Unlike the classic blockchain, the IOTA system uses a directed acyclic graph – DAG (Tangle) in its work. Translated from English it means “tangle”. A DAG-based network consists of transactions. So, when a new transaction appears, it must approve two others that were carried out in the network before it. The system nodes, in turn, check for conflicting transactions, and if any are identified, they do not approve them.
The creators' intention was that a new transaction, receiving indirect and direct approvals, would be better accepted by the system. In other words, the more approvals, the more weight the deal receives.
The concept of the Internet of Things involves the integration of objects around us into a global network operating using M2M (machine to machine) technology. It was first formed at the end of the last millennium, its author was Kevin Ashton, head of the Auto-ID research center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
According to the scientists, all household appliances, life support systems, and goods equipped with radio frequency labels should be combined into a single computing system. For mutual settlements in the Internet of Things global network, an internal financial instrument is required. And it has already been created - the IOTA (Miota) cryptocurrency.
What is the IOTA cryptocurrency?
IOTA is a cryptocurrency that is designed specifically for the Internet of Things and is based on the concept of Tangle, which is a distributed ledger. According to the developers, it has a large number of advantages compared to the Bitcoin blockchain. This especially applies to micropayments (for example, one-cent payments).
The fact is that in major cryptocurrencies, the implementation of microtransactions is associated with a number of problematic aspects: high commissions for miners and a long time for their confirmation by other users. The new cryptocurrency does not have such difficulties. This is due to the fact that the platform is completely self-sustaining. There are no miners in it. And coin owners themselves can confirm transactions of other users. There are no commissions within the system. Thus, payments can be made in real time.
- Around 2.78 quadrillion IOTA coins were created at one time. Their large number allows you to use coin for micropayments. In addition, this number can be synchronized with the MAX_SAFE_INTEGER value in the Javascript programming language.
- By 2025, it is predicted that more than 75 billion devices will be connected to the Internet of Things. Until the IOTA cryptocurrency becomes more widespread, the network has adopted the base unit 1 MegaIOTA (MIOTA).
Characteristics of cryptocurrency
As of mid-January 2022, the IOTA cryptocurrency had the following indicators:
- Rate 1 MIOTA = $0.288090
- Market Cap = $800,753,952
- Crypto exchanges for trading.
- Emission = 2779530283 MIOTA
- Hash Algorithm – DAG
- Total trading volume = $9,790,645
IOTA to US dollar rate chart (online):
Blockchain Iota solves the following Bitcoin problems
- Mining Centralization: History has shown that miners tend to form large groups. This leads to centralization and the possibility of a 51% attack. This possibility is completely unacceptable in the world of Internet of Things.
- Legacy Cryptography: Although industrial quantum computers do not yet exist, the possibility of their appearance in the future should be considered.
- Difficulties of conducting micropayments: Having transaction fees for miners and countering spam attacks is becoming critical in the world of the Internet of Things.
- Intolerance for separation: Blockchain-based cryptocurrencies cannot exist when one part of the network is separated from the whole. It is also impossible to arbitrarily separate part of the network.
- Discrimination of participants: Existing cryptocurrencies are homogeneous systems with a clear division of roles (there are issuers who approve transactions). Such systems create inevitable discrimination, which in turn creates conflicts and forces network members to spend resources on resolving conflicts.
- Scalability Limits: Some cryptocurrencies have strict limits on the maximum transaction speed, and this limit cannot be lifted within the decentralized nature.
- High hardware requirements: Cryptocurrencies that originated from Bitcoin use their original script based on the PoW method. Other currencies operate on PoS, similar to that used by banks, but add additional features. Both methods significantly increase hardware requirements due to complex transaction processing logic.
- Unlimited data growth: Storing all transactions results in rapid data growth, and this inefficiency cannot be removed even by data compression algorithms.
The Tangle protocol solves all of the above problems in one way or another, while at the same time being compatible with the blockchain. Iota is not going to completely replace Bitcoin, it is more like a smart contract platform like Ethereum and Rootstock. The client supports most operating systems, and to run the protocol, an inexpensive microcontroller with 16 KB of RAM is sufficient.
