XRPL and Hooks Debate: David Schwartz Explains Ripple’s Stance

David Schwartz, the CTO of Ripple, addressed recent debates about “hooks” on the XRP Ledger (XRPL), explaining their status and the reasoning behind their limited adoption.

Hooks, which allow customized logic and automation within blockchain transactions, are currently functional on the Xahau sidechain but not directly on the XRPL mainnet. According to Schwartz, hooks were deemed too risky for immediate implementation on XRPL.

The discussion began when a Xahau developer revealed that voting for an amendment related to transaction fees was delayed on XRPL because its maintainers did not implement batch transactions. This sparked criticism from some users, who claimed Ripple was blocking innovation by excluding both hooks and batch transactions.

Denis Angell, a Ripple software engineer, clarified that batch transaction proposals require extensive audits and performance testing before they can be implemented on XRPL. This process ensures network stability and efficiency. These factors likely contributed to the delay in adoption.

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Schwartz Provides Clarity

Ripple’s CTO, David Schwartz, joined the conversation to address these concerns and defend the XRPL network. He emphasized that XRPL has not blocked hooks entirely. Instead, the maintainers agreed to test the feature on the Xahau sidechain, allowing developers to experiment in a safer environment before introducing it to the mainnet. Schwartz stated that the network remains open to implementing hooks if the community supports it.

Schwartz explained that hooks were initially seen as too high-risk for XRPL due to their potential impact on network functionality. This led to the creation of Xahau, a sidechain specifically designed to host and test these smart contract features. He added that XRPL currently supports batch transactions and noted two proposals under review, both of which look promising.

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Batch Transactions and Practical Uses

In response to a query about batch settlement, Schwartz explained its relevance for certain use cases, such as off-ledger NFT offers. He described a scenario involving a broker mediating an NFT sale. Batch transactions could facilitate a single operation that includes multiple components, such as transferring the NFT, collecting payment, and paying the broker’s commission, all in one go.

As these discussions unfolded, XRP’s price slipped below $3, finding support around $2.70, according to CoinMarketCap data.