Dash (formerly known as Darkcoin and XCoin) is an open, decentralized payment system that uses a mechanism called "Darksend" to make transactions anonymous.
Dash is a secure and anonymous cryptocurrency designed as an alternative to Bitcoin (BTC), with a higher level of security. The Dash cryptocurrency, also known as Darkcoin or XCoin , is completely decentralized and does not depend on external regulators.
The concept of Decentralized Governance (DAO) provides for the possibility of participation of each community member in the development of the project and the absence of the need for large computing resources to maintain the functionality of the ecosystem. The mining algorithm for this cryptocurrency is more complex than SHA-256, or Scrypt, and consists of eleven hash functions. That, however, did not stop ASIC miners from taking control of Darkcoin mining.
Distinctive features of the DASH cryptocurrency
The Dash system ended up in the TOP 10 cryptocurrencies for a reason - there are features that set it apart from its competitors.
- Limited edition. Of course, this is different from most cryptocurrencies, and Dash is more likely to follow the trend here. The maximum supply of Dash tokens is 19.8 million coins, and after 2150 no new coins will appear.
- Two-level system architecture. It is the division of consensus into two levels that is the main feature of Dash. It was no coincidence that the developers took this step: this step ensures the safety of users due to the complete anonymization of translations.
- Mining reward. Cryptocurrency miners, unlike other cryptocurrency systems, do not receive the full reward - 45% of the premium goes to the owners of master nodes.
- Block generation speed. The time it takes to create the next block in Dash is 2.5 minutes. This is much faster than other networks.
Dash is significantly different from its competitors: the creators of the system (and above all Evan Duffield) intended to make their product as different as possible from Bitcoin in order to overtake the first digital currency in the future. So far, Dash has not been able to do this, but its confident growth and place in the top ten cryptocurrencies indicate the right course of the Dash team.
Having comprehensively studied Bitcoin in 2010-2012, Evan Duffield came to the conclusion that cryptography should develop towards anonymizing payments. To implement this principle, he created the digital currency XCoin.
By keeping the origins and recipients of Dash transactions anonymous, network users are protected from having their personal information published. This is the idea behind the concept of Dash by Evan Duffield, and it is this idea that is the competitive advantage of the cryptocurrency.
Another important characteristic of Dash is the transaction confirmation speed. In Bitcoin, transfers can be delayed for several hours, but in Dash, almost all payments are processed within 2-3 minutes. Thanks to this, the creators of digital currency expect to use it as an investment tool. In the future, Dash can also be used as a means of paying for goods.
DASH developers place the main emphasis on anonymity. In their opinion, even Bitcoin does not have full anonymity, and given its recent flirtations with the governments of different countries, the prospect of Bitcoin as an alternative to physical money is becoming increasingly blurred. But more on all this later, since reflections on this topic could take several volumes, but we will only consider those that really deserve attention.
The investment aspect of this cryptocurrency is based on strong support from developers and investors. Few other altcoins can boast such enthusiasm among developers and management.
What is Dash coin
Dash was created in 2014 as a variant of “anonymous Bitcoin.” At first it was called Darkcoin and had open source code to the public.
The goal of the developers was to create a private cryptocurrency with high transaction speed. Therefore, a year later, the coin received a name that plays on 2 concepts: “digital cash” - digital money, and the semantic meaning of the word “dash” in English - a dash, lack of data.
The protocol and technologies underlying this cryptocurrency make it impossible to authorize a payment on the blockchain.
Stress tests conducted on the network demonstrate that Dash can scale to any limits. In 2022, the network processed 3 million transactions per day. This is 35 transfers per second. For comparison, the speed on the Bitcoin network is about 2 transactions per minute.
Where can I buy DASH tokens? TOP 5 exchanges
For a safe and convenient purchase of cryptocurrencies with a minimum commission, we have prepared a rating of the most reliable and popular cryptocurrency exchanges that support deposits and withdrawals of funds in rubles, hryvnias, dollars and euros .
