Mini Program Revolution: The web3 leap trip of the Telegram mini program

Source: TOPOLOGYLAB topology laboratory

introduction

Recently, the rapid development of Telegram ecology has become a hot topic in the field of Web3.Telegram, a communication giant with 900 million users, quietly launched a small program and robot development function.At present, the Telegram applet can completely replace most websites, support seamless authorization, and integrate payment and more customized functions through 20 payment providers (including Google Pay and Apple Pay)Services, and recently explosive Catizen mini games.In addition, Telegram has developed a Ton chain that supports convenient blockchain transactions.This kind of “traffic+payment” line similar to WeChat has enabled Telegram to develop rapidly.

Chinese users are very familiar with WeChat Mini Program.Today, the applet has penetrated all aspects of life.For example, if you order a cup of Ruixing Coffee, the store often recommends that the applet is placed through an order to enjoy a more favorable price.For another example, the cat’s eyes and ticket applets on WeChat can be used to complete the movie ticket purchase by gently pulling the WeChat interface, which is extremely convenient.Recently, with the explosion of GPT, the domestic head AI assistant Kimi also settled in WeChat Mini Program. Users only need to drop the WeChat page and ask Kimi anytime, anywhere, and facilitate work and study.In the Internet era, the development process from the initial web version to various APPs has now evolved to monopolize markets such as WeChat, Alipay, Douyin, and Meituan.With the monopoly of the Internet giants, individual shops gradually launch various platforms. Each platform contains a large number of small programs, which is even more irritable.

Against such a background, this article will explore the development process and status quo of Web2 and Web3 mini -programs.First of all, we will review the development process of WeChat Mini Program and analyze the reasons for its success and existing ecosystems.Then, we will introduce the rise of the Telegram mini -programs to explore its combination with Web3 technology and the application in the blockchain field.Finally, we will look forward to the development trend of applets in the future, explore how they continue to change our lifestyle and lead the next era of the Internet.

Web2 era: the development process and status quo of applets

Mini -program origin

The origin and development of applets is a process of jointly promoted by many large factories. Among them, WeChat Mini Program is the earliest and most typical representative.The origin of the applet can be traced back to 2013. At that time, Baidu proposed the concept of “light application”, defining a full -featured app that does not need to download, or search, and uses the user experience comparable to the native APP and the retrieval of the web app.With intelligent distribution characteristics.However, light applications have not achieved expected success.Subsequently, Google proposed the concept of PWA (Progressive Web App) in 2016, but it was not widely used in China.In the end, WeChat Mini Program successfully led the development trend of applets with the huge user base and strong platform support of WeChat.Nowadays, applets have become a part of the mobile Internet field that cannot be ignored, providing new possibilities for users and developers.

WeChat Mini Program: The concept of WeChat Mini Program was first proposed by Zhang Xiaolong in 2016. It aims to provide a new service form that allows users to enjoy the “tentacles” service in the WeChat ecosystem.On January 9, 2017, the WeChat Mini Program was officially launched. Users can use applications without downloading and installing, which realizes the concept of “walking after use”.The rapid development of WeChat Mini Program has become an important tool for connecting online and offline services. In 2018, it launched a small program advertising component to enable developers to earn advertising revenue through small programs.
Alipay Mini Program: On September 20, 2017, Alipay Mini Program was officially opened to ordinary users.In April 2018, the State Administration of Market Supervision and Administration launched the “Electronic Business License” applet on Alipay, which can receive and use business licenses at home.For development, Alipay has become China’s second largest program platform.
Baidu Mini Program: On July 4, 2018, Baidu Smart Small Program was officially launched.On January 10, 2019, the Guangdong Public Security Department and many Internet companies such as Baidu launched the “Guangdong 110” smart applet alarm platform to accelerate the construction of new smart police.On April 25, the national mini -program “Switzerland” was launched.On November 25, Baidu announced that the intelligent mini program broke through 300 million a month.
Douyin Mini Program: In July 2021, Douyin piloted its own “Heart Takeaway” service. Although it was finally removed from the shelves because of the difficulty of building the distribution system, this attempt opened the Douyin applets in the field of local life services.explore.As of March 2024, the traffic of the Douyin platform applet reached 232 million.

