This blog is the second of a three part series focusing on the power of DAML and distributed ledger technology.

In “Unlock the Power of Developer Productivity”, we highlighted how smart contract adoption is hindered by lock-in at the infrastructure level, i.e., developers are tasked with writing decentralized applications against new technology that may change as IT investments evolve. Porting smart contracts to a new ledger usually means a full code rewrite, learning the details of a new system, and a non-trivial resource investment to perform the migration. DAML smart contracts insulate developers from the underlying infrastructure complexities enabling developers to focus only on the code that creates business value. This abstraction has the added benefit of providing seamless application portability. With DAML applications when the underlying ledger changes, the application doesn’t have to. DAML future-proofs your application through our write once, deploy anywhere model.

Businesses need ways to leverage existing infrastructure
While most businesses are building multi-party applications for distributed ledger platforms, many wish they can leverage their existing infrastructure to automate internal processes and unlock the power of multi-party workflows without having to dive head first into distributed ledger technology. Unfortunately, traditional software frameworks are not fit for purpose since they do not support multi-party concepts such as rights and obligations which are found in advanced smart contract frameworks. The manual implementation of multi-party workflows with traditional tools not only adds a layer of risk to the final application but also forces an application rewrite when distributed ledger technology is ultimately adopted by the organization.

To unlock the benefits of multi-party workflows today, businesses need a smart contract language and ecosystem that supports both traditional database and distributed ledger technology so that your applications stay relevant even as the underlying technology continues to evolve.

Learn More about Ledgers Unlocked

Augment your existing system with DAML smart contracts

With DAML for PostgreSQL, users have access to DAML’s smart contract language, runtime, and ecosystem that provides everything necessary to build and run production grade multi-party applications running on top of traditional database platforms. The DAML Driver for PostgreSQL allows applications built with the DAML smart contract framework to run on any PostgreSQL compliant database, including Amazon Aurora and RDS, Google Cloud SQL, Microsoft AzureDB, and more. DAML for PostgreSQL provides an easy and cost effective entry point into multi-party applications for use cases that do not require a fully distributed ledger on day one. You can now automate interdepartamental workflows, augment your existing systems and simplify complex business processes with the power of DAML workflows on top of the database infrastructure you are already running today.

The same DAML application you deployed on DAML for PostgreSQL can also be migrated to any DAML enabled DLT platform, such as Corda or VMware Blockchain, without rewriting the application or redoing the integrations with external systems. When external counterparties want to store a copy of the data they are entitled to, you can redeploy your DAML application onto a distributed ledger and enable your users to run their own DLT node - all without rewriting your application. All DAML-driven applications are ledger agnostic, so you can take advantage of the latest DLT platforms and features automatically without having to make changes to your DAML application. That’s what we mean by write once, deploy everywhere!

As you start to build new solutions for multi-party applications, only DAML future proofs the application from an evolving ledger landscape while also supporting today’s technology. Be sure to check out the Ledgers Unlocked Program, Digital Asset’s solution for businesses seeking to build applications across various stacks without license restrictions, and learn how you can leverage DAML Drivers for Corda, VMware Blockchain, and PostgreSQL without experiencing ledger lock-in.