Blockchain and deep links for mobile apps
A deep link can have a name of a mobile app and a network address of a device on which an instance of the app is running. Deep links can be stored in a blockchain, along with related data, like the location of the device running the app. The deep links in the blockchain can be analyzed to make a social network graph. A node in the graph is a network address of a mobile device running a mobile app. An edge between 2 nodes is a mobile app, which had 2 instances of the app interacting, where each instance runs on one of the nodes. The edge could be directed, going from the first earlier instance to the second instance. A blockchain can be used by a mobile app to write a deep link referring to itself. The app instance is looking to interact with other instances of the app. Another device scans the blockchain to get the deep link. It makes an instance of the app that interacts with the instance that wrote the deep link to the blockchain. The deep link in the blockchain could have associated data like the start and stop times of an interaction with other instances. Thus a blockchain can promote the direct interaction of instances of mobile apps. The logic to decide whether an app writes a deep link to the blockchain can be instantiated as a Writer. This can exist inside the app, or on the device, but outside any app, or on the network. Also, the app server might use a Writer, where the Writer is on the server machine or on the network.
1. A method of a device on a network running a software application, the method comprising:
receiving and storing, by the device, a list of blockchains, wherein each blockchain in the list of blockchains is associated with a geographical region;
receiving, by the device, an input from a user;
determining, by the device, using GPS and based on the input, a location of the device;
generating, by the device and based on the location of the device, a deep link, wherein the deep link includes a) data associated with the software application, b) a network address of the device, c) the location of the device;
selecting, by the device, a blockchain from the list of blockchains, based on the determined location of the device;
writing, by the device, the deep link to the selected blockchain from the list of blockchains;
receiving, by the device, a request, from the selected blockchain, for accessing the software application by a second device; and
providing to the second device, by the device, access to the software application, at least based on the deep link.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
prior to writing, by the device, the deep link to the selected blockchain:
generating a cryptographic signature, by the device and based on the input from the user; and
appending, by the device, the cryptographic signature to the deep link.