Meet Ursa – Hyperledger’s New DLT Cryptography Library

by Jane Whitmoore

In a press release, the company released Ursa to tackle the protocol issues each DLT company is facing and consolidate all teams efforts into a shared library. It aims to enhance the safety and ease of the Hyperledger projects to use existing, trusted, and time-tested cryptographic libraries, as well as support the development of new cryptographic library implementations.  

Ursa was also developed to help programmers avoid duplication of projects and problem associated with them. One of the effects of implementing Ursa would be not letting inexperienced developers build insecure applications.

The project would grant the chance for experts to give their suggestions for improvement of the cryptographic code. This move will make cross-border payments much easier because multiple platforms would utilize the same cryptographic code.

HyperLedger’s plans are for blockchain devs to have the ability to modify their source codes with a configuration file. Ursa would also utilize an evolved cryptography, developed and delivered with joint forces.

The massive library is divided into two, smaller parts. The “base” contains a simple, yet effective, cryptography algorithm. The second library would contain “fancier cryptography,” such as pairing-based signatures, threshold signatures, and SNARKs.

The programming language would most probably be Rust, but developers are preparing versions in all languages used throughout the Hyperledger programming community.

Hyperledger expects that Ursa will ease innovations since "it is less demanding for new projects to get off the ground if they can use a well-implemented and hassle-free modular framework."

Hyperledger is progressively becoming a number one choice for commercial clients and institutions. One of the largest Russian banks, Sberbank, finished up an over-the-counter OTC remote trade contract by utilizing smart contracts on the Hyperledger Fabric Platform.

In November, French retail hegemon Carrefour released a food tracking software, running on Hyperledger, in its Spanish stores. The framework will be utilized to track the path of free-range chickens raised without the use of antibiotics.