens every time you power on a HoloPort. A new HoloPort or a HoloPort that has been disconnected for a long time could blink blue for hours as it downloads all the updates.

Blinking Pink-Purple
The HoloPort is trying to reach the internet. Note: this also happens during normal HoloPort operation from time to time.

Blinking Green
The HoloPort is waiting to be issued TLS certificates (for HTTPS).

Blinking Yellow
The HoloPort is registering with Holo.

Solid Lights

Solid Blue
The HoloPort is waiting for the USB drive with the correct files.

Solid Red
The HoloPort cannot be registered because it has existing registration data on it.

For troubleshooting details login to the Forum and go to this thread: https://forum.holo.host/t/your-holoport-led-lights-for-testing-only/4875

What if I have more than one HoloPort?

No problem. Near the end of registering your primary HoloPort there is a question: “Do you have additional HoloPorts that you’d like to register at this time?” Please click Yes!

If you have multiple HoloPorts, you must register them all during one Quickstart session.

What is the HoloPort Quickstart?

The Quickstart is the step-by-step process that registers your HoloPort to the Holo network.

Importantly, it is also where you will generate your seed file, which is the basis for your identity. It is critical to save your seed file and associated passphrase somewhere safe and memorable.

What if I have problems while registering?

The best way to get help is through the Holo Forum because there are extensive resources and also a great community to help. Many other hosts may have had the same problem as you are having. If you haven’t signed up for the HoloForum please reach out to [email protected].

What if I’ve already registered my HoloPort?

All HoloPort hosts will need to register or re-register their HoloPorts starting from 1 February 2022.

How do I register more than one HoloPort?

When you are near the end of the HoloPort Quickstart process there is an option to “Register Additional HoloPorts”. Be sure to click Yes at that point.

If you have multiple HoloPorts, you must register them all during one Quickstart session.

How do I register to participate in the Holo network?

Currently you can only register if you have a HoloPort or if we’ve already contacted you as an Alpha Web tester. If you believe you are an Alpha Web tester and haven’t been contacted yet please let us know at [email protected].

There will be future opportunities for the wider public to join the network.

Do I need to register with Holo to participate in the Holo network?

Yes, you do. All HoloPort hosts, app publishers, and HoloFuel users need to register in order to join the network.

Why isn’t there any HoloFuel accruing in my Host Console dashboard?

During the HoloPort Alpha Program, while you're keeping your HoloPort online, we're recording your HoloFuel differently from how it'll be recorded when you start earning for hosting hApps. Right now, Holo is paying you a stipend simply for keeping your HoloPort on. The services that we're building for hApp hosting, on the other hand, will measure individual app usage on your HoloPort and send invoices directly to the hApp publisher. These are two very different systems, and we're using a much simpler bookkeeping method for the HoloPort Alpha Program. We'll send you an email each month showing your current HoloFuel accrual.

What is Elemental Chat?

Elemental Chat is our proof-of-concept app that represents a successful end-to-end infrastructure test of the Holo Hosting network built to run on the new version of Holochain (RSM).

Learn more about this topic

Why was Elemental Chat chosen as a proof of concept? What is this proving?

Elemental Chat was built as the simplest test application for the Holo platform and testing Holochain at scale. It is not a production ready application.

We chose chat because we knew that it would put Holochain and the Holo hosting infrastructure to the test, challenging their ability to power high-throughput, low-latency apps — the kind of apps people use every day. If any app could expose bugs and performance bottlenecks, this would be it. The success we have seen has enabled us to move forward with developing the primary Holo apps (Host Console, Publisher Portal, and HoloFuel), with enough experience to feel confident that we can continue improving and deliver great user experiences.

Why are you releasing chat rather than HoloFuel? Is Holo pivoting?

We’re not changing our business model, nor trying to sell a chat service. We simply wanted to roll out an app that could give end users a direct experience of the speed of Holochain and Holo hosted apps. When you chat with someone and they can immediately reply without needing to wait 10 minutes for a new block to commit to a blockchain or pay $5 per message, then you know you’re using next gen distributed apps.

HoloFuel is still coming, but requires much greater security review than a proof of concept chat app does.

How do I sign up to use Holochain apps (hApps) like Elemental Chat or Chess?

It's easy! Just go to our hApp informational page and click the link.

Elemental Chat is a prototype app we’ve used to test Holochain and the Holo infrastructure. Chess is a community built prototype.

What do I do if I can’t sign up for a hApp like Elemental Chat or Chess?

Elemental Chat and Elemental Chess are not production hApps, so the experience may not be perfect. If you’re having issues try these tricks.

  1. Try "hard refreshing" the page (press Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows, or ⌘+Shift+R on macOS) and signing up with the same email address and password.
  2. Try clearing your browser’s storage, then refreshing the page and signing in again.
  3. Try signing up using new credentials. (Hint: many email providers let you create ‘plus addresses’ by adding a ‘+’ and a few letters or numbers to the first half of your existing address. For example, if you have the address [email protected] you can also use [email protected].)

If you keep having this problem, it may be a bug that we should know about. Read more about the kinds of bugs we're looking for and how to report.

What do I do if I return to Elemental Chat and can’t sign back in again?

Try the below steps one at a time. Usually it is a quick fix.

  1. Try hard-refreshing the page (press Ctrl+Shift+R, or ⌘+Shift+R on macOS) and signing up with the same email address and password.
  2. Try clearing your browser’s storage, then refreshing the page and signing in again.
  3. Try signing up using new credentials. (Hint: many email providers let you create ‘plus addresses’ by adding a ‘+’ and a few letters or numbers to the first half of your existing address. For example, if you have the address [email protected] you can also use [email protected].)

If none of these work you might be having an issue connecting to the HoloPort assigned to you. Please read the troubleshooting connectivity FAQ.

Stuck on the ‘Connecting to a HoloPort’ message?

If you see this message for more than a few seconds, it may be caused by one of a few issues. Try these steps one at a time. You might not need to do all of them.

  1. Check your device’s internet connection; you might be offline. You need to be online to connect to a HoloPort. ;-)
  2. The easiest next step is just to use a different browser or device (remember Elemental Chat isn’t optimized for mobile/tablet).
  3. If you're still seeing the same message, try A) clearing your browser storage then, B) refreshing the page, and then C) sign up for a new account with a new password.

If you keep having this problem, even after trying step 3, it may be a bug that we should know about. See how to report a bug.

Why can’t I see new messages that I know I should be able to see?

Wait a little while and try refreshing the page. It should be there in less than a minute, but if you still don’t see it after an hour, it may be a bug that we should know about. See above for info on how to report.