Reasons for small programs

User convenience: The mini -program provides users with an extremely convenient experience experience with its characteristics of “no installation, tentacles can be done, after use, and no need to uninstall.”
Low development and maintenance costs: Compared with native applications, the development cost of mini -programs is significantly lower because it does not need to develop separately for different operating systems, and it is easier to maintain.For example, WeChat Mini Program developers can use familiar front -end technology HTML, CSS and JavaScript for development.At the same time, WeChat Mini Program provides rich APIs and components, which can easily call the functions provided by WeChat, such as obtaining user information, local storage, payment functions, etc., no need to develop from scratch.In addition, strategies such as sandbox isolation, platform control (appraisal, review, version control), grammatical limitation, capacity packaging, packaging, and loading are guaranteed to ensure the stability and security of the small programs.
The huge potential user foundation: WeChat (as of March 31, 2024, the number of WeChat and WeChat’s merging monthly accounts of 1.359 billion), Alipay (as of June 2022, 1.045 billion), Douyin (as of June 2023, trembling, shakingThere are huge user bases such as Yinyue Nobu’s) platforms such as about 723 million), which provides a huge potential market and user base for applets.In March 2024, WeChat, Alipay, Baidu, and Douyin platforms reached 945 million, 648 million, 389 million, and 232 million, respectively, formed a strong “flow pool” effect on the medium -long tail app and offline merchants.
Traffic and marketing advantages: WeChat applets can be seamlessly combined with other functions such as WeChat, WeChat payment, discovery bar, search bar, etc., and use WeChat’s social networks for rapid communication and marketing.The Alipay Mini Program enhances user precipitation and brand trust through the combination of living numbers and applets, especially in low -frequency business.The Douyin Mini Program benefits from the traffic aggregation advantage of the Douyin platform, and its user immersion time is significantly higher than that of other platforms.
Lightweight application scenario adaptability: The lightweight design of the mini -program is particularly suitable for those tool application scenarios that are not high but indispensable.The mini -program has a small occupation of mobile phone storage space. It only loads the current resources and data when runtime. At the same time, its design tends to be simple and lightweight. Developers are encouraged to retain the necessary functions, avoid redundancy, and make the applet of the applet.The volume is far less than the traditional APP.In addition, the update and maintenance of applets are usually managed uniformly by the host platform, and users do not need to update manually.
Avoiding platform division: For developers, applets can avoid the high amount and strict review mechanisms of platforms such as Apple App Store, increase income and save time costs.

In summary, the reason why WeChat Mini Program is favored by developers and users is mainly because of its advantages in convenience, cost, user foundation, marketing capabilities, application scenarios, and avoiding platform division.These advantages have made small programs the preferred platform for many enterprises and individual developers, and also makes users more inclined to use applets instead of downloading traditional APPs.

