Function

In Zentra, the atomic unit of on-chain code is a function. Unlike traditional smart contracts, Zentra's functions are designed to be the primary mechanism for extending the capabilities of the Zentra ecosystem.

Freedom in Development, Consensus in Deployment

Developers are encouraged to freely innovate and develop new functions. This can be done using the Zentra Playground or the local development environment. The goal is to foster a vibrant ecosystem where new ideas can be rapidly prototyped and tested.

However, while development is permissionless, deployment to the mainnet is not. This design choice stems from Zentra's philosophy of maintaining a stable, secure, and resource-efficient global state. To ensure the quality and necessity of new functions, a consensus mechanism is in place.

Composability and Reusability

One of the key advantages of Zentra's function-centric design is its inherent composability. Unlike monolithic smart contracts, which often require forking and modification for new use cases, Zentra functions can be combined and reused in powerful ways:

• Granular Control: When creating an asset, you explicitly specify which functions are authorized to operate on that asset. This provides fine-grained control over asset behavior and security.

• Flexible Combinations: Users and developers can select and combine a set of existing functions to achieve specific goals, without the need to write new code or modify existing contracts. This significantly reduces development time and complexity.

• Maximized Code Reuse: This modular approach maximizes the reuse of existing, audited, and battle-tested code. It helps prevent the proliferation of countless duplicate or similar code snippets that would otherwise occupy valuable global state space, contributing to a more efficient and sustainable blockchain.

The Role of Zentra Improvement Proposals (ZIPs)

Before a function is officially deployed to the mainnet, it should go through the Zentra Improvement Proposal (ZIP) process. This process serves several crucial purposes:

• Community Consensus: It allows the broader Zentra community and core developers to review, discuss, and provide feedback on the proposed function. This ensures that new additions align with the ecosystem's long-term vision and meet community needs.

• Quality Assurance: The ZIP process facilitates early identification of potential issues, security vulnerabilities, or inefficiencies, leading to more robust and reliable functions.

• Developer Engagement & Marketing: For developers, initiating a ZIP can also be viewed as a strategic marketing opportunity. By engaging with the community early, developers can gauge interest, gather support, and build an audience for their proposed system. This proactive approach helps ensure that the developed functions will be utilized and valued by the community upon deployment, preventing the scenario where a well-built system goes unused due to lack of awareness or consensus.

By balancing development freedom with a structured deployment process, Zentra aims to cultivate a high-quality, sustainable, and community-driven blockchain ecosystem.