What is Relay Chain?

The Relay Chain essentially is the center chain of the Polkadot network. Polkadot is a heterogeneous multi-chain and translation design that connects private and public blockchains inside a single network.

Polkadot can help with various execution slots, which are equivalent to CPU scores. Each of them can only do one activity at a time. Polkadot promotes these slots through the use of two subscription services:

• Parachains
• Parathreads

For instance, parachains have an assigned slot for their chain and are referred to as the function that operates constantly.

Parathreads, on the other hand, distribute slots across a group and are referred to as functions that are only invoked infrequently. As a result, they are far less prevalent.

Likewise, Polkadot imposes no restrictions on what parachains can accomplish other than creating evidence that can be confirmed by the validators designated for the parachain. So, in this scenario, the majority of the computation that happens throughout the Polkadot network will be assigned to a particular parachain or parathread exertion, which can manage a specific use case.

The primary purpose here is to manage the entire network and its connections to parachains, which are multiple distinct layer-1 blockchains that operate concurrently on the network. Moreover, the Relay Chain has deliberately minimal functionality. For example, smart contracts are not backed by the Relay Chain.

Polkadot validators are responsible for staking the network's native DOT coins and approving the Relay chain. As a result, the framework allows for a variety of transaction types that enable validators to engage with nominated Proof-of-Stake (NPoS), governance structures, and parachain auctions.