Holochain has two ways of broadcasting messages: signals, which are fast but unreliable, and DHT data, which is reliable but slower. If you don’t see a message that was there before — for instance, you closed Elemental Chat or switched to another channel and back to the previous one — it’s because the fast signal arrived in your browser, but the DHT data hasn’t been copied to your assigned HoloPort yet. There are more user-friendly ways of handling this, but as we've mentioned, Elemental Chat is just a proof-of-concept app and has some rough edges.

How do I clear my browser’s storage?

There is a known issue in which incomplete data might stay in your browser, preventing you from signing up, signing in, or using Elemental Chat or Chess. We’re working on a fix; in the meantime, you can clear the data from your browser.

In Firefox:

  1. Click the padlock at the left of the address bar.
  2. Choose the ‘Clear cookies and site data’ menu item.

In Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge:

  1. Click the padlock in the address bar.
  2. Choose the ‘Cookies’ menu item.
  3. In the dialog box that pops up, expand the ‘chaperone.holo.host’ dropdown, then the ‘Local storage’ dropdown.
  4. Click on the only item, which should be ‘https://chaperone.holo.host’.
  5. Press the ‘Remove’ button.

In Safari:

  1. Click the ‘Safari’ menu.
  2. Choose the ‘Settings’ menu item.
  3. In the dialog box that pops up, choose the ‘Privacy’ tab.
  4. Press the ‘Manage Website Data’ button.
  5. In the dialog box that pops up, search for ‘holo.host’.
  6. You should see one entry; choose it and press the ‘Remove’ button.

Once you clear this data, refresh the page and try again. If this doesn’t fix the problem, it may be a bug that we should know about. See above for info on how to report.

What should I do if I see offensive or illegal messages on Elemental Chat?

Because Elemental Chat is just a proof of concept, it doesn’t have features such as moderation. While we expect that everyone will abide by the Code of Conduct, you might still see unpleasant messages. Here’s what you can do:

  1. If the messages are mildly unpleasant, challenge the participant to remember the Code of Conduct. You may also want to get support from fellow participants.
  2. If you feel personally threatened, take care of yourself and avoid that participant. Reach out to fellow participants for help if you need it.
  3. If the messages are seriously threatening, discriminatory, sexually explicit, or illegal, contact a team member via the Holo Forum. We may need to abandon the current chat space and create a new one.

Read this article for more details, or this article if you want to know even more about content moderation in hApps.

What should I do if I find a bug? What kinds of bugs are you looking for?

This stage of testing is an open, public test of Holochain and the Holo Hosting infrastructure. We believe that we’ve found all critical bugs in both, as well as many non-critical bugs that lead to reduced performance. We’re not looking for bugs in Elemental Chat itself, as it is just a proof-of-concept app.

Currently we’re looking for new, serious, persistent issues that are experienced by multiple people. Read this article to learn what kinds of bugs we are and aren’t interested in. If you’re seeing a bug that you think should be reported, here’s where to do it:

Why can’t I add a new channel?

In previous tests, anybody could add a channel. It was a great demonstration of what can be done in a hApp, but it created problems. The channel list was huge, with many duplicate channels. But most importantly, people spread out and conversations died quickly.

We want this to be an enjoyable experience for you, and we want to better understand performance over time. That means people need to keep sending messages! In the interest of supporting that, we decided to limit the number of channels in the hope that conversations will stay alive.

Why can I change my nickname so easily and to other people’s? Is it easy to impersonate other people in Holochain?

This chat app doesn’t have any restrictions on usernames, and doesn’t enforce unique names. You could build that into an app if you need it.

In Holochain, it is virtually impossible to actually impersonate another user because every action and communication you make is signed by your private key. However, in Elemental Chat we haven't designed usernames that reflect that fact. User avatars, on the other hand, are unique, unforgeable 'identicons' that are generated directly from the user's public key. We will also use these in the HoloFuel app to protect against fraud.

Is there a Code of Conduct for Elemental Chat?

There is!

Elemental Chat Code of Conduct

We are committed to making participation in this forum a harassment-free experience for everyone regardless of level of experience, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, personal appearance, race, ethnicity, age, religion, or nationality.

Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to:

  • Use of sexualized language or imagery
  • Personal attacks
  • Trolling and insulting/derogatory comments
  • Public or private harassment
  • Publishing private information without explicit permission (Example: physical or electronic address)

We appreciate your consideration, voice, and action in living into this code of conduct and welcome good-faith dialogue around it.

Does Elemental Chat have a Terms of Service?

Yes! And it's really long. ;-)

Alpha TestNet Terms & Conditions (Terms of Service)

I. INTRODUCTION:

Welcome to the Holo Alpha TestNet Program (“Program”).
This Alpha TestNet Program Participation Agreement (“Agreement”) sets out the terms and obligations for you (“Participant”), to install, use and test our product(s) [where applicable] before the Beta release of the Holo network. Please read this entire Agreement and indicate whether you agree to its terms by clicking to access, register, configure or download any or all of the Alpha Materials.

By accepting this Agreement, you will be entering into a binding agreement with Holo Ltd. (“Holo”). This Agreement contains provisions which may affect your legal rights. If you do not agree to all applicable terms set forth in this Agreement, please do not click to access, register, configure or download any or all of the Alpha Materials. If you proceed to do any of the above, it is deemed that you have accepted all terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.

FOR THE PURPOSE OF ALPHA TEST(S) WHICH ARE PART OF THIS PROGRAM CONDUCTED BY HOLO, PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL REFERENCES TO HOLOFUELTM SHALL RELATE TO ‘TEST FUEL’ AND SHALL NOT HAVE ANY RELATIONSHIP TO HOLOFUELTM AS SHALL BE USED IN THE BETA LAUNCH.

II. PAYMENT

You agree that Holo will not pay you, the Participant, for the services you provide in relation to this Program. The consideration you will receive for this Program will be the early access to use our Alpha Materials and products/services.

III. DEFINITIONS

As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the respective meanings indicated below:

“Affiliate” means a Company or any entity that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Company.

“Feedback” means and includes information that the Participant will be required to provide to Holo Ltd. as part of the Program.

“Test Fuel” means test units of account that are used exclusively for this Program and is unrelated to HoloFuelTM. Test Fuel does not and cannot be converted to HoloFuelTM at any given point. In the event of any change to this arrangement, the Participant will be duly notified.

“Participant” means any individual who has signed up, or has been invited to participate in this Program.

IV. ALPHA MATERIALS AND PROGRAM

Holo may provide you with software, hardware, documentation and access to the Alpha Testing website (collectively, “Alpha Materials”) that is required for participation in the Alpha TestNet Program. The Program may include Alpha Materials published by Holo.

Holo may terminate this Program at any time without cause or advance notice to you. For the purposes of Alpha Test(s) of the Holo platform, please note that all references to HoloFuelTM shall reflect ‘Test Fuel’ and shall not have any relationship to HoloFuelTM as shall be used in the Beta launch.

V. PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK

Holo or its Affiliates may obtain information from you regarding the use of the Alpha Materials or your participation in the Program via an electronic form, including information such as your name, email address, geographical location, networking information, IP addresses, or other information about who you are and how you’re interacting with Holo and/or Holochain. You agree to provide information to Holo regarding your experience using the Alpha Materials including the efficiency and usability of Alpha Materials. Your desired responses may include responding to surveys and/or reporting bug problems. Information you provide to Holo in connection with the Program, including ideas or inventions collected by Holo is referred to as “Feedback.”

You agree that Feedback:

(i) contains your original ideas or invention(s) related to the Holochain framework or the Holo Platform and is provided by you to Holo without payment or conditions;

(ii) once conveyed to Holo, becomes the property and confidential information of Holo;

(iii) may be used or distributed by Holo for any purpose in connection with this Program or development of any other product or service(s), including but not limited to disclosure of such information to Holo’s affiliates, subsidiaries or third-party developers and publishers; and

(iv) permits Holo to collect and use your personal information in connection with the Program, provided that Holo does not distribute that information to non-affiliated third parties without your permission or as otherwise stated in the applicable privacy policy of Holo Ltd. which can be found here:
Privacy Policy 4

VI. OWNERSHIP OF THE PROGRAM AND ALPHA MATERIALS

Holo, its affiliates or both own the Program, the Alpha Materials and the intellectual property rights associated with them. You may not copy, distribute, sell, license, loan or transfer the Alpha Materials. You shall keep the Alpha Materials in your possession, custody and control during the tenure of this Program and take reasonable efforts to prevent non Participants including unauthorized third parties from using or accessing those materials. You will be responsible for any loss or damage caused to the Alpha Materials or to Holo’s intellectual property rights in those materials, including loss or damage resulting from the disclosure of Alpha Materials or any Program information.

VII. CONFIDENTIALITY

You acknowledge and agree that:

(i) Alpha Materials, the Program and any information regarding your use of Alpha Materials, whether shared with Holo or not, are Holo’s confidential information. You will use Alpha Materials solely for the purpose of testing the Alpha Materials in connection with the Program, and you will not transfer, distribute or disclose any of the Alpha Materials, Feedback, or any information in connection with the Program to any third party, including through a public exhibition or display of this information. You will not discuss your experience with Alpha Materials with third parties or publish or disseminate information about those experiences;

(ii) Alpha Materials are not thoroughly tested and are pre-release materials that are not intended for public release;

(iii) the features provided in Alpha Materials may not be available in later releases;

(iv) disclosure of any part of Alpha Materials, Program, Feedback or your experiences using Alpha Materials or the Program to any third party, including any trade or consumer press, news agency or any competitor of Holo, will cause significant and irreparable harm to Holo, the extent of which may be difficult to ascertain. Accordingly, you agree that Holo is entitled to injunctive relief as well as all other legal remedies that may be available in the event you breach this Agreement.

VIII. PARTICIPANT’S WARRANTS AND REPRESENTATIONS

You warrant and represent that you:

(i) will conduct yourself responsibly in regards to participation in the Program and treatment of the Alpha Materials and Feedback following a reasonable, common-sense code of conduct;

(ii) will not in any way cause harm or inconvenience to Holo, its affiliates, subsidiaries or publishers;

(iii) agree that if you allow anyone else to use the Alpha Materials, you accept responsibility for their acts, including any violation of this Agreement which could result in a breach in any part of the Terms set forth in this Agreement;

(iv) will immediately notify Holo if you suspect or become aware that the Alpha Materials provided to you as part of this Program are distributed or transferred to a third party, and you will use your best efforts to help recover those Alpha Materials and to prevent any further loss of disclosure;

(v) will not misappropriate any of the intellectual property of Holo or any other party;

(vi) will not reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the Alpha Materials or engage in the unauthorized transfer, exhibition, export, import, or transmission of programs and will not use any devices to circumvent any authentication schemes unless such an action is intended for the purpose(s) of testing the product and is authorized by and communicated to Holo directly and within a reasonable time.

IX. NO GUARANTEE OF SERVER UPTIME/DISCLAIMER

Holo and each of its subsidiaries and affiliates do not guarantee the continuous operation of the servers used in connection with this Program. Holo is not liable for your inability to use the Alpha Materials or delay or failure of the servers to perform. If you receive a message during login identifying an error, please contact Holo Support as instructed in your Alpha Test welcome information.

X. NO WARRANTIES AND REPRESENTATIONS

The Alpha Materials provided by Holo under the terms of this Agreement are provided “as is” and, to the maximum extent provided under law, Holo disclaims all representations and warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. From time to time, problems beyond Holo’s reasonable control may prevent or delay your access to the Program or cause the Program or the Alpha Materials to fail to perform. In the event of a dispute regarding your use of any of the Alpha Materials you agree that Holo may exclude your participation in this Program and may repair or replace the Alpha Materials (if applicable) at Holo’s option. You agree that Holo has no liability for discontinuing the Program for any reason that it may deem necessary. All other software not published by Holo is the sole responsibility of the named publisher.

XI. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND REMEDIES

The foregoing limitations, exclusions and disclaimers apply to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, even if any remedy fails of its essential purpose. Holo or its affiliates will not be liable for any special, incidental, indirect, or consequential damages in relation to this Agreement.

XII. TERM/TERMINATION

Either party may terminate this Agreement at any time. Holo may terminate the Agreement by sending an email notification to you, and if possible, shall remove terminated Participants from any forum or group tools used by the Participant community. You may terminate this Agreement by sending a written notification of termination via email to [email protected] stating the reason for the same. Your account’s participation privileges may be terminated immediately if you fail to comply with the terms of this Agreement or if you fail to provide Feedback. Holo also reserves the right to terminate your participation in the Program at any time without cause. Upon termination, you are required to return any Alpha Material in your possession to Holo unless the same has been validly purchased by you.

XIII. ENTIRE AGREEMENT

This Agreement is the entire understanding between you and Holo, governing the Program and Alpha Materials. In the event of any conflict between this Agreement and the terms of a third-party agreement (if applicable), including a third-party privacy policy, the terms of this Agreement will prevail as between you and Holo.

XIV. GOVERNING LAW AND VENUE

You agree that the laws of Gibraltar shall govern the terms of this Agreement and your participation in the Program. You also submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Gibraltar courts in all matters relating to it except to the extent that Holo invokes the jurisdiction of the Courts of any other country.

XV. SURVIVAL OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS

The provisions of this Agreement set forth in Sections V (Confidentiality) and X (Term/Termination) and any remedies for the breach thereof, shall survive the expiration of this Agreement.