The composition and ecology of the small program industry chain

Multi -platform comprehensive competition: At present, the applet industry involves almost all Internet factories: WeChat, Alipay, Douyin, Baidu Smart, Meituan, Taobao, JD.com, Xiaohongshu, Kuaishou, etc.Developers cover almost all online scenarios: online shopping, living services, games, government affairs, content consulting, video, tools, community group purchase, offline retail, catering, tourism, education, picture/photography/video and social networking.Various service providers (SaaS, BAAS, Development Service Providers, Mini Program Stores, Marketing Service Providers, MCN and Acting Operations) provide small programs with programs, operations, advertising, live broadcast, data and underlying structures.The small program provides the platform party to provide commercial/social services and users, while the platform party provides small program ecology and business scenarios.Government, media, enterprises, and venture capital provide investment, resource integration and partial publicity, and small procedures for direct investment returns and production.
Users are completely accustomed to mini -programs to participate in production and life: In 2023, the size of China’s Internet application users is in real -time communication, short videos, network payment and search engines, respectively: 1.0381 billion, 1.018 million, 911.4 billion, and 801.7 billion.The per capita minimum used by the entire network is 15.2.
Development momentum: In the number of small programs and the scale of transactions, WeChat and Alipay are flat and leading other platforms such as Douyin, Kuaishou, Baidu and other platforms.WeChat steadily sitting in the first challenge. Alipay has become the second largest open ecosystem of the Mini Program Internet, and the head platform has accelerated the settlement.Douyin mini -program has a strong growth momentum, the number of applets increases by 280%year -on -year, developers increased by 640%year -on -year, applet DAU increased by 84%year -on -year.To.
The distribution of mini -program industry: The number of small procedures for living services has entered the most number of various rankings, the highest proportion is the highest, and the number of visits is the largest (about 40%).The number of offline retail and games has begun to increase significantly.The online shopping applet is affected by the economic environment and fluctuates a large fluctuations, but the number of sharing times is the highest (up to 49%). At the same time, the proportion of vertical e -commerce in online shopping mini -programs accounts for the largest proportion (70.2%).Life service applet is widely used, with complicated types and large room for innovation.The development of tool applet is the most stable.It is worth noting that the rise of small program short dramas has become the most golden track in the second half of 2023.
AI helps mini -program services towards high -precision: The application of AI technology in small program services is promoting the development of services in a more efficient, smarter, and more personalized direction.Customer service, voice interaction, automated marketing, content generation, intelligent search and so on.
The content production and marketing of mini -programs: Propaganda port depends on KOL’s social relationship endorsement products and MCN companies to expand publicity.The drainage method pays attention to drive non -structured groups, and focuses on guiding the “tap water” generals to participate in brand building.In addition, it is worth mentioning that the trend of brand co -branded is rising. The small program helps to line up the new marketing of the entire platform content. The popularity of sauce latte (Moutai × Ruixing Coffee) is the most successful case.
Life and entertainment vertical space potential is huge: maternal and infant childcare, travel, science popularization, pet, film and television entertainment, automobiles, health and other vertical fields, the average replacement rate is higher, while the number of users and per capita growth is strong.

Web3 era: the rise and characteristics of Telegram MINI Apps

Telegram has recently introduced a new feature that allows running “Mini Apps” in its applications, which is similar to WeChat mini -programs, allowing it to provide users with a flexible interface similar to Internet websites, so as to directly on TelegramVarious operations, such as playing mini -games, electronic payment, etc.This function is similar to the robot (BOT) that has been running for a period of time in Telegram, but it provides a further experience.

Specifically, Telegram Mini Apps have the following characteristics:

Seamless integration: Telegram Mini Apps can be directly integrated into Telegram. As one of the most popular news platforms, it has millions of active users.A user may discuss an upcoming party in Telegram chat.Through the Mini APPS, they can directly open an application in the chat to book venues, choose catering services, and even buy tickets. All these do not need to leave the Telegram application.
Enhance user experience: Users can use interactive and complex web applications without downloading or installing applications separately.Suppose there is a Mini App as an online store that users can directly browse products, check recommendations in Telegram, and buy it without downloading additional shopping applications.This experience is similar to accessing a full -function e -commerce website in the browser, but it is fully integrated in Telegram.
Multi -functional: MINI APPS can be applied to various scenarios such as e -commerce, customer support, games and tests.Because the Mini APPS can be an application of any type. For example, a online education platform can directly access courses, test tests and tests, or a fitness application in Telegram to provide exercise guidance and health tracking.
Quick Development: Developers can use familiar web technology, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to quickly develop the MINI APPS.A developer may develop a simple application within a few days.
Cross -platform compatibility: MINI APPS can be used in all Telegram official applications. Whether users are on mobile phones, tablets, computers, or through the web version of Telegram, they can access and use the MINI APPS.This means that developers do not need to develop multiple versions for different platforms.
Improving user interaction: MINI APPS provides a simplified way to communicate between users and projects.A mini app can be an interactive survey or voting tool. Users can directly participate in the investigation in the Telegram group, collect feedback or make decisions.This application can promote communication and collaboration in the group and increase participation.

In addition, Telegram’s Mini Apps also cooperate with TON to strengthen the MINI APPS function through Ton Chain.Ton’s Mini Apps provides a convenient entry, allowing Web2 users to easily step into the web3 world.In fact, the TON public chain was initially promoted by Telegram, but in 2019, it was canceled due to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).Nevertheless, the community and other developer teams continued to advance the project, forming the current TON public chain.Although TON has no direct relationship with Telegram, Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, still supports the project many times, emphasizing the business correlation between the two.

