Move, the programming language of Diem (formerly Libra)

The development team of Diem (formerly Libra), the Facebook stablecoin, has announced Move, the programming language on which the digital asset will be built and which will be instrumental in ensuring that the payment system works. 

Its task will be to: 

• guarantee the ownership of the assets, 
• create the procedures to enable their transfer. 

In the post in which Move is presented, the first thing that is explained is that it was decided to create a new programming language, avoiding those already existing, even though they would also have been an appropriate choice. 

Move, according to the developers, will bring improvements and solve several existing problems in the industry. 

“We built Move to preserve simplicity while supporting the complex needs of a global financial infrastructure by striking a proper balance between the expressivity of the source language (e.g., creating resources) and safety measures. In order to provide accurate representations of states and transitions at such tremendous scale, we have made a number of adjustments to the paradigms of other languages with the addition of first-class resources, improved safety, and upgraded verifiability”.

How does Diem’s language Move work

The so-called “first-class resources” will be used by developers to customize Move. Each resource is encapsulated in a module and every operation must be performed within that module. This also provides security for the system. 

From a security point of view, Move is presented as a bytecode that offers guarantees that malicious actors cannot “write” it. 

In addition, two types of verification are provided, depending on what the software is to execute.

The development team has already released the public documentation. Move is intended to be an open-source language. The devs themselves are appealing to the community so that anyone who wants to can contribute. A tutorial on how to create money is even available on the website. 

In short, it is still a work in progress. However, it is clear that this is a step forward for the launch of Diem. The former Libra should be launched this year, although it cannot be ruled out that a tightening of regulations in the United States could further lengthen the timeframe.