# Overview Asset Chain is a decentralized, open-source, smart contract platform that aims to provide fast, secure, and scalable infrastructure for decentralized applications (dApps). The platform is designed as a next-generation blockchain platform to address several limitations of existing blockchains. Lachesis, a revolutionary [**aBFT consensus protocol**](https://docs.fantom.foundation/technology/lachesis-abft)**,** has made Asset Chain faster and cheaper than previous technologies while retaining security. Asset Chain's key differentiating factor from other smart contract platforms is its focus on improving the performance of the underlying distributed ledger, meaning no segmentation between different networks, thereby not trading security for performance. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.assetchain.org/technology/overview.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.