Specifically, the cooperation between TON (The Open Network) and Telegram’s MINI Apps can bring many benefits to the latter:

The TON payment system allows users to pay instant and fast payment in Telegram, which greatly improves the payment experience and convenience.
By integrating with TON, Telegram’s MINI APPS can also support legal currency payment to further expand the coverage and convenience of payment.
TON’s shard technology improves the scalability and performance of the blockchain, so that the Mini APPS can handle larger transactions and user requests, and support more complex application scenarios.
Ton’s tokens can provide economic incentives for MINI APPS, encourage users to participate and use, and at the same time provide developers with incentive mechanisms to promote sustainable development and innovation of applications.

Comparison of WeChat Mini Program and Telegram Mini Apps

WeChat Mini Programs is a lightweight application platform launched by Tencent in 2017. It allows users to use various applications without downloading and installing in WeChat.Initially, applets mainly provided basic tools and service functions, and gradually expanded to e -commerce, games, social, education and other fields.With the continuous improvement of functions and diversification of user needs, WeChat Mini Program introduced rich development tools and interfaces, and integrates powerful functions such as WeChat payment, which quickly became an important part of the Chinese mobile Internet ecosystem.Its openness and convenience have attracted a large number of developers and enterprises, and promoted the rapid development and popularization of applets.Although WeChat Mini Programs and Telegram Mini Apps are small applications embedded in social platforms, they have significant differences in many aspects:

1. User experience and access methods

WeChat Mini Program

User experience: Users can access applets by scanning QR code, sharing links or searching inside WeChat.The interface is usually consistent with the overall style of WeChat, and the experience is smooth.
Access method: Developers use the development tools and API provided by WeChat to build small programs, mainly using technologies such as JavaScript, WXML and WXSS.You need to pass the review of WeChat before release.

Telegram mini apps

User experience: Users can access the MINI APPS by chatting robots, groups, channels or embedded buttons.The interface design is more free, which can be separated from the default style of Telegram and bring a diverse experience.
Access method: Developers use BOT API and MINI APPS APIs provided by Telegram to develop applications. Mainly standard web technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript are mainly used.The release process is relatively simple and there is no strict review mechanism.

2. Application scenario and business model

WeChat Mini Program

Application scenarios: covering e -commerce, games, social, tools, education and other extensive fields, especially applicable to lightweight and high frequency applications.
Business model: It is mainly profitable through service charges, advertising, e -commerce and value -added services.WeChat provides rich monetization methods, such as WeChat payment, advertising platforms, etc.

Telegram mini apps

Application scenario: Mostly used for information services, entertainment, financial instruments and social interaction.Due to the advantages of Telegram in terms of privacy protection and security, financial instruments and privacy socialization will be its strong items.
Business model: At present, the business model of Telegram MINI APPS is still exploring, and it may be realized through subscribing services, value -added functions, and third -party payment interfaces.

3. Governance and community participation

WeChat Mini Program

Governance: Directed by Tencent, the audit mechanism is strict to ensure compliance and safety of content.
Community participation: The developer community is relatively closed, relying on Tencent’s support and official documents.

Telegram mini apps

Governance: Relatively open, Telegram provides basic use specifications, but the degree of freedom of development and release is high.
Community participation: The developer community is open, Telegram officially interacts with developers frequently, and the community contributes greatly.

Telegram: Set up web2 and web3 bridge

The Telegram applet is currently very hot, and more importantly, it currently plays the bridge between Web2 and Web3.Its huge user base provides a large base for this.Its freedom and no censorship make it own more in line with the group of Web3. As the most web3 Web2 software, its huge user base is a very large proportion of Web3 enthusiasts or potential web3 users.As analyzed above, the low development cost, use and dissemination threshold of applets make the TG ecosystem very easy to spread.Ton’s native support has reduced the threshold for interaction on the chain.In this part, we will introduce some popular applications in the current TG ecosystem, and introduce them how to introduce Web2 users into Web3 through the case.

Notcoin

Notcoin is a “point” game on the TG mini -program. The main operation is very simple: users only need to continue to click on the screen to get gold coins in the game when they have physical strength.Based on the traditional gamefi Play 2 Earn, Notcoin proposed the TA P2E ARN concept, and users only need to click on the screen to make money.In addition, Notcoin also has functions such as skill improvement, task system, teamwork, points league and inviting new users.From the official launch of January 1, 2024 to the Kon’an on May 16th, notcoin attracted more than 35 million players and more than 5 million daily active users.

