What Are Decentralized Applications?
Decentralized applications (dApps) are digital applications or programs that exist and run on a blockchain or P2P network of computers instead of a single computer, and are outside the purview and control of a single authority.
DApps can run on a P2P network or a blockchain network. For example, BitTorrent, Tor and Popcorn Time are applications that run on computers that are part of a P2P network, whereby multiple participants are consuming content, feeding or seeding content, or simultaneously performing both functions.
In the context of cryptocurrencies, dApps run on a blockchain network in a public, open source, decentralized environment and are free from control and interference by any single authority.
For example, a developer can create a Twitter-like dApp and put it on a blockchain where any user can publish messages. Once posted, no one—including the app creators—can delete the messages.
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