- RippleX conducted a two-phase analysis of various virtual machines (VMs) like EVM, Soroban, and Move to identify the best fit for XRPL.
- The team selected WASM due to its versatility, security, and compatibility with XRPL’s architecture.
RippleX developers recently suggested the integration of WebAssembly (WASM) for smart contracts on the XRP Ledger (XRPL), which will bring the system much closer to achieving enhanced programmability. With permissionless and strong on-chain solutions being in such high demand, this move by the RippleX Programmability team promises to revolutionize the way developers interact with XRPL.
Analysis Of RippleX Programmability Solutions for XRPL
The RippleX team conducted a thorough two-phase analysis to determine the most suitable system. The first phase was an identification of the viable virtual machines from the crypto ecosystem at large, then narrowed down to the most promising candidates. The second phase was a more in-depth technical evaluation, where selected VMs were integrated into the XRPL software to test compatibility and performance.
The evaluation was to align the selected VM with several critical objectives. Critical objectives included a permissionless system, seamless compatibility with XRPL’s design, native features, high-performance performance, and cost minimization for validators, as previously reported in our news story.
Thus, RippleX evaluated several smart contract systems, including Hooks, EVM, Stellar (Soroban), Solana, Aptos (Move), TON, NEAR, BitVM, and RISC-V. These were considered based on their capacity to support XRPL’s unique account-based model and other technical factors.
Hooks, an existing system designed for XRPL, was notable because it aligned with the native architecture of the ledger. Its ecosystem adoption was, however, limited.
Meanwhile, EVM, the Ethereum Virtual Machine, is very widely adopted in the blockchain industry. Its popularity and mature tooling were positives, but the work needed to port EVM to the structure of XRPL made it less viable.
Soroban, Stellar’s smart contract system, shared architectural similarities with XRPL. However, its lack of native feature access and ecosystem traction hindered further progress.
Move, associated with Aptos, impressed with its memory-safe, parallel execution capabilities. Despite its potential, its dependency on Aptos libraries and challenges in translating XRP Ledger features into its framework prevented its adoption. Other options like Solana, TON, NEAR, and BitVM either lacked compatibility with XRPL’s model or presented significant integration barriers.
Why WASM Stands Out
However, the versatility, security, and seamless integration capability of WebAssembly (WASM) made it the most probable choice. A general-purpose VM like WASM can support various programming languages, hence making it easy for developers to get familiar with. It is worth mentioning that Polkadot and Cosmos already utilize WASM in their projects, and hence, the roadmap for implementation in RippleX will be much easier.
This initial prototype of RippleX running on WASM showed promise in processing smart contract transactions with real-time interaction with the XRP ledger state. However, WASM code would need to be adapted for XRPL, considering changes in aspects like storage interfaces and mechanisms of gas to fit the specifics of the platform. Whilst, further developments and specifications are expected in upcoming updates.
Amid these positive developments, Ripple’s XRP price soared over 10% today. As of writing, the XRP price recovered significantly, trading at $3.10 with an intraday gain of 10.25%. Moreover, the trading volume also surged 6.85% to $11.08 billion, reflecting heightened investor interest and market activity. Furthermore, reports of the US having XRP reserves are keeping investors on the edge, as mentioned in our last news piece.