As a simple TG mini -program game, Notcoin has greatly reduced the user threshold with a huge TG user foundation and simple operation method.At the same time, the fission mechanism in the game has made it very fast.In terms of token economic system, the project party only retains 5%of tokens, and there is no reserved VC. Of the remaining 95%, 78%are allocated to all game users.This kind of community project without VC and distribute most tokens to community users. In the current environment, it is very politically correct and has been well received by community users.In the end, NOTCOIN launched on May 16, with a maximum market value of $ 2 billion.

Notcoin successfully attracted a large number of users and transformed a large number of users into Web3 users.The project party puts most tokens to players. Under the premise of such a large amount of players, the airdrop covers a large number of users.During the airdrop stage, there are two options for users: transfer tokens to Binance or to TG wallet.No matter which one user chooses, it brings new players to the web3 world.Users who choose to transfer airdrops into Binance may become virtual currency traders, and users who choose to transfer the airdrops into the TG wallet will become a player on the TON chain.

Notcoin’s success not only depends on the multi -directional support of TG, but also benefits from Binance’s support.Binance has long been committed to introducing Web2 users and injected fresh blood into Web3.Looking back at the EDU and HOOK projects, which are controversial in 2023, EDU and HOOK, are all non -Web3 native projects, namely asset -based education platforms and web3 learning platforms.Binance has occupied a certain market share among Web3 users, but in the face of high customer acquisition costs, I hope to introduce more web2 users into Web3, expand the entire market volume, and contribute to their own user base.Therefore, Binance noticed notcoin as early as the end of February and conducted joint activities with it.In the end, notcoin successfully landed in Launchpool.

From the perspective of Binance, TG users and web3 user portraits are highly reconnected, and TG users have a high quality.Therefore, Binance chose to let Notcoin online.Notcoin is a successful example.As a TG game, it attracted tens of millions of users in just over four months, and transformed these users into virtual currency traders or blockchain users through airdrops.

Catizen

Catizen comes from a team with extensive small program experience that has more than 5 years of experience in the development and operation of WeChat Mini Program Games and Facebook games.Compared with other games, this game is more mature in terms of gaming.In the game, the player plays the owner of a cat shop, and the cat will automatically pick up the customer to gain benefits.The income depends on the number and level of cats in the store.Players can use gold coins to buy new cats and get higher -level cats by synthesizing two cats at the same level to earn higher income per second.

With its lovely style and addictive business game attributes, Catizen has obtained more than 20 million users in three months, and daily active users (DAU) reached 2.5 million.Through the excellent user curriculum guidance and potential airdrop expectations in the game, Catizen has revenue more than $ 12 million through TG’s internal purchase revenue.This achievement is very dazzling, especially for traditional Gamefi, the lack of external income has led to its strong Ponzi attributes, and Catizen has obtained more than 10 million US dollars in three months.Question.

Catizen not only attracted tens of millions of players, but also guided players to bind TG wallets in the game and realize the interaction of contracts on the chain.There are some options in the game. Users can obtain in -game income through intelligent contract interaction. These interactions are performed on the TON chain without paying for payment, just paying GAS fees.For example, puppies that appear from time to time can give players 500%of their income for a period of time. If it is only 1 minute for free, and you can get 4 minutes through contract interactions.Catizen’s clever game incentive mechanism allows them to have more than one million chain users. These users interact with smart contracts on TON through Catizen.The guidance like Catizen may be due to Ton’s investment.

Catizen has achieved bright results in many aspects, not only attracting a large number of users, bringing high returns to the project party, making Web3 games profitable, and also guided a large number of users to enter the TON chain and become a web3 player.In terms of airdrops, although CATIZEN is not as generous as NOTCOIN to users, the initial plan was assigned to the team 20%and VC 8%, and only 35%were allocated to users, but then the proportion of the air investments was continuously overwhelmed to 43%.

Hamster Kombat

Hamster Kombat is similar to notcoin, but it is more than just a disk.Compared with the simple gameplay and settings of Notcoin, Hamster Kombat is more complicated in background settings and gaming.The game background is set to play the owner of the player as the virtual currency exchange, and get points by consuming energy to click the screen.The game also increases business elements. Players can upgrade the exchange by consume gold coins, such as improving employee levels, marketing, and compliance investment, so as to obtain more benefits.