XVI. QUESTIONS

Should you have any queries or issues concerning this Agreement, please contact Holo Support at [email protected].

Why am I having trouble getting access to Elemental Chat with Holochain Launcher?

Though we’ve previously tested Elemental Chat with both the hosted version and Holochain Launcher (and it worked well!) we’re not supporting Launcher for this test. However, everyone is more than welcome to try out Launcher and create their own private chat space.

How much power / bandwidth / electricity is this chat using? Who’s paying for it?

It’s hard to know for sure, but we can make some estimates. If there are 500 HoloPorts running at less than 1/10 capacity with a 45 watt power supply (which draw between 10 to 32 watts depending on load) then that comes out to around 11 kWh for every hour the network is running. Compare that to 2.1 million kWh per hour for the Ethereum network or 656 kWh for a single bitcoin transaction!

At the moment each host running a HoloPort is paying their own electricity, but keep in mind that it’s like having a 25 watt light bulb turned on. It’s a little early to make serious bandwidth estimates, and they vary hugely based on usage load and creation of new content. Since chat messages are small, overall bandwidth per node is quite small just like energy consumption is low.

What is the Publisher Portal?

There are three apps that give hosts, publishers, and app users the ability to interact in Holo’s marketplace of P2P applications. Publisher Portal, Host Console, and HoloFuel.

The Publisher Portal is the app where:

  • hApps are set up and published
  • Publishers buy HoloFuel from a reserve account
  • Displays cost & usage
  • Receives and auto-pays hosting invoices

What is the Host Console?

There are three apps that give hosts, publishers, and app users the ability to interact in Holo’s marketplace of P2P applications. Host Console, Publisher Portal, and HoloFuel.

The Host Console is the app where:

  • Displays payments & earnings
  • Hosts redeem HoloFuel for HOT from the reserve account
  • Displays hApp usage
  • Generates and displays hosting invoices

Will I be able to cash my HoloFuel in the reserve accounts once we get to Beta?

Unfortunately, you will not be able to redeem your HoloFuel for HOT or other reserve account currencies. There are validations in the redemption process related to hosting that can only take place after the Beta release. HoloFuel earned during the HoloPort Alpha program will therefore need to be traded on exchanges once HoloFuel is listed—sometime after the Beta release.

How do I get my HoloFuel? 

After we’ve launched the Beta version of the HoloFuel app, we will email you a digital  certificate. You will need to set up your HoloFuel account and send a request to the Holo account we share with you. You will use the Certificate to validate the request and HoloFuel will be transferred automatically to you.

When will I receive an accrual statement for the use of my HoloPort? 

Every month you’ll receive an email statement with the total HoloFuel you’ve accrued for the month.

Will I be able to cash out my HoloFuel?

HoloFuel will accrue on Holo’s books and will be transferred to your HoloFuel account when Holo reaches Beta. Holo cannot offer an option for you to cash-out the HoloFuel to other currencies—you will need to wait until HoloFuel is tradeable on 3rd party exchanges—which will be sometime after Beta, more likely after the 6 month swap period.

How can I be sure my HoloPort has 95% uptime (or greater)?

Beyond ensuring it has an aurora light pattern (the multi-colored one) and is connected to the Internet, you’ll receive regular month-to-date reports of your HoloPort Availability metrics.

What do I need to do after I’ve registered for the HoloPort Alpha Program? 

The only thing you need to do is ensure your HoloPort is plugged in, has an aurora light pattern (the multi-colored one) and is connected to the Internet. If you have any issues, come join us on the Holo Forum at forum.holo.host.

How do I participate in the HoloPort Alpha Program?

New registrations for the HoloPort Alpha Program are now closed. We may open the program again as we get closer to Beta.

For future registrations the requirements are:

  • Own a HoloPort and have it connected to the Internet
  • HoloPorts must be updated to the latest version of HPOS and running on the Holo network
  • Participants must be signed up and accepted into the HoloPort Alpha Program
  • HoloPorts must have monthly uptime of 95%

What is the Host Console?

The Host Console is an application installed on a HoloPort that allows a host to access information about their hosting services that are provided to publishers.

What is the HoloPort Alpha Program?

While Holo has been in the Alpha phase for a while, the HoloPort Alpha Program, announced in July 2021, is a distinct initiative. It is a baseline of reliable hosting capacity for Alpha testing the Holo hosting network and its initial applications, by offering HoloFuel advance certificates to hosts who can commit to maintaining 95% uptime.

It is currently closed to new registrations, but may reopen again before Beta.

Learn more about this topic

Resource The HoloPort Alpha Program

What happened to the HoloPort Nano?

The HoloPort Nano was to be a small, low-power Holo hosting device. It promised to demonstrate to the world that resource-constrained computers could actually handle cryptographically secured peer-to-peer applications — and lots of them, in fact. Early benchmarks of our Holochain prototype proved that we could run 50 instances of a hApp (that means 50 hosted users) on a Raspberry Pi at 10,000× the processing speed of Ethereum.

While we still believe this is important to prove, the COVID pandemic has disrupted supply chains, causing worldwide chip shortages. This repeatedly delayed the expected delivery date of HoloPort Nanos. In July 2021 we made the hard decision to cancel Nano production and offer a full refund or upgrade credit for all Nano purchasers.

Learn more about this topic

Resource HoloPort Nano Update -- options for Nano backers

What is SSH?

SSH is a protocol that allows a device requesting information or services (in this case our customer support or dev team) to connect to another device (your HoloPort). When we connect over SSH, your HoloPort can be accessed by our team like it’s their own computer which is super helpful for us to debug issues.

SSH is a feature that we have built into the settings of your HoloPort so that you can turn it on when you want to grant the Holo team access to your device and you can turn it off when you want to remove that access. Generally you shouldn’t turn on SSH unless we ask you.

We don't take SSH access for granted and we want to ensure that hosts have the agency and control to both turn it on when it is needed, and turn it off when it isn’t.

Learn more about this topic

Resource About SSH

What’s next?

It depends when you read this. ;-) At the high level check out our roadmap will show the progressive milestones we’ve set for ourselves. You can also hear more regular updates on the Holo Forum news section and also on twitter.

Will Holo hosts have an exclusive period of time to earn HoloFuel before DIY hardware is allowed in the Beta network?

Supporting HoloPorts is our first priority since they are our first supporters and actual customers. HoloPorts also provide the network with a controlled, reliable environment for infrastructure testing and customer support. We need to make sure they are set up and functioning well, before devoting any time or energy on DIY hosts.

Our other customers are the people paying to host their apps, so we will also need to make sure there is ample hosting power available to serve them. However, since we’ve sold over 2500 HoloPorts, we already have a surplus of capacity as those devices all come online.

