20.2 Channel

• What is a channel?

A channel is an independent ledger of blockchain data.

• How can I create a channel?

Right now all channels are created by Gala. In the future we may facilitate the creation of channels by external developers.

• Can transactions happen in any channel?

Yes

• Can transactions happen in multiple channel at once?

A given token would only ever transact in one channel though. There is no cross-channel transactions.

• Is each channel a different blockchain?

Yes, each channel has its own ledger and worldstate.

• Does each channel have a block height?

Yes, each channel has its own block height. It could be considered a sub-chain of the overall GalaChain network, but there is no rollup to a lower layer from the individual channels.

• What is the consensus mechanism of GalaChain?

The concensus mechanism of GalaChain is Proof of Authority.

• How does the consensus mechanism of GalaChain works?

The consensus is achieved by authoritative peers in the GalaChain network.

• How long does it take for each channel produce a block?

The block size is configurable per channel. A block is written whenever it reaches 200 transactions or the block timeout is reached in 1 second, whichever comes first. This is also configurable per channel.