Ever wondered how you pay using google pay but the reciever recieves a notification on phone pay? How ONDC is able to show products from Amazon, Flipkart and other platforms?
The answer is Beckn. Beckn is a protocol that allows different platforms to communicate with each other without the need for a central authority. It is a decentralized protocol that allows for the exchange of information between different platforms. Beckn is the unsung hero of the eCommerce revolution, connecting multiple platforms and enabling seamless transactions.
The Problem
The eCommerce industry is growing rapidly, with more and more people shopping online. However, the current system is fragmented, with different platforms using different technologies and protocols. This makes it difficult for platforms to communicate with each other and share information. We need a centralised protocol to connect these platforms with each other.
The Solution
This is where Beckn comes in. Beckn (short for beckn protocol) is an open protocol for decentralized commerce. It allows different platforms to communicate with each other without the need for a central authority. It consists of several specifications for building open e-commerce networks across which sellers and their offers are universally discoverable from any Beckn-enabled app or platform.
What is Beckn?
The Beckn Protocol de-couples the demand-side digital infrastructure (apps and other channels) from the supply-side service provisioning infrastructure. It does this by making integrated location-aware services available not just on a single platform but potentially on any online consumer interface (online maps, messaging, wallets, voice assistant apps and devices) that has mainstream adoption in a city.
Beckn is a protocol, not a platform. It has a decentralized architecture that obviates the need for creating a centralized platform in order to integrate services from multiple providers simultaneously. The protocol ensures privacy and security by design by enabling secure, privacy-protected interactions.
The Interoperability protocol allows two entities in an integrated ecosystem to communicate with each other through structured flows and role definitions. The Server-To-Server Communication protocol allows any consumer-facing online platform to discover and transact with location-aware remote services with minimal implementation overhead. A single message packet generated at run-time, hence, could contain services from multiple providers.
How Beckn Works
Beckn is a multi-layerd, with layer structure and organisation resembling that of HTTP. The architecture of the Beckn ecosystem has five layers (from top to bottom):
- Application layer
- Network and Transaction layer
- Infrastructure and Security layer
- Certification layer
- Specification and Support layer
All components of the Beckn ecosystem are, as of July 2021, live and operational on production platforms except for the Certification component which has one of its specifications still under development. There are four Beckn domain-based communities that work to implement Beckn in their respective industries and, as a result of their work, four Beckn-enabled networks.
Multi-Layered Structure of the Protocol
Beckn architecture prescribes multiple layers stacked on top of one another, each with clearly defined roles and functions, as evident from this diagram:
Every entity that wants to be part of the network must be in one or more of the layers listed in the left column.
The bottom two layers — the Specification and Support layer and the Certification layer — provide all the resources and support required to implement the network, to test for compliance and to become certified to join the network.
The top two layers are the actual run-time of the specification in the form of the Application layer which constitutes the consumer and the provider interfaces, and the Network and Transaction layer which has the server-side applications and the routing infrastructure.
In the very middle is the Infrastructure and Security layer. This layer holds the underlying infrastructure that transforms the Beckn-compliant platforms into actual live transacting entities on an open network. The layer comprises of open registries which list the various platforms and makes them this discoverable by other platforms — a role similar to that of the domain name system (DNS) in HTTP.
Each of these layers has undergone unique independent evolution in terms of complexity and scale. Together, they all work in concert to create the ecosystem of Beckn.
Apps powered by Beckn
Conclusion
Beckn is the unsung hero of the eCommerce revolution. It is a protocol that allows different platforms to communicate with each other without the need for a central authority. It is a decentralized protocol that connects multiple platforms and enables seamless transactions.
Beckn is a new protocol so it has less community support and adoption but it is growing rapidly and is expected to become the standard for eCommerce transactions in the future.