Later, as demand for Holo hosting grows, and we have high performance apps (e.g. P2P YouTube) we do expect businesses to build larger data center installations to serve that market. Part of our contract with these larger providers will involve a requirement that they dedicate a portion of their system power to providing proxy services for normal peer hosts to ensure they don’t get squeezed out of the hosting market.

Because HPOS is an open-source project, we do expect we’ll see support from the community emerge to help people use their own devices, even if we haven’t been able to make that a priority for the company.

What is the data field in HoloFuel transactions?

The data field in HoloFuel transactions is intended for use when an automated agent will be receiving the offer or request for HoloFuel. Typically as a user you will have been given instructions about when and how to use it.

This feature is used by Holo when sending certificates for payment of HoloFuel to vendors or other third-parties.

Add digital certificate to HoloFuel Request

When will I receive my HoloFuel Certificate?

If you are due HoloFuel from Holo, you will receive a digital HoloFuel Certificate upon mainnet launch of the Holo network. Most certificates cannot be transferred. You will be able to redeem your certificate for HoloFuel within the HoloFuel app after the Beta launch of the network in 2021.

Can I sell my HoloFuel?

When the Holo network is live, HoloFuel can be transferred to any other HoloFuel account holder. It can also be used to pay hosting invoices for Holo hosting services using the Publisher Portal. Exchanges may list and support exchange of HoloFuel.

Can I transfer my HoloFuel Certificate to someone else?

Transfer of your HoloFuel Certificate is not allowed if you purchased the hosting credits during the Advance sale according to the Terms and Conditions. Other certificates may be transferred. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have detailed questions or requests.

Can I cancel my pre-purchase of HoloFuel hosting credits?

Cancellation, refund or transfer of certificates from the Advance Sale of HoloFuel hosting credits is guided by the Terms and Conditions of the sale. No cancellations or refunds may be given at this time. After the network is live and you redeem your certificate for HoloFuel, there will be no further restriction of transfer.

What can I do with HoloFuel?

As with any currency, you can hold it (savings) or transfer it to others (spending). In particular, HoloFuel is intended to be spent by publishers of applications to pay for hosting services on the Holo network. Publishers pay these invoices in the Publisher Portal application. HoloFuel may be transferred to another HoloFuel user account using the HoloFuel application.

What will I do with my HoloFuel Certificate?

You will use the digital certificate in the HoloFuel app to initiate the transfer of HoloFuel to your account.

What is a HoloFuel Certificate?

A HoloFuel Certificate is a unique digital code used by Holo to transfer HoloFuel to end-users. Certificates will be tested during Alpha Testing, but will not be real or usable until after the Holo network is in mainet (Beta). Redeemable certificates will be sent upon Beta launch of the network.

How much HoloFuel will I receive when I redeem my certificate?

If you purchased HoloFuel hosting credits during the advance sale in 2018, you will receive 8,145.54 per USD that you paid.

If you are being sent a certificate for payment of work, it will be according to the terms of your agreement with Holo.

For further questions about your amount in particular, you can message [email protected] for more detail.

What is Holochain?

Holochain is an open source framework for building fully distributed, peer-to-peer applications.

Holochain apps are versatile, resilient, scalable, and thousands of times more efficient than blockchain (no token or mining required). The purpose of Holochain is to enable humans to interact with each other by mutual-consent to a shared set of rules, without relying on any authority to dictate or unilaterally change those rules. Peer-to-peer interaction means you own and control your data, with no intermediary (e.g., Google, Facebook, Uber) collecting, selling, or losing it.

Data ownership also enables new frontiers of user agency, letting you do more with your data (imagine truly personal A.I., whose purpose is to serve you, rather than the corporation that created it). With the user at the center, composable and customizable applications become possible.

Blockchains turn everything into tokens, whereas currencies are optional in Holochain, working best where issuance takes place through the actions of peers (like ratings), or as double-entry accounting. Other ideal uses for Holochain include:

  • Social networks
  • Supply chains
  • Peer-to-peer platform co-ops (e.g., cooperatively owned versions of Uber or Airbnb)
  • Rating systems & reputational currencies
  • Collective intelligence (e.g., governance, workflow, feedback systems)
  • Collaboration (e.g., discussion boards, scheduling, wikis)

How does it work? Briefly, Holochain combines ideas from BitTorrent and Git, along with cryptographic signatures, peer validation, and gossip.

Learn more about this topic

Resource Holochain in 100, 200, and 500 words
Resource Introduction to Holochain
Resource Holochain Core Concepts
Resource Best of Holo and Holochain Videos

What is Holo?

Holo is a distributed peer-to-peer hosting platform for Holochain apps (hApps), a bridge to the new Internet.

Holo acts as a bridge between the distributed Holochain apps and the current centralized web. Holo brings access to distributed applications to the familiar web browser by creating an ecosystem and currency that enable distributed hosting services provided by peers.

Holo does to web hosting what Airbnb did to hotels—anyone can turn their computer into a source of revenue by becoming a host and getting paid in HoloFuel for hosting distributed applications. The Holo software runs in the background, allocating spare storage and processing power to serve hApps to the legacy web. Hosts​ ​choose what hApps to serve, set their own hosting prices, and manage their own priorities.

As our flagship application built on Holochain, Holo’s purpose is to make hApps easily accessible to mainstream Internet users. These users might not be ready to install and experiment with next-gen crypto software like Holochain, as most are not overly familiar with distributed web applications. However, by typing or clicking on a URL in a web browser, which IS familiar, users will be able to access hApps in the way in which they are already accustomed.

Holo runs on Holochain—a next-generation framework for building P2P apps that goes beyond DeFI and NFTs to address coordination at scale with self-owned data and peer accountability.

Learn more about this topic

Resource What is HoloFuel?

What is HoloFuel?

HoloFuel is Holo's native, asset-backed, mutual-credit currency.

HoloFuel is a Holochain-based currency that is a contractual service obligation, redeemable for hosting. HoloFuel is a mutual-credit accounting system capable of performing billions of daily microtransactions. Its primary use is for Holochain application (hApp) providers to pay Holo hosts for their services.

HoloFuel benefits:

  • A completely peer-to-peer cryptocurrency.
  • Optimized for high speed and minimal fees.
  • Currency you earn for hosting on Holo, and redeem to pay your bills.
  • Completely accountable and transparent crypto-accounting, operating by known and shared rules running on every host machine.

How is HoloFuel different?

  • Mutual Credit: Unlike other cryptocurrencies which are primarily used for speculation, HoloFuel is not tokens created from nothing. It is a double-entry crypto-accounting framework in which units are created, transferred, or destroyed at transaction time.
  • Asset-Backed: HoloFuel is backed by the computing power of hosts like you across the globe. That means it can be redeemed for a product with real utility.
  • Value-Stable: The value of HoloFuel is connected to the computing capacity of the network of hosts. This capacity evolves and changes slowly and isn't subject to huge spikes and crashes the way other speculative tokens are.
  • Scalable: HoloFuel is designed for micro-transactions, which means it needs to support millions of global value exchanges per second at fractional values. This is possible thanks to Holochain's massively parallel design.