The reliability of the site is primarily determined by the trading volume and the number of users. By all key metrics, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world is Binance. Binance is also the most popular crypto exchange in Russia and the CIS, since it has the largest cash turnover and supports transfers in rubles from Visa/MasterCard and payment systems QIWI, Advcash, Payeer .
Especially for beginners, we have prepared a detailed guide: How to buy Bitcoin on a crypto exchange for rubles?
Rating of cryptocurrency exchanges:
# | Exchange: | Website: | Grade: |
1 | Binance (Editor's Choice) | https://binance.com | 9.7 |
2 | Bybit | https://bybit.com | 7.5 |
3 | OKEx | https://okex.com | 7.1 |
4 | Exmo | https://exmo.me | 6.9 |
5 | Huobi | https://huobi.com | 6.5 |
The criteria by which the rating is given in our rating of crypto exchanges:
- Reliability of operation
- stable access to all functions of the platform, including uninterrupted trading, deposits and withdrawals of funds, as well as the period of operation on the market and daily trading volume. - Commissions – the amount of commission for trading operations within the platform and withdrawal of assets.
- Reviews and support – we analyze user reviews and the quality of technical support.
- Interface convenience – we evaluate the functionality and intuitiveness of the interface, possible errors and failures when working with the exchange.
- Features of the platform are the presence of additional features - futures, options, staking, etc.
- The final score is the average number of points for all indicators, determines the place in the ranking.
Dash exchange rate to ruble and US dollar
Coin ranks 10th in the ranking of cryptocurrencies in terms of capitalization.
Today the Dash USD rate is $39.9. If you convert 1 Dash to rubles, you can get 2468 ₽ in exchange.
The total capitalization ranges from 368,423,420 USD. There are 9233681 coins in circulation.
The dynamics of exchange rate changes are synchronous with the general situation in the cryptocurrency market. Now he is under pressure from the bears. This is confirmed by charts that show the growth of red Japanese candles online. Quotes have dropped by almost 10% over the past 7 days.
How Dash works
On the Dash network, transfers are much faster than on Bitcoin. The system does not verify and identify the sender of funds, so financial transactions occur almost at lightning speed and without violating the anonymity of the token owner.
It was precisely this improvement of the payment system of the first cryptocurrency that Evan Duffield worked for many years. Darksend engine is responsible for network security , allowing you to maintain complete confidentiality without involving secondary resources and with minimal human participation in the payment process. Let's tell you more about the operating principles of DarkSend.
DarkSend mechanism
DarkSend works in two modes:
- PrivateSend , a mixing service using the CoinJoin mechanism.
- InstantSend enables instant transactions.
PrivateSend mixes transaction inputs and outputs, ensuring implementation of the concept of ahead-of-time anonymity.
- At the first stage, the sender selects the degree of anonymization, indicates the amount that needs to be encrypted, and manually generates the payment.
- After this, the denomination process is activated and the wallet divides the transfer amount into several parts.
- The system mixes the money being sent with the assets of other transactions, the process can be repeated up to eight times, but the coins are always sent from the sender to the recipient and their theft by a third party is almost impossible. Masternodes are responsible for the mixing process; these are special nodes that do not have a single control authority. Each round of fund mixing involves multiple master nodes.
- After the mixing is completed, the funds can be used to perform an anonymous transaction.
The InstantSend mode transfers money in a trusted format, allowing the client not to wait for transaction processing, which is approximately 150 seconds. When a transfer is generated, a special trust “gateway” controlled by masternodes is blocked. This protects the system from double spending.
InstantSend service
Before adding a new block to the chain, the miner must submit its hash sum for verification. This data is used to select a group of 10 masternodes that will process instant transactions on the Dash network until the next block is found, which is approximately 150 seconds.
If a user wants to send Dash coins via InstantSend, the masternodes included in the quorum will block and transmit information about the inputs of this financial transaction to the other nodes. This measure is necessary to protect against double-spending attacks. If an attacker tries to use the same input, triggering a double spend, the nodes will reject this transfer since the inputs have already been broadcast.
