# What is AppLayer?

The AppLayer Network is made up of three parts:

* A Blockchain Development Kit (hereby denominated [**BDK**](https://github.com/AppLayerLabs/bdk-cpp)), with extensive documentation for developers to easily build their own AppLayer's with unprecedented freedom
* An EVM network built on top of the Blockchain Development Kit which enables builders to deploy EVM smart contracts and scale with C++ stateful pre-compiles
* A network that allows the bridging of data and assets between these app-specific chains and external chains - we call it the Chain Abstraction Network (**CAN**)

Therefore, blockchains built using the BDK are able to communicate with each other through AppLayer.

## Potential use cases

AppLayer provides all the essential tools to build a wide range of products for decentralized finance, data storage, gaming, and much more. It can power applications such as:

* **DeFi**: build financial products with security and ease. Leveraging AppLayer's performance network enables a whole new generation of DeFi products such as facilitating millions of trades per second.
* **Data Storage**: AppLayer makes data storage easier, more affordable, and secure. Builders can store backups of whole ledgers or fully decentralize any form of a database natively in the AppLayer network.
* **GameFi**: gaming projects now have performance infrastructure to build game engines capable of leveraging a pure blockchain solution with a whole new range of in-game features.

Other potential use cases include (but not limited to):

* Multiplayer games/servers
* Decentralized exchange
* Decentralized and hyper available caching for dApps’ databases
* Decentralized e-mail
* HR portal
* VPN
* Cloud services
* Video rendering
* E-commerce
* Arbitrage bot
* Blockchain-enabled utilities such as water and power
* Supply chain and logistics