How can I use HoloFuel?

  • Spend it through a variety of apps and online marketplaces.
  • Redeem fuel earned by hosting for other currencies to pay your bills.
  • Borrow it, based on your proven hosting track record, to pay for things.

HoloFuel marks the beginning of a new era of cryptocurrencies backed by the capacity provided by people. All of the currency supply is correlated to building and providing the computing power of the Holo network. We always create that value together.

Most cryptocurrencies are modeled as digital objects tracked on a global ledger. With HoloFuel, each user has their own ledger showing their account balance and transaction history. Each transaction requires an agreement between two people, which is then recorded on their respective ledgers and validated by peers in the network.

Mutual credit means that every credit (positive) has an equally matching debit (negative), giving a net supply of zero and a dynamic circulating supply that’s responsive to the actual market behavior of its users.

Credit limits are directly connected to a demonstrated capacity to repay a negative balance by providing hosting resources. HoloFuel is directly redeemable for hosting services. HoloFuel is therefore backed by computing power, a valuable modern asset.

Being asset-backed and having a dynamic supply means that HoloFuel can be value-stable without being static or requiring a peg. HoloFuel can optimize the market value of its units in relation to the cost of hosting, creating a steady and stable trajectory.

The agent-centric design allows for the transactions per second (TPS) to increase the more people use it, mirroring how the English language’s “words per second” increases as more people speak it. Therefore, HoloFuel is scalable for mass adoption.

There is no mining or staking involved in earning HoloFuel—only the useful work of web hosting. Anyone can become a host and be compensated by application providers who want their hApp served to the web.

Learn more about this topic

Resource HoloFuel Economics 101
Resource HOT vs HoloFuel
Resource Mutual Credit: A Cryptocurrency As Old As Civilization

What is a HoloPort?

The HoloPort is an easy and direct way to support the distributed Internet, designed to host peer-to-peer Holochain applications.

As easy-to-use dedicated Holo hosting devices, HoloPorts serve as a bridge between the community running distributed Holochain applications and visitors from the web. Owners of HoloPorts can charge fees for their hosting service and earn HoloFuel. HoloPorts come in two sizes—the the HoloPort and the HoloPort+.

The HoloPort is a plug and play device built for hosting Holochain apps to service mainstream web users.

The HoloPort runs as a stand-alone server with a Linux distro installed, pre-configured, to run/host efficiently. A HoloPort needs Internet service, but it does not need to be connected to a computer.

HoloPort can run 24/7 using very little electricity (15W-45W). It will come with a Holo host Linux image (based on a custom NixOS build) that includes a mobile/web UI to configure your host settings.

You will need to interface with the Holo admin UI to configure some settings. You can select the hApps you want to host.

Eventually HoloPorts will NOT be required for hosting on Holo. Anyone can be a host. In the future, you will be able to a) download the Holo Host OS image, or b) download the Holo hApp that can be installed on existing Linux/Window/Mac systems, including low-power computers such as Raspberry Pi and enterprise devices.

Learn more about this topic

Resource Could I use my HoloPort as a regular computer if I wanted to?
Resource How much bandwidth does a HoloPort use?

What’s the difference between Holochain and Holo?

What is Holochain?

Holochain is a framework for creating and powering distributed applications, incorporating peer-to-peer content distribution protocol, cryptography, and hash tables.

Holochain is a data integrity engine in which transactions are immutable and users control their own identity and data 'chain.'

What is Holo?

Holo is a marketplace and distributed hosting platform that allows Holochain app developers to have their applications hosted by HoloHosts, thus making them available to everyday users of the Internet.

Learn more about this topic

Resource Holochain in 100, 200, and 500 words
Resource Introduction to Holochain
Resource Best of Holo and Holochain Videos

Will HoloFuel have a wallet?

Yes, the HoloFuel app will function as your HoloFuel account (‘wallet’).

The HoloFuel app, account, and wallet are all the same thing.

The HoloFuel app functions as your HoloFuel account where your transaction history and HoloFuel balance will be stored. One day, it’s possible that a hardware wallet could support HoloFuel.

Each user will have their own identity, account (‘wallet’), and source chain on Holo; giving you the ability to transact with others and develop a log of transactions recorded to your source chain. The sum of your inbound and outbound transactions in your transaction history determines your current balance.

Learn more about this topic

Resource HoloFuel Economics 101
Resource HOT vs. HoloFuel
Resource What is HoloFuel?

What’s the difference between HOT and HoloFuel? Is HoloFuel like ETH gas?

HoloToken (HOT, ERC20) is NOT (≠) HoloFuel (HOLO). HoloToken (HOT) is a placeholder and an IOU for HoloFuel.

HoloFuel is a bit like Ethereum gas. HoloFuel and HOT are designed differently and have different purposes. HoloFuel is designed to perform billions of daily microtransactions for hosting services and it works P2P. HoloFuel is Holo's native, asset-backed, mutual-credit currency. The cost for sending HoloFuel is a flat 1%, so it is ideal for micro-transactions.

Ethereum, Bitcoin, HoloToken (HOT, ERC20), and HoloFuel are cryptocurrencies.

Holo Green Paper

p8: In the future the micro-transaction flows for hosting payments could also undergird a general purpose cryptocurrency payment system in a similar way that “gas” both powers the Ethereum transaction engine.

p37: HoloFuel is credit to purchase hosting services on the Holo network. It works as a unit of account in Holo using value-stable double-entry accounting.

When it is released, you will be able to buy HoloFuel through the Reserve Account, third party exchanges, peer-to-peer, etc.

Learn more about this topic

Resource HOT vs. HoloFuel
Resource HoloFuel Economics 101
Resource What is HoloFuel?

Is there a ≤1% transaction fee?

All HoloFuel transactions will incur a ≤1% transaction fee initially, paid by the sender, and transaction fees will always be in the range of 0-1%.

HoloFuel is designed for micro-transactions—millions of transactions at fractional values. HoloFuel is divisible in fractional units. This is an enormous infrastructure to support and has never been done before. Holo will charge a ≤1% fee on all transactions to support building and scaling this infrastructure. Holo will look to decrease transaction fees, maintaining enough revenue to sustain the infrastructure services, after it has scaled enough to meet the expected demand and cost of servicing the infrastructure.