Both participants will receive 5 confirmations of the transaction, almost instantly, which guarantees the execution of the transaction. Due to the high processing speed, such transactions allow you to pay with Desh crypto coins at points of sale. For example, if you wanted to buy a cup of coffee, you can send tokens immediately and the seller will receive them in seconds.
PrivateSend service
"PrivateSend" is a payment shuffling service based on CoinJoin. Subsequently, the pre-mixing method was improved and built into the client program.
The current implementation of the system allows you to increase the anonymity of transactions by combining multiple inputs from different users into one transaction with multiple outputs. This hides the flow of funds and limits the ability to directly trace transactions. A hierarchical list mechanism (based on inputs and outputs) has been proposed to track such transactions, but no practical evidence has been provided to support such analysis.
The PrivateSend mechanism includes a number of procedures:
- Pre-denomination - payments are split into equal parts: 100, 10, 1, 0.1, which prevents tracking by individual amounts.
- Each part goes through its own stages of anonymization, while
- Not the whole amount is anonymized, but parts
- Only parts that match in volume are mixed
- At each stage, a new mixing masternode is selected.
- Mixing occurs in advance. After mixing, the amount is returned to the owner to new anonymous addresses and can be used whenever needed (no need to wait for mixing).
- As the number of DASH users increases, it becomes more difficult to eliminate the uncertainty in mixing structures.
Five Options for Storing Dash Tokens
On the official website of the Dash cryptosystem there are several types of wallets that have their own advantages and disadvantages. You can download any of them and, after the synchronization process, successfully use the wallet for your needs, experiencing all the benefits of fast transactions and a high level of anonymity.
Regardless of which wallet you prefer, do not forget that you need to be very careful in selecting and storing your password, and also make backup copies of your wallets - if you lose access to your wallet, you automatically lose money and it will not be possible to restore it.
There are the following types of wallets in which the Dash cryptocurrency will be stored safely and securely:
- Wallets for computers - considered the most secure wallet, as they have special options and additional features
- Mobile wallets - optimized to work with smartphones and tablets
- Hardware wallets
- Paper wallet
Dash Core
This wallet for a computer is considered one of the most optimal in terms of security, but has a significant drawback, as it takes up a lot of space on the hard drive. However, you have full control over your savings, and if something happens, you have the opportunity to check its source code, since you have access to it. No third parties are used to confirm transactions.
Jaxx
The functionality of the wallet provides complete control over your funds, but you cannot check the source code; you will have to trust that the program does not contain malicious codes. Confirmation of transactions is performed by a third party server and the user must take for granted the accuracy and reliability of payment information. There is a version of the Jaxx wallet for a computer and a mobile device.
Exodus
In terms of functionality and principles of operation, it is similar to the Jaxx wallet, except that access is provided through a direct connection to the p2p network. Otherwise, the source code is still not available to you to study and you will have to rely on confirmation of operations by a third-party server.
Ledger Nano S hardware wallet
Hardware wallets completely protect their owner from hacker attacks and other thieves. Working in conjunction with software, such a wallet takes on the function of a custodian and key generator, and also signs your transactions. Ledger Nano S is the most popular wallet in this category, but besides it there are two more types that also have their own characteristics.
Paper wallet
A cold storage wallet, that is, one that does not have a network connection, which means it provides 100% protection from hackers. In essence, a paper wallet is a kind of check that confirms your ownership of a certain amount of coins.
Mining Dash
Mining the Desh currency is beneficial exclusively for ASICs. Three manufacturers of integrated circuit devices are releasing new models: Strong , FusionSilicon and Spondoolies . There are several pools for collective mining on the network.
The most powerful ASIC in the current period is Spondoolies SPx36 . According to the Whattomine mining profitability calculator, as of 05/04/2021, this device brings the owner $36 per day without deducting electricity costs. New miners for the X11 algorithm have not been released for a long time; perhaps they will appear on the market in the near future.
