Selected Core Modules

The Cosmos SDK serves as a foundational framework for blockchain development, analogous to Ruby-on-Rails in web development. It provides core functionalities necessary for all blockchain applications, such as communication with the consensus engine, state persistence, and node operation. Developers use the SDK to create modules that implement specific business logic, forming little state-machines within the main application state-machine.

Modules in the Cosmos SDK handle a subset of state and message types, processing transactions relayed from the consensus engine. Each module, like Auth, Bank, Staking, or Governance, processes specific message types and updates the blockchain's state accordingly. The SDK architecture promotes robust, modular blockchain applications by allowing developers to focus on unique business logic in their modules while reusing existing ones for common functionalities like token management or accounts.

Onomy is built on the Cosmos SDK and takes full advantage of its modular architecture. The documentation for these modules uses ATOM as the example native staking token. However, the modules are designed to be adaptable to any Proof-Of-Stake blockchain by substituting ATOM with the native staking token of the chain; in Onomy's case, this token is NOM. Similarly, consumer chains within Onomy, such as ONEX, follow this adaptable framework. This principle of adaptability also extends to the binaries, allowing for the replacement of gaiad with onomyd or onexd to suit the specific chain environment. View the full list of modules here.