What Is AnimeSwap?
Protocol, Interface, Labs
- AnimeSwap Labs: The company which developed the AnimeSwap protocol, along with the web interface.
- The AnimeSwap Protocol: A suite of persistent smart contracts that together create an automated market maker, a protocol that facilitates peer-to-contracts market making and swapping of coins on the Aptos blockchain.
- The AnimeSwap Interface: A web interface that allows for easy interaction with the AnimeSwap protocol. The interface is only one of many ways can interact with the AnimeSwap protocol.
The following is a brief overview of the AnimeSwap Protocol
Introduction
The AnimeSwap protocol is a peer-to-contracts system designed for exchanging cryptocurrencies on the Aptos blockchain. The protocol is implemented as a set of persistent smart contracts; designed to prioritize censorship resistance, security, self-custody, and to function without any trusted intermediaries who may selectively restrict access.
AnimeSwap protocol once deployed, will function in perpetuity, with 100% uptime, provided the continued existence of the Aptos blockchain.
How does the AnimeSwap protocol compare to a typical market?
To understand how the AnimeSwap protocol differs from a traditional exchange, it is helpful to first look at two subjects: how the Automated Market Maker design deviates from traditional central limit order book-based exchanges, and how permissionless systems depart from conventional permissioned systems.
Order Book VS AMM
Most publicly accessible markets use a central limit order book style of exchange, where buyers and sellers create orders organized by price level that are progressively filled as demand shifts. Anyone who has traded stocks through brokerage firms will be familiar with an order book system.
The AnimeSwap protocol takes a different approach, using an Automated Market Maker (AMM), sometimes referred to as a Constant Function Market Maker, in place of an order book.
At a very high level, an AMM replaces the buy and sell orders in an order book market with a liquidity pool of two assets, both valued relative to each other. As one asset is traded for the other, the relative prices of the two assets shift, and a new market rate for both is determined. In this dynamic, a buyer or seller trades directly with the pool, rather than with specific orders left by other parties. The advantages and disadvantages of Automated Market Makers versus their traditional order book counterparts are under active research by a growing number of parties. We have collected some notable examples on our research page.
Permissionless Systems
The second departure from traditional markets is the permissionless and immutable design of the AnimeSwap protocol. Anyone in the world can access financial services without fear of discrimination or counter-party risk.
Permissionless design means that the protocol's services are entirely open for public use, with no ability to selectively restrict who can or cannot use them. Anyone can swap, provide liquidity, or create new markets at will. This is a departure from traditional financial services, which typically restrict access based on geography, wealth status, and age.
The protocol is also immutable. No party is able to pause the contracts, reverse trade execution, or otherwise change the behavior of the protocol in any way.