The reward for a signed block is calculated using a special formula included in the Dark Gravity Wave (DGW) mining difficulty adjustment algorithm. Owners of ASIC installations receive 45% of the reward, the same amount is transferred to master nodes and 10% goes to the platform development fund.
The Dash ecosystem exists and develops through self-financing. But who decides where the funds from the fund will be directed? Everything is done in a democratic manner, meaning members of the Dash community vote on various proposals. Each of them is given the opportunity to express their point of view and make proposals for the development of the network. And this is correct, while blockchain technology has not become mainstream, it needs constant development.
Masternodes
Masternodes in the Dash cryptocurrency network are special servers responsible for executing PrivateSend and InstantSend transactions. The master node owner must:
- Freeze 1000 Dash coins in your wallet balance.
- Install a special program on your PC.
- Ensure the smooth functioning of equipment.
When a sender uses the PrivateSend service, it sets the number of times the shuffle mix will repeat. After this, randomly selected masternodes mix the funds sent. The process involves a group of several independent nodes, which increases the guarantee of transaction anonymity.
PrivateSend makes all financial transactions on the Dash network completely anonymous by adding a certain number of identical transaction inputs from different users and sending funds to several different outputs. This makes it impossible to track the transaction in the flow, which ensures the confidentiality of the transaction. Running a mixing process in PrivateSend requires a minimum of three participants.
Even if one of the masternodes is under the control of attackers and records information about the inputs and outputs that it processes, the hacker will still not be able to see the full picture of the process. It cannot know whether transactions have already been processed twice, four times, or eight times. If this node is the first to receive a wallet transaction that can be withdrawn because it is obvious that it did not come from a fellow master, it will still not know when processing is completed. This renders any login attempt useless, and of course. The likelihood that a group of corrupted masternodes concentrated under one ill-wisher will be able to collect information decreases exponentially due to the number of mixing layers.
In addition, in order to control one master node, you need to invest $314,000 in the Desh network at the current exchange rate of the coin. According to data from the official website, as of May 4, 2022, there are 4,557 master nodes operating in the network. Taking control of at least half is expensive and therefore unlikely. The cryptosystem is difficult to attack and impossible to crack regularly.
DASH retains its reputation as the most decentralized blockchain ecosystem thanks to the DAPI software interface. This is an open platform where businesses and individual programmers can develop their own software to interact with the Dash blockchain. The main work is done by masternodes, verifying transactions and maintaining the high speed of any operations on the network.
Users interested in blockchain technologies have heard of the term DAO, which translates as “decentralized autonomous organization” designed to independently manage a crypto platform. The concept became notorious due to a major theft of funds on the Ethereum platform in 2016.
But the DASH developers were the first to launch a decentralized governance mode for the blockchain called DGBB (Decentralized Governance by Blockchain). It is the master nodes that are the main voting participants, and can also make their own proposals for modernizing the DASH payment network.
There are already some really interesting developments, for example, the Dash Evolution protocol, built on top of a second-layer network. Dash evolution will also include a social infrastructure with the ability to exchange instant messages, create a list of friends, as well as instantly generate addresses with customer payment requests. The main goal will be to make Dash payments easy and accessible even for those who are new to blockchain technology.
Dash's own wallet
The Dash developers have created an official “Dash Core” program for storing their coins. It is controlled by a masternode and supports PrivateSend and InstantSend functions. Can be installed on a smartphone, tablet and PC.
To access the vault, only a secret key is required.
The wallet interface consists of 4 parts:
- a menu through which the application is configured and controlled;
- tabs with an overview of transactions and their status;
- blockchain synchronization panel;
- work tools tabs.
This application is an official release and supports all updates at the time of their release.
A specialized mobile version of the wallet is called Dash Wallet. It is available for download on Google Play.
PrivateSend
The method involves combining money inputs in such a way that it is impossible for outside observers to trace the sender. At the output, the sums are also automatically shuffled in random order. After this, several outputs are organized for one amount. As a result, it will not be possible to link the sender and recipient. Therefore, this coin has the anonymity of cash.