Further notes on transaction fees:

  • The sender incurs the transaction fee, not the recipient.
  • Hosts do not incur transaction fees for providing hosting, fees happen when they transfer, withdraw, or redeem HoloFuel.
  • Peer-to-peer transactions incur the transaction fee.
  • In transactions involving HoloFuel and another Holochain-based currency, the sender will incur the transaction fee.
  • HoloFuel is not required for running a Holochain app; it is only required for hosting a Holochain app on the Holo Host network.

Three possible exceptions:

  • Fees may not be incurred on transactions between agents who comprise one identity (e.g. a HoloPort, laptop, and phone that all belong to me).
  • Large financial transactions (not micro-transactions) may incur reduced fees. We will review this as the need arises.
  • Holochain-based cryptocurrencies do not incur the ≤1% fee on their own transactions, but will incur fees for the HoloFuel they use to pay their hosting fees for all agents whose chains are hosted on the Holo Host network.

Learn more about this topic

Resource Holo: The evolution of cloud computing
Resource What is HoloFuel?

Why is there no supply limit for HoloFuel?

Having a dynamic supply allows HoloFuel to adapt to the needs of the hosting economy, protecting it against extreme price volatility.

Dynamic supply is inherent in the design of a mutual credit currency, where every credit (positive) has an equally matching debit (negative). The constant interplay between positive and negative accounts determines the circulating supply at any given moment.

This dynamism is critical for HoloFuel to be useful as a medium of exchange. It allows the supply to organically respond to demand in the hosting economy, expanding or contracting as demand increases or falls (see “How does HoloFuel’s dynamic supply work?” for more details).

A currency with wild price movements is good for speculative swing trading, but not for a day-to-day, productive use. HoloFuel is made to be stable enough for normal people to trust with doing business.

Learn more about this topic

Resource HoloFuel Economics 101
Resource What is HoloFuel?
Resource Mutual Credit: A Cryptocurrency As Old As Civilization

How does HoloFuel’s dynamic supply work?

As a mutual credit currency, HoloFuel’s supply is determined by the interactions between agents with positive and negative balances. The key factors influencing the supply are:

  1. Hosts’ spending behaviors into and out of negative balances (confined by their credit limit)
  2. How often people buy fuel from reserve accounts vs. regular exchanges
  3. Hosts’ redemption behaviors

HoloFuel is a mutual credit currency:

Transactions between two accounts with positive balances (or two with negative balances) have no impact on circulating supply. To see why, consider this example:

Fatima and Ellie both have a balance of 100 HoloFuel, representing a supply of 200 HoloFuel total. Fatima agrees to pay Ellie 50, so that Fatima ends up with 50 and Ellie ends up with 150, resulting in the same 200 HoloFuel in circulation—exactly what existed before they transacted.

In contrast, consider this variation:

Fatima, an application provider, has a balance of 200 HoloFuel. Ellie, a host, has a negative balance of -200. These balances represent a total active supply of 200 HoloFuel total. Fatima agrees to pay Ellie 50 HoloFuel for hosting services. Fatima ends up with 150 and Ellie ends up with -150, paying off part of Ellie’s debt and removing 50 HoloFuel from circulation.

Therefore, it is only accounts with credit limits, host and reserve accounts, that determine the supply of HoloFuel. When their balances go negative, circulating supply goes up. When their negative balances move toward positive again, in other words, as their debts are paid off, supply goes down - as long as the negative account is transacting with a positive one.

Here are the specific factors that determine how HoloFuel’s supply changes over time (key points are in bold):

  1. Supply decreases every time a host with a positive account balance redeems the fuel they earned through hosting. Since Reserve Accounts always have a negative HoloFuel balance, backed by fiat reserves, supply is removed from circulation when a host redeems for an outside currency through the reserve, paying off part of the reserve account’s HoloFuel debt.
  2. Hosts have the right to spend below zero, the credit limit being determined algorithmically based on their demonstrated ability to earn back that debt through hosting (i.e., their fuel debt is backed by hosting power). Circulating supply changes depending on how much hosts choose to spend (supply goes up) or pay off (supply goes down) their credit.
  3. HoloFuel can be purchased from Reserve Accounts or acquired by trading on regular exchanges. The price of HoloFuel on Reserve Accounts will be determined by an algorithm that takes into account the price at which Hosts are willing to redeem. When people buy fuel from the reserve (e.g., if the price is lower on the reserve than the exchange), the circulating supply will increase. Buying from an exchange will have no impact on supply.

To summarize: The supply of HoloFuel can expand and contract in response to demand, adjusting to the actual market behavior of its users.

Learn more about this topic

Resource HoloFuel Economics 101
Resource What is HoloFuel?
Resource Mutual Credit: A Cryptocurrency As Old As Civilization

What is HOT? When can I swap it for HoloFuel?

HoloToken (HOT) is a placeholder that will be convertible 1:1 for HoloFuel during the 6 month swap period after the Holo Beta release.

HOT is an ERC-20 token sold as an IOU for HoloFuel during our Initial Community Offering (ICO) in April 2018. The funds raised are being used for the development of Holo and Holochain, which are the underlying technological infrastructure.

Regardless of the past monetary value of either HOT or HoloFuel, HOT will be accepted as a straight swap during the 6-month swap period. It will be 1 HOT for 1 HoloFuel. You will still be able to purchase HoloFuel with HOT following the guaranteed swap period, but the prices may vary from 1:1.

Learn more about this topic

Resource HoloFuel Economics 101
Resource HOT vs HoloFuel

How can I start earning HoloFuel?

Once Holo launches, you can earn HoloFuel by hosting Holochain apps to service mainstream internet users providing hosting services.

HoloPorts are efficient, plug and play devices that make hosting easier, especially for those who might not be comfortable with Linux. You can pre-order a HoloPort on shop.holo.host.

Anyone can become a host by buying a HoloPort hosting device or, in the future, downloading the Holo app (no purchase required).

In the future, there will be additional ways to earn HoloFuel. For example, credit may be extended for exchange or barter based on trust, services, and skills.

You will be able to buy HoloFuel from Holo, third party exchanges, peer-to-peer, and from apps that sell HoloFuel. These are the options that we know today, who knows what will be possible tomorrow?!

Holo’s Reserve Accounts will only redeem HoloFuel that is earned through hosting services. The system is designed to know how HoloFuel was earned, so you can only convert HoloFuel into other currencies for hosting.

HoloFuel obtained, but not earned from hosting, is likely to be able to be exchanged and traded on third party exchanges and platforms.

Holo Green Paper

- p5: Holo Hosts get paid for providing hosting to mainstream users who just use their browser instead of installing Holochain.

- p7: Holo​ enables hosts to turn a consumer-grade mini-computer into a source of revenue, where they get paid for hosting distributed applications. Hosts ​choose what apps to serve, and set their own hosting prices and priorities.

