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Introduction

The articles in this section of the documentation hub provide a starting point for understanding metagraph development, planning your metagraph design, and implementation.

A note on the state of the network

With the launch of Constellation MainNet 2.0 in 2022, a new paradigm of distributed ledger technology became available to application developers for the very first time. As with all complex challenges, progress is not always a direct path and success doesn't come all at once. With that in mind, we want to set appropriate expectations for developers who want to build a metagraph on the network about what tools will be available to them and when.

Presently, metagraph development can be considered to be in an beta state. Core functionality is available for developers who want to get started early while we roll out the remaining functionality and developer tools. New code examples covering different aspects of development will release regularly.

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.

In a similar vein, the term "L0 Token" has been replaced with "Metagraph Token." This change in terminology eliminates ambiguity surrounding the function of these tokens and their placement within the network architecture. Metagraph Tokens are hosted on metagraph networks and validated by the Global L0 network. They possess unique capabilities, allowing them to interact with DAG and other metagraph tokens.