IOTA Team
IOTA Team The
IOTA cryptocurrency was developed by specialists in the field of mathematics, computer science and high technology:
- David
Sønstebø is a technology entrepreneur. Actively participates in the development of IoT, blockchain technologies, distributed registries, smart cities, and digital states. In 2022, the board of directors expelled him from the organization; - Schiener
is a young developer (born in 1995) from Italy. From early youth I was interested in blockchain technologies. Believes that blockchain and cryptocurrencies should be viewed not as a way to get quick and easy money, but as a tool for solving everyday problems; - Sergey Ivancheglo
(known in the crypto space as Come-from-Beyond) is an electrical engineer by training, programmer, founder and creator of the Nxt project and co-founder of Jinn Labs; - Sergei Popov
is a Doctor of Mathematical Sciences, specializing in probability theory. It was he who developed the mathematical basis of Tangle for the IOTA project. In his free time he enjoys mountain climbing, playing chess and heavy metal music; - Ralf Rottmann
is a serial entrepreneur who sold Alcatel-Lucent and used the proceeds to open grandcentrix in Germany, an association dedicated to developing the Internet of Things industry.
The IOTA team has grown significantly since the creation of the project and currently has more than 70 specialists, many of whom have experience working in large companies.
Advantages of blockchain IOTA over Blockchain Bitcoin
As noted above, the IOTA developers decided to provide for a number of problematic issues characteristic of Bitcoin. Below we will look at them in more detail so that you can understand what the main distinguishing features of the new currency are.
Centralization of cryptocurrency mining . It is known that in order to obtain more coins, miners try to unite into pools. However, this speeds up the centralization process and makes the network more vulnerable to hackers. This is not possible with IoT technology.
Old cryptography technologies . With the advent of new platforms based on the latest developments in the field of cryptography, the idea of Bitcoin is becoming less and less relevant each time. It is more of a prototype for further progress.
The difficulty of conducting microtransactions . As stated above, high transaction fees are unacceptable for the Internet of Things.
Impossibility of separation . Many decentralized currencies cannot function when any part of the system is separated. It is also difficult to separate part of the network at will.
Discriminatory policies . Classic cryptocurrencies are homogeneous systems where the role of each participant is clearly visible. This often creates conflict situations by forcing blockchain users to spend their own resources on localizing conflicts and resolving them.
Set scalability limit . As you know, most digital money has certain restrictions on the maximum speed of transactions. And most importantly, these limitations cannot be eliminated due to the decentralized nature of the system.
Hardware requirements . Bitcoin and its descendants use their own unique scenario, which is based on the PoW method. Other currencies use PoS. Due to the complexity of these methods, the requirements for the devices that ensure their operation have increased significantly.
Buying and selling
Buying MIOTA is not as easy as it might seem. Despite its good market capitalization and popularity in the crypto community, it has a limited presence on digital trading and exchange platforms. This coin can only be exchanged for the US dollar.
But there are proven services where the coin is traded in pairs with BTC and ETH:
- Binance;
- Bitfinex;
- CoinLore.
The commission on these exchanges will be 0.1-0.2% of the transaction amount. In order to buy a coin, you first need to deposit fiat money on the site, buy Bitcoin or Ethereum with it, and then exchange it for iota.
You can exchange BTC for MIOTA faster, but more expensively, at exchangers:
- Quickex;
- CryptoMoney;
- BitHunter;
- ImexChanger.
Only the Bit-Exchanger exchanger offers to exchange USD and RUB for this cryptocurrency. The minimum exchange amount is limited to $100.
Main advantages of IOTA Coin
The founders of the new cryptocurrency tried, through the implementation of their idea, to eliminate the main problems characteristic of other blockchains, which we listed above. In this regard, it has its own unique advantages. The main ones:
No transaction fees. The Tangle system, based on the principle of its operation, provides for unpaid transactions. Thus, regular transactions with other cryptocurrencies are verified and approved by the miners who mine it. In the new technology, each new transaction forms a new block of the chain and confirms itself by confirming the other two that come before it. And so on ad infinitum. The chain is scalable and self-identifying. Experts believe that this feature of IOTA may in the future become a driver for many new business models.
Scalability. In modern blockchain networks, there are specific limitations in terms of scalability, high hardware requirements and transaction fees. In new technology, scalability and adaptability to high-level systems, where devices carry out thousands and millions of transactions, are a common situation.
Offline transactions. Blockchain is the concept of a global state, where each participant in the network is synchronized with a common system in order to make a payment. Tangle does not have such strict requirements, allowing users to form clusters and even conduct transactions using coins in an offline environment.
