IOTA is fundamentally different approach to the way DLTs are build. So before you start developing with the IOTA Tangle there are a few things to understand.

Situations to use a distributed ledger

Distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) are a very specific tool that enable data integrity, consensus and allow for the externalisation of trust. These properties are desirable for many applications ranging from tamper proof audit trails to value transfer. As with any technology offering unique advantages they have trade offs. So when looking to use technologies such as IOTA, ensure that it meets your needs before jumping in with the IOTA documentation.

Reasons to use IOTA

IOTA was designed from the ground up for the world of connected devices. With the technology we set out to enable new distributed economies to be formed by enabling the transfer of data in a way that maintains integrity and providing a means to participate in fee-less micro-transaction. A distributed means of fee-less value transfer has not been available previously.

IOTA technology offers a unique platform to build and solidify a presence in the future of machine economies.

To get going with IOTA you don't need to download the whole Tangle or run your own node. You can interact with the public Mainnet (main IOTA Tangle which we interact on) or you can use the Devnet that we setup for developers like you. The main way to communicate with the Tangles is via API calls.

You can interact with the network by using this API to send transactions, query the network, and get statistics. We also have ZMQ message streams built into the node software for realtime applications to feed off, however this is not widely enabled on the Mainnet but we have it available on the Devnet here.

Those API calls the very basics of interactions with the network. For a more friendly way to interact with the network we have a range of client libraries in different languages to help you get started.

• Javascript

• Java

• C#

• Go

  Second Layer

• MAM

• Flash