#BOS @coineasydao.near what is near protocol? NEAR Protocol is a decentralized blockchain platform designed to enable the development and execution of scalable and secure decentralized applications (dApps). It aims to provide a developer-friendly environment while addressing some of the limitations of existing blockchain systems, such as scalability and usability. NEAR Protocol employs a sharded blockchain architecture, where the network is divided into smaller partitions called shards. This design allows for parallel transaction processing and increased throughput, enabling the network to handle a higher volume of transactions compared to traditional blockchain platforms.