This background setting allows players to experience the game from the perspective of the CEO of the Virtual Currency Exchange, which increases their understanding and recognition of virtual currency.In addition, Hamster Kombat also combines the task system with the video task to drain to its YouTube channel.Players watch two videos every day, introducing blockchain knowledge and blockchain news respectively.

Hamster Kombat performed very brightly. As of the end of June, the game had more than 200 million users.At the same time, its YouTube official channel has over 30 million subscriptions, and the average number of video viewing exceeds 20 million.The airdrop mechanism of the game requires users to bind its TG wallet first. This measure effectively guides users to enter the web3 world.

From the perspective of web3 leaders, Hamster Kombat has succeeded in many aspects.First of all, it attracted a large number of users and made them registered and binds TG wallets through the airdrop mechanism.Secondly, in terms of user education, the game allows players to play the CEO of the virtual currency exchange through unique gameplay, which enhances its understanding of virtual currency.Through daily uploading videos and task systems, game inspire players to learn Web3 knowledge and pay attention to Web3 news, so that they can accept these concepts subtly.Accepting and learning is the prerequisite for joining the web3, and HAMSTER KOMBAT successfully achieved this.

Conclusion and outlook

Relying on TG’s high web3 potential customers, as well as small programs that are seamlessly connected to payment and chain interaction, the convenient mobile phone semi -center application, TG provides a new entrance to the web3 world.From the data point of view, the popularity of the TG applet has brought rapid user growth to TON. Since early 2024, the number of active wallets has increased from one million to more than 10 million in seven months, turning over ten times.Similarly, this is also reflected in the transaction GAS FEE. The daily consumption of TON consumed on the chain increased from an average of 1,000 TON last year to today’s tens of thousands of TON daily.

TG’s applet is more like a mixed web2 and web3 mode, neither completely centralized nor completely decentralized.From the perspective of payment methods, there are both centralized fiat currency purchases, but also chain transfer and interaction. The wallet on the chain is also divided into hosted abstract account wallets and external wallets.From the perspective of operation, some operations are centralized, and the parts involved in the assets are treated on the chain.The profit model is also mixed, including Web2’s advertising costs, game purchase fees, and NFT MINT expenses and transaction fees of Web3.In the TG ecology, the blockchain is more like a supplement to Web2, not the core role in native Web3.This method enriches the application scenario of blockchain technology and benefits traditional applications.

Although the TG applet has performed very bright recently, it brought a lot of fresh blood to the Web3 world, attracting many users to active in the TON chain.However, in the long run, TG ecology is different from BTC, Ethereum, Solana, etc. with the help of blockchain technology to serve finance, the TG ecology is more like serving other fields with science and technology.This is a kind of exploration and attempt for blockchain technology under more applications, but it is different from the current mainstream financial -led web3.

This difference comes from several levels.The first is the different users.In the ecology of finance, users are mainly investors. In the TG ecosystem, most users are consumers. In terms of quantity, investors are less than consumers, and investors have a higher average spending power.The second is the difference in application.The mainstream chains such as ETH and Solana are mainly developed around the financial level, including DEFI, Oracle, etc. Even Gamefi and SocialFi focuses on the financial level and eventually become a fund disk.These chains have a large volume to provide certain guarantees for financial security and liquidity.The main burst of fires in the TG ecology is games, gaming, payment and other items, which are more based on the number of users and the duration of use.

The picture above shows the TVL ranking. Even though Ton’s TVL skyrocketed to $ 700 million, compared with ETH’s 50 billion yuan and 4 billion billion BSC and BSC, there is still a big gap.Therefore, we believe that the TG ecology is not robbing business from the existing Web3 project, but to open up a new road and convert Web2 users into Web3 users.Its application scenario is different from traditional web3.The TG ecology is more like a WeChat mini -program that enhances applications through payment functions, while ETH, Solana and other ecology enhance financial Alipay through technology.At present, the TG ecology is still in the early stage. In the future, more practical applications will appear in the TG ecosystem. Not only is it limited to games, but eventually becomes a super app like WeChat.The development of the TON chain will be more inclined to the application and assistance of application.Whether the TG ecology will be more involved in the financial field needs to see the response of the traditional old chains.