Introduction

The articles in this section of the documentation hub offer a foundation for understanding the core concepts of metagraphs and their interaction with the Hypergraph. They also provide a basis for planning and implementing a metagraph project. For detailed information on implementing a metagraph project, explore the rapid development resources available in the Euclid SDK section.

Developer support is available on Discord.

From State Channels to Metagraphs

Metagraphs, formerly known as "State Channels," underwent a name change at the conclusion of the Hercules development era (March 2023). This change was part of a broader shift in naming conventions across the network, aimed at eliminating confusion with similar concepts on other networks and clarifying the naming of various network components. The updated names enable more transparent communication and better align with our future vision of network component interactions.

The term "State Channel" has been used in other cryptocurrency networks with diverse meanings, most of which are unrelated to its application within HGTP. For instance, Ethereum uses the term to describe a specific type of layer 2 scaling solution using smart contracts. In contrast, metagraphs are independent networks that rely on the Global L0 for validation and security, bearing a closer resemblance to application specific blockchains than to L2 scaling solutions. The "Metagraph" designation also highlights the connection between these networks and their position within the larger Hypergraph network.