The cryptocurrency development team has been working since 2011 on new architectural solutions for the Bitcoin blockchain and consensus protocols. Over the past few years, he has been developing a completely unique architecture based from scratch. In 2016, a special IOTA fund was created, which made it possible to significantly increase the resources and pace of development of the platform.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantages of the IOTA cryptocurrency include freedom from commission fees, high transaction speed, and the ability to operate microtransactions.
All of the above becomes real thanks to Tangle. It is not for nothing that in the circles of crypto enthusiasts it is even called “Blockchain 3.0”, although in fact no blocks are created in it, so it cannot be seriously called a blockchain. At the moment, there is a dual opinion about IOTA. It is clear that the platform has enormous potential, but so far there are no real examples of its application. However, the project is collaborating with many economic giants, which in itself gives a point in its favor.
The disadvantages relate to the level of security. The lack of mining leads to a 51% probability of attack, and the lack of a full-fledged wallet for storing coins forces you to turn to third-party services, which are not always safe. In 2022, the main goal of the project was precisely the development of a crypto-wallet for the Iota cryptocurrency.
IOTA Foundation
The IOTA Foundation was officially registered in the fall of 2022 in Berlin.
Basic goals:
- Research and modification of the basic protocol level;
- Development of ready-made software for the community, partners and ecosystem;
- Promotion of Internet of Things .
The IOTA Foundation is funded from three sources:
- Iota cryptocurrency reserves, consisting of community donations and unclaimed tokens from the original crowdsale;
- Grants from governments for research and development;
- Donations from individuals or businesses.
The IOTA Foundation is governed by official charter and includes:
- Board of Governors to define and implement the Fund's vision and manage its activities;
- Supervisory Board to guide and control the work of the Board of Governors;
- Advisory board to provide independent advice, perspective and direction.
In February 2019 , the IOTA Foundation entered into a cooperation agreement with Nova. Teams work together to advance successful startups using next-generation technologies.
Is it worth investing?
The project team is not too concerned about its promotion and maintaining a positive news background. The developers, who are also the founders of IOTA, are passionate about the capabilities of the technology, and not about listing their brainchild on digital platforms.
MIOTA is not as popular as Bitcoin or Ethereum and therefore does not represent much interest in the eyes of traders. But it has undeniable potential, which has already been appreciated by such giants as Volkswagen, Microsof, Samsung and Jaguar Land Rover. The DLT Tangle development team presented the implementation of an idea that can change the world.
The Internet of Things market is just beginning to gain momentum. According to researchers, the number of everyday things that can be combined into a global automated system will reach 75 billion by 2025. Therefore, IOTA with its exceptional capabilities will be in demand.
Today the coin is undervalued, but the technology behind it belongs to the future.
How to install IOTA wallet
In 2022, the project team released an IOTA wallet called Trinity for Windows, MAC, Linux, iOS and Android. To download the program you need, go to the official IOTA website in the wallet .
- Download and run the Trinity installation.
- Accept the terms of use.
- Create a mnemonic phrase by selecting 10 letters, the program will generate 27 random combinations of 3 characters each, this is the seed of the wallet. Write it down or print it along with the QR code and keep it in a safe place.
- Enter the seed in the wallet field and the program will launch. Now you have an address to receive cryptocurrency.
On a personal computer, a full node is launched by default, requiring Tangle to be loaded onto the hard drive. You can deactivate Full Node and connect to the remote server by going to your wallet settings in the top left corner.
By using a thin client for coin, you do not risk anything. The mnemonic never leaves your wallet, you are still required to verify transactions, and you will personally sign your funds transfer. But it should be noted that public full node providers are often overwhelmed with Light Node requests, so in order to take full advantage of IOTA's free and fast transaction settlement technology and data integrity, it is recommended to run a full node.
The IOTA Trinity wallet has additional security options, including two-factor authentication (2FA). The application interface is convenient and intuitive. In the lower right corner there is a price ticker showing the current IOTA price. There is a tab for generating an address for receiving tokens, and a tab for sending.
The IOTA cryptocurrency is included in the list of coins supported by the Ledger Live application. You can sync Trinity with your Ledger hardware safe and feel completely safe.
IOTA uses one-time signatures to verify transactions, which reduces the level of security. It is recommended that after sending IOTA coin from your address, create a new one and move the funds remaining in the wallet there. Typically the program performs this task automatically. You can track transactions on the services https://thetangle.org/ and https://iotasear.ch/.
