NEAR Protocol is a decentralized platform that was created in 2018. It aims to provide a fast, secure, and scalable infrastructure for the development and deployment of decentralized applications (dapps) and smart contracts. The purpose of NEAR is to provide a platform for the creation and deployment of decentralized applications that are fast, secure, and scalable, enabling developers and businesses to build and deploy a wide range of applications on a secure and decentralized infrastructure. One of the key features of NEAR is its sharding technology, which allows the network to scale to handle a large number of transactions and dapps, while maintaining fast transaction times and low fees. This makes it well-suited for the development and deployment of applications with a large user base or those that require high levels of throughput. In addition to its sharding technology, NEAR also has a strong focus on developer experience and ecosystem growth, providing tools and resources to support developers in building and deploying decentralized applications on the NEAR network.