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ICP A different type of smart contract
On most blockchains, applications that users click on are actually hosted on traditional Web servers. Only the transaction layer interacts with the blockchain. @dfinity's Internet Computer takes a different approach: The HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code that makes up the front-end interface is stored in a "container"(Canister), which is what the network calls smart contracts.
Because container smart contracts can process HTTP requests, users can directly access the blockchain through a standard Web browser, allowing decentralized applications (DApps) to run 100% on-chain.
What is a container?
In the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP), smart contracts are called "containers." A container is a digital storage unit that contains both the code needed to run a program and related data.
This allows computers to connect to each other and share information without having to rely on a central server such as AWS or Google Cloud.
How browser requests actually reach the blockchain
The routing layer between user browsers and containers involves two key components:
- HTTP Gateway: converts standard HTTP requests from browsers and other clients into ICP API calls and converts responses back to HTTP format.
- Border node: Users access containers through boundary nodes. Border nodes are responsible for converting user and application requests into container calls, which are handled by API nodes or HTTP gateways.
The API border node receives the ICP API call and forwards it to the replica node in the subnet hosting the target container. The container then executes the request, builds an HTTP response containing the status code, header information, and body, and returns it.
The key is that the routing infrastructure cannot tamper with what is stored in the container. Generating a subnet certificate requires at least two-thirds of the subnet nodes to reach an agreement using chain-key cryptography. Therefore, the authenticated response represents a network-level consensus rather than a declaration by individual nodes.
When the HTTP gateway receives a container response that contains a certificate, it verifies the certificate before passing the response to the client. This means that a single malicious node cannot quietly replace page content.
Although sites can also provide services through the original domain name to bypass signature checking, the official ICP developer document warns that in this case, a single bad node may change what the browser receives. Therefore, for most applications, using a standard authenticated domain name is a safer choice.
What makes Internet computers unique
Internet computers differ from other platforms in their end-to-end decentralization and connectivity to the TCP/IP protocol. This allows software to be hosted directly on the Internet without the need for any middlemen to intervene.