InstantSend
The high speed of transfers is due to the presence of “supernodes” that speed up the protocol. InstantSend solves the problem of double spending without waiting for a long time for confirmation. The average speed of payments in the Dash network is from 1 to 3 seconds.
Technical aspects of this blockchain
The Dash architecture consists of two parts. At the lower level there are miners, the second level is dedicated to master nodes - nodes that confirm transactions. This mechanism is called PrivateSend - “private delivery”.
The principle of a two-level architecture allows for completely anonymous transactions. The system does not store data about who receives and makes transfers, and it is impossible to calculate them during network operation.
All transactions in Dash are grouped based on amount - approximately equal transfers are sent to one category. Next, the master nodes mix the items among themselves. As a result, senders and recipients mix with each other after the first mixing stage, and it is impossible to find out what happened before. The more rounds there are, the more likely it is that no one will know who sent Dash tokens and who received them. Users can set any number of shuffles ranging from 2 to 8.
Due to the fact that mixing is carried out in advance, the time of transactions in Dash does not exceed 2-3 minutes. Once the mixing is completed, the owner of the tokens receives them in new addresses and can use them whenever he wants.
The master node is the computer that performs the mixing of transactions. Any network participant can become the owner of a master node: to do this, just send an application and pay a deposit of 1000 DASH (approximately $1 million at the current rate). Such a high amount was not chosen by chance: it ensures that no one will be able to gain control over more than 51% of masternodes and find out all the data about the senders and recipients of transactions.
However, such a significant “entry threshold” for creating master nodes does not stop participants. This is explained by high profitability: 45% of the network’s revenue goes to payments to users whose devices confirm transactions. The payment for each block with transfer records is 5 DASH, and of this, the owners of master nodes “drip” in the amount of 2.25 tokens. Considering that almost 500 blocks are generated per day in Dash, this works out to more than 1000 DASH per day.
The next technical feature of Dash is that the system changes only after voting among the network community. This ensures decentralization of the network: any Dash participant can propose their project, and everyone else will vote “for” or “against”. The result of the discussion is the adoption of the decision for which the majority of Dash users advocated. For each proposed change, the participant must pay 5 DASH tokens.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Dash
The Dash cryptocurrency is built on a 2-tier system. There is a model of Decentralized Management, which is built on the 2nd level of the network (Masternode). By doing this, the developers created a kind of secure communication network. This network, Masternodes, includes addresses (accounts) that have more than 1000 coins in their account and meet a number of requirements. They also serve as identifiers in the network (Full node).
Full node is a kind of program that verifies and confirms transactions on the network.
So, at the current stage of cryptocurrency development, the 2nd level also performs a management function. This was implemented using a decentralized voting system. Each such Masternode has 1 vote, which it can use to make any decision. For example, when developing your infrastructure, 10% of the mining of new blocks goes to startups, projects, ideas that help the system develop and conquer its niche in the cryptocurrency market. And this is an original solution, given the growing competition. Such budget financing has the goal of constant and systematic development. Let's say, there is no massive infusion of funds, and then its further fading. A fixed percentage of cryptocurrency production is always allocated.
Also, the construction of a 2-level system allows you to protect cryptocurrency from a Sybil attack.
Strengths
Let's look at how the Dash cryptocurrency differs from its competitors. One of the advantages is user privacy. And it is different from the secrecy that is built into the Bitcoin system.
In Dash, a user's identity is separated from the payments they make. Therefore, no one will be able to monitor your financial transactions. Even the Dash system can't track you. All transactions are recorded in the Dash system, but the connection between payments and accounts is lost, and the possibility of manipulation is excluded.
In the Bitcoin blockchain system, by tracking key points and applying certain algorithms, you can find the connection between an account and its transactions, view the history of payments and balance. After all, information is stored in the blockchain and is available for analysis by all users... you just need to be able to process it. Thus, interested parties can collect an “interesting” database of Bitcoin users and further use it for their own purposes... or simply sell the information.