- p18: General Purpose Transfers and Transactions: Initially, Holo ​will only support hosting services and so support hosting transactions only. Eventually Holo​ needs to be able to support general purpose transfers and transactions that are not just hosting transactions.

- p33: Hosts will be required to register if they want to redeem credits for outside currencies through reserve accounts.

Learn more about this topic

Resource Holo: The evolution of cloud computing
Resource What is HoloFuel?
Resource HoloFuel Economics 101

Why does Holo need its own currency?

We needed to design a new kind of currency for Holo because no existing payment network met these needs:

  1. Low cost in terms of fees and computing cycles.
  2. Millions of transactions per second and batched accounting of service provision.
  3. Value-stable, with dynamic supply, backed by valuable assets.

Distributed hosting requires microtransactions, which is the main reason we need a currency that can process payments worth fractions of a penny while still costing less (in fees and computing cycles) than the original computing and funds being counted. We designed HoloFuel to have low computational overhead; its efficiency allows us to charge 1% or less in transaction fees.

For Holo to serve the trillions of small computational interactions required for a distributed hosting ecosystem, we’ve designed its currency to support millions of transactions per second (TPS) and account for service provision in batches. HoloFuel’s TPS technically has no limit, increasing as the network scales up - thanks to Holochain’s highly efficient, agent-centric approach to data integrity.

A useful currency can’t just be a “digital gold” store of value. It has to function well as a medium of exchange, which means it needs to be stable enough for people to trust doing business with it.

HoloFuel optimizes the market value of its units in relation to the cost of hosting by 1) allowing for the currency supply to be dynamic in response to actual market behavior of its users (see Why is there no supply limit for HoloFuel? and How does HoloFuel’s dynamic supply work?), and 2) being asset-backed by the hosting resources of the network. These design features give the currency a steady and stable trajectory without being value-static or requiring a peg.

Learn more about this topic

Resource What is HoloFuel?
Resource HoloFuel Economics 101

If HoloFuel is value-stable, what’s the point of buying it?

Value-stable ≠ value-static

HoloFuel’s main purpose is to be used by publishers to pay hosts for serving their hApps to the web. It’s designed to be stable enough for people to trust doing business with.

That being said, value-stable doesn’t mean the price is fixed. It will most likely be less volatile, but it can still go up or down. It also won’t be value-stable immediately upon launch -- it will take time to find an equilibrium. Until that stability is found, we do expect significant price movement.

As outlined in a Medium post we put out just prior to our ICO, we have identified five key factors that determine HoloFuel’s value:

  1. Current market for decentralised and centralised hosting through Ethereum, Amazon Web Services, and others
  2. Demand for distributed computation, personal data ownership, and hosting
  3. Number of hosts, and their prices based on ability to run on cheap hardware
  4. Popularity of apps and usage levels of hosting power on the Holo network
  5. Relative demand from hosts for redeeming out into each reserve currency

We won’t give investment advice. In fact, buying now with the hope of making huge returns is not an investment. It’s speculation, and it involves some risk and uncertainty. You’ll have to decide for yourself whether you think the risk is a smart one.

Learn more about this topic

Resource Holo’s ERC20 token (HOT) and Mutual Credit Cryptocurrency (HoloFuel)

How does Holochain manage consensus and data integrity?

Holochain maintains data integrity without the need for global consensus. It uses an agent-centric approach, combining ideas from BitTorrent and Git, along with cryptographic signatures, peer validation, and gossip.

An overview:

  • hApps have validation rules.
  • Agents have their own local, tamper-resistant hash-chains recording their actions, built upon hApp rules.
  • Each hash-chain entry is cryptographically signed (multi-party actions, like transactions, are mutually countersigned).
  • Data is shared to random peers who validate it.
  • Validators gossip to share good data, warn against bad data, and eject bad actors.

1. hApps have validation rules.

When people ask about consensus, what they really want to know is how users can agree on the “facts” of their interactions, technically known as data integrity. Holochain applications (hApps) maintain data integrity without the need for blockchain-style global consensus.

Things in the real world—atoms, cells, bodies—maintain the integrity of their individual and collective state just fine without consensus on a global ledger. In the same way, Holochain’us approach to data-integrity is agent-centric, rather than data-centric, with each node being like a cell that maintains its own state while remaining bound to the physical and biological constraints of the ecosystem in which it lives.

2. Agents have their own local, tamper-resistant hash-chains recording their actions, built upon hApp rules.

The “biological constraints” of a hApp are encoded in its validation rules—the DNA of the application. These rules are the only things nodes in a hApp need to maintain global consensus. With these rules as the foundation, each user keeps an immutable record of their own actions on a local hash-chain, DNA being the first entry on the chain. Each tweet, vote on a poll, or currency transaction (depending on the hApp) would be an additional entry on the agent’s chain for that application.

Keep in mind that Holochain is not a platform like Ethereum, where every dApp runs on the same network. Each hApp has its own validation rules and its own separate network. If an agent tries to cheat by tampering with their copy of the validation rules, they fork themselves off into a separate, lonely hApp just for them.

3. Each hash-chain entry is cryptographically signed (multi-party actions, like transactions, are mutually countersigned).

Each hash-chain entry is cryptographically signed to prove authorship and ensure accountability. Multi-party interactions (e.g., transactions) are mutually countersigned to each party’s chain, and peers are able to audit each other’s chains before agreeing to an interaction or transaction.

Nodes can then share data with each other via a distributed hash-table (DHT), the same technology underlying BitTorrent’s peer-to-peer file sharing protocol. What’s different about Holochain’s DHT is that it also ensures that the shared data follows validation rules.

4. Data is shared to random peers who validate it.

To share data, an agent’s device sends it to a subset of random peers (randomness defends against collusion) based on the similarity of their public key hashes to the hash of the data being shared. These random devices check that the shared data follows the rules of the application. The data is rejected if it breaks the rules. If it follows the rules, the validator marks it valid, signs that statement, and propagates the data by gossiping to the network.

5. Validators gossip to share good data, warn against bad data, and eject bad actors.

If a node is found to be propagating or validating bad data, that node is blocked and a warning is sent to others via gossip. This effectively deny bad actors from participating in the app.

Additional measures to defend against flooding the network with fake validators are customizable for each application. A messaging app may only need basic protections, such as using email verification, whereas a supply chain handling million-dollar transactions may require vouching from industry peers, an invitation code, and government ID verification to join the network.

It’s worth noting that consensus algorithms can be built on Holochain if desired, though they would have the same unnecessary wastefulness and inflexibility of blockchains. We have been able to map an alternate approach for every situation that seemed to need an absolute sequence of events or global consensus. We found solutions that do not have those requirements.

Learn more about this topic

Resource Beyond Blockchain: Simple Scalable Cryptocurrencies
Resource Holochain Core Concepts: DHT
Resource
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