What is IOTA and the history of the coin’s creation
ICO project IOTA
IOTA (MIOTA)
is a cryptocurrency created by German developers. It is a coin developed on the basis of a distributed registry intended directly for use in the Internet of Things (IoT) system.
The main tasks and goals of the IOTA cryptocurrency are:
- Ensuring secure transactions between “things” (i.e. gadgets) in real time. The IOTA payment architecture was developed based on the machine-to-machine (M2M) system and is aimed exclusively at conducting transactions on the Internet of Things. The uniqueness of the cryptocurrency and one of its most important differences from other coins is that it allows you to make micro-transactions (minimum $0.001) without paying a payment processing fee;
- Become the basis of the future industrial revolution, which will consist of the massive use of the Internet of Things. The IOTA project was publicly supported by well-known crypto exchanges, as well as some large corporations.
The history of IOTA began in 2015 with the ICO, which lasted from November 24 to December 20, 2015. Then the team managed to raise 934 BTC (about $420,000 at the then current rate). Despite the fact that now this does not seem like such a big achievement, then it was an excellent result, since the ICO culture was not as developed as it is now, and more crypto enthusiasts invested in new blockchain projects.
A discussion thread about the project on Bitcointalk was created on October 21, 2015. However, the original idea arose even earlier - in 2014, when Sergei Ivancheglo developed a new type of microprocessor called JINN, whose operation is based on tertiary computing. According to unconfirmed reports, JINN was later integrated into IOTA.
After the end of the ICO IOTA, a beta testing period began, which ended only at the end of 2016. Although during beta testing IOTA already functioned as a platform for making micro-payments, the cryptocurrency itself could only be purchased “from hand”. Listing on cryptocurrency exchanges and exchanges has been postponed until the beta testing period ends and a full-fledged product is presented.
This happened in 2022. In June of this year, one of the most popular exchanges, Bitfinex, added trading pairs BTC/IOTA, ETH/IOTA. The team presented a working payment system, which contributed to the listing of the cryptocurrency on most popular crypto exchanges.
Despite the popularity of the coin and its demand among investors, the team continues to actively work to improve the technology.
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Official website of IOTA.
What is IOTA cryptocurrency
Is it worth investing in IOTA?
In 2022, the European Commission officially approved the development of “ +CityxChange ”, which became a new Smart City , under the theme “ Smart Cities and Communities ”.
+ CityxChange project is divided into several work packages, each focusing on a specific area of the future energy-efficient smart city . Each work package consists of several sections. IOTA works on 12 tasks ranging from standard project management activities, development and planning for commercialization and operation of new technologies.
Two main industries where Tangle is used to develop innovative solutions are:
- Development of public networks and platforms for local energy trading;
- Wireless networks for environmental management and environmental auditing (emaas)
The IOTA Foundation is collaborating with the Linux Foundation on the LF Edge project, a Zühlke company, a service provider for innovation projects across Europe.
Main advantages of the coin:
- High scalability.
- Availability of nano- and microtransactions.
- No commissions.
Development prospects
The system can be used for electronic voting, to create secure communication channels and transmit encrypted messages. The widespread implementation of Tangle will make it possible to rent out everything that has a chip. For example, household appliances, transport, computing resources, Wi-Fi channels.
Flaws
It should be noted that IOTA and the Tangle technology have not yet worked at full capacity, which means you cannot be 100% confident in the reliability of the project. The speculative nature of the crypto market negatively affects the development of technology. It is very difficult to give any forecasts for the cost of IOTA. The potential of the Tangle system will be revealed only after the implementation of the Internet of Things concept.
Due to this, investing in IOTA is a good choice for the user. It is predicted that the value of the cryptocurrency will gradually increase, which may lead to a sharp jump in the future. The project is attracting more attention every day from investors and major developers.
How the project came about
For the first time, the idea of combining all devices with radio frequency markings into a global network was expressed by University of Massachusetts professor Kevin Ashton. This happened in the 90s. last century. He stated that he would be able to connect all mechanisms, from a car to a refrigerator, into 1 system, which would be controlled and interact with its components through chips or sensors.
With the advent of the Internet, wireless networks and cloud technologies, this task has become feasible.