One of Dash's strengths is its Masternodes. Above we mentioned this feature, which is not found in others, for example, in Bitcoin. This Dash feature allows you to develop and not stand still. This also attracts me. I don't like chaos and things that just go with the flow. The system is financed from within, and not by attracting investor money.
There is no inherently perfect currency. There will always be problems in the process of becoming and entering the market. And if you don’t have any problems, then your competitors will help you find your weaknesses. All emerging questions and problems with the Dash cryptocurrency are always resolved by the development team. So, Dash has successfully closed the current issues:
- anonymity issues - works;
- fast confirming transactions - works;
- double spending issues - resolved;
- Decentralization in management works.
The system can be used in real life: targeting stores, online stores, exchanges, casinos.
On the official website itself you can see online stores that already accept cryptocurrency for payments.
The strength of the Dash system is their team, which has proven its effectiveness in practice. One of the latest innovations in the Dash InstantX system protocol. This is what investors like - fast confirmation of transactions through their Masternodes. For example, I, as an investor, am pleased to see instant confirmed transactions for sending, and the rapid receipt of funds into my account is doubly pleasant.
Weak sides
Since the cryptocurrency world is relatively new, everyone has their weaknesses. The question here is different: are there effective solutions and how quickly problems are solved.
I consider one of the weaknesses of the Dash cryptocurrency (it is also a strength) to be the presence of decentralized management, which makes important decisions. For example, I have no confidence in the professionalism of this team. More precisely, it is likely that the majority of votes will come from non-professionals in a particular field. Although if these people could earn so much money and invest in the system, then they clearly deserve attention. So the issue is moot.
Poor implementation in real life. Yes, Bitcoin should be given its due here. Dash is inferior in mass use among users; this cryptocurrency is not yet so actively accepted as payment for goods and services. But Dash is also comparatively younger than Bitcoin. That's why Dash has everything ahead.
How to buy Dash: list of exchanges and exchangers
You can buy Dash through some exchangers for rubles, dollars, euros:
- MoneyPolo;
- Panda.exchange;
- AirTM.
You can purchase for dollars, stablecoins or BTC on the following sites:
- Exmo;
- KuCoin;
- Bitflip;
- Yobit;
- Bittrex
- Binance;
- ShapeShift.
The average commission for a purchase on these services is 0.2% of the transaction.
You can purchase Dash on the Kraken and Matbea exchanges using a bank transfer or Visa card.
There are crypto ATMs that sell private coins for cash, but they are few. The location of the nearest ones can be found out through the Coinatmradar service.
Exchanges that are officially regulated and licensed by financial institutions do not support transactions with anonymous tokens. Regulators believe that anonymous funds are used for money laundering and terrorist financing. Therefore, sites that follow the “know your customer” procedure are forced to refuse to work with Monero, Dash and Zcash.
Platform development prospects
Promising areas of activity for Dash are making completely anonymous payments (this, by the way, is not fully implemented in any of the 10 largest networks by capitalization) and introducing cryptocurrency transactions into real life. The activities of Dash management are bearing fruit: for example, Lamassu bitcoin machines can already withdraw Dash tokens, and Dash N'Drink soda machines accept this cryptocurrency for payment. Additionally, Dash debit cards have recently launched in partnership with TenX.
Market experts are positive about Dash's prospects for 2018. In their opinion, cryptocurrency will strengthen its position in the TOP 10 digital money systems. The following factors will contribute to this:
- Dash's capitalization is one of the largest on the market, which constantly attracts investors;
- owners of large capital interested in anonymity (and there are quite a lot of such potential users) will prefer Dash to other cryptocurrency systems;
- already today, owning Dash tokens, you can pay with them in stores or withdraw them from ATMs - you will need a Dash card issued by TenX;
- The cryptocurrency growth chart for 2022 and the latest trends in the digital world indicate that the uptrend in Dash price will continue over the next 12 months.