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After the recent release of its 1.7.3 version, PrestaShop launches PrestaTrust, a traceability system based on blockchain innovation.
PrestaShop Addons Marketplace has been growing quite steadily since 2009, based on the key element for a marketplace: trust.
However, someone might buy a module, then copy it hundreds or thousands of times. From then, the risk is that he can give it away or sell without permission. And of course without financial reward for the contributor. He would not even know about it. As a consequence, when a contributor gets a request for support, he has no absolute proof that the merchant who asks for this service has really bought the module. And he does not easily know if the merchant does use the original code. We have here a
traceability issue both for merchants and contributors.
PrestaTrust creates a bond of trust between module developers and module users, by authenticating the code of the module and safely keeping track of its sales data in the blockchain.
Traceability is based on the Ethereum blockchain and guarantees a secure and irrefutable authentication of open source code.
What is Ethereum?
One of the most popular public blockchains. Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts, applications that run without possibility of downtime, censorship, fraud or third-party interference.
PrestaTrust runs different types of smart contracts, in particular:
- Contributor smart contracts
Once an Addons developer is registered on PrestaTrust, his/her smart contract automatically provides the immutable history of each module version. A Contributor smart contract allows to prove code authenticity.
Created each time a
PrestaTrusted module is bought, they contain the encrypted data of the purchased module, the buyer and the seller. A Purchase smart contract ensures the sale’s traceability, allowing the matching between one sale and one usage, preventing the abusive use of non purchased licences.
With this traceability system, PrestaTrust aims to strengthen the links between the different members of its community, by creating a strong bond of trust between module developers and module users. PrestaTrust will allow developers to increase their visibility thanks to the PrestaTrust badge stamped on their module.
What will the merchant see?
The purchase of a PrestaTrusted module will trigger a double check during the module installation on the merchant’s store:
- a code check: when the module is installed on the store, the code of the module is compared to the original one, in order to make sure no code change happened between purchase and installation
- a purchase licence check: the idea here is to browse the blockchain to verify that the licence corresponding to this store has been purchased
PrestaTrust is a free service for merchants and only
0.8% extra commission for contributors.
We clearly state that its solution will always remain open source. Moreover,
PrestaTrusted modules will not be encrypted which means that
PrestaTrust does not block the installation of any module.
As PrestaTrust’s Product Manager Margaux Choplin stated: "Building PrestaTrust has been an adventure of innovation, diving into the unexplored world of blockchain, like gold minors gathered to form an expedition into a world made of blocks, smart contracts, and real-time peer-to-peer transactions. This innovation bridges the trust gap between PrestaShop contributors - who sell open source modules - and merchants - who buy them to enhance their online store. "