Several developers held a crowdsale in 2015 to raise funds for the implementation of the Internet of Things idea. They collected about 1.5 thousand BTC from crypto enthusiasts (at that time its rate was about $390) and sold them on the exchange. With the money received, they organized the release of 2,779,530,283 MIOTA coins. They were used for testing purposes during the development of Tangle.
The finished project was presented to the public in June 2022. It immediately attracted attention with its capabilities:
- the system does not require energy-consuming computing power;
- settings have simple and clear code;
- To make payments, synchronization with the full version of the blockchain is not required;
- there is no scaling limit;
- micropayments are processed instantly;
- the system is self-regulating.
In just a few months, the new coin literally burst into the TOP 10 most promising cryptocurrencies. But, as happened before, it turned from a method of implementing an innovative idea into a means of making money on the financial market.
Further development of technology
Technology development
CognIOTA - machine learning service
It should be said right away that CognIOTA is not a cryptocurrency, but a service that will work on the basis of Tangle and use the IOTA cryptocurrency. The first mentions of CognIOTA appeared in September 2022. The platform will be a decentralized machine learning service built on the Tangle algorithm and using the IOTA cryptocurrency as a payment system.
The goal of CognIOTA is that users who do not use computer computing devices for a certain period of time will be able to sell processor power for IOTA in real time. IOTA founder David Sonstebe had this to say on the matter:
“The goal is to force mining pools to switch to providing a useful service (Machine Learning), paid for using IOTA. There's a lot of competition between mining farms these days, so it's a win-win.”
Masked Authenticated Messaging - data exchange protocol
IOTA
Masked Authenticated Messaging (MAM) code is an experimental development of IOTA, which is a special type of layer 2 protocol for communicating data (such as RSS) by using Tangle distributed ledger technology. Moreover, unlike blockchain technology, which has such a concept as network complexity, which requires the use of computers with high computing power, MAM can be used on any device, even a smartphone or laptop. The Tangle protocol makes message flows more reliable and verified. Users only need to confirm the authenticity using the computing power of gadgets.
In theory, messages can be of any size, but preliminary tests have shown that sending large messages, such as 4K video, can put a large load on the network and cause delays in transaction confirmation.
Flash channels - instant payment technology
Flash Channels is a second-layer protocol that allows a large number of transactions to be sent, allowing instant confirmation to be achieved. At first glance, this development in the direction of this technology may seem unnecessary, given that Tangle allows for absolute scalability, but Flash Channels is based on a completely different type of payment. For example, this technology will allow you to pay for charging an electric car for every second the car is at an electric gas station. To do this, the user must have a certain amount of MIOTA in his account and open parallel channels that will instantly confirm transactions and then send them to the single Tangle registry.
In some ways, Flash Channels technology is similar to the Lightning Network in the Bitcoin blockchain.
IOTA rate
IOTA rate
Despite the fact that IOTA was launched back in 2015, MIOTA trading began only in June 2022. The first exchange to list IOTA was Bitfinex. Over time, the coin was added to a number of other cryptocurrency trading platforms.
At the start of trading, the IOTA rate was $0.63, and its market capitalization was $1.7 billion. At that time, the cryptocurrency was one of the largest coins in terms of market capitalization, occupying 7th position in the CoinMarketCap rating.
But just a month later the IOTA rate
dropped to $0.14, which is the lowest price in the history of the cryptocurrency.
Dynamics of changes in the IOTA rate
However, this level was only the starting point from which growth began with the establishment of more and more new records. Similar to other cryptocurrency projects that also participated in the rally, IOTA peaked on December 19, 2022 with a maximum value of $5.69.
After this, the cryptocurrency traded downward, making another attempt to grow in May 2022. Then, within a month, its rate rose by more than 250% from $0.98 to $2.58, but the coin was unable to maintain this level, starting a downward trend.
During the 2022 bullrun, which began at the end of 2020, at its peak, the IOTA rate reached the levels set in May 2022 - at the moment the price was $2.53, but the coin failed to even come close to the 2022 record.
As already noted, for some time IOTA was in the list of TOP 10 cryptocurrencies, but with the advent of new projects, it lost its place in the list of the most popular cryptocurrencies.
At the time of publication, the price of IOTA is $1.13 with a capitalization of $3.141 billion and the coin ranks 36th in the CoinMarketCap ranking:
IOTA position in the cryptocurrency ranking
You can track the IOTA rate in real time on the CoinMarketCap website
