Cryptopedia - Marlin

## What Is Marlin (POND)? Marlin is an open protocol that provides a high-performance programmable network infrastructure for DeFi and Web 3.0. The nodes in the Marlin network, called Metanodes, operate the MarlinVM which provides a virtual router interface for developers to deploy customized overlays and perform edge computations. Notable overlays that can be built using MarlinVM include: * Low-latency block multicast to scale blockchains * Low-latency mempool sync for arbitrageurs * Mesh networks * Anonymity networks like mixnets * Device optimization and caching responses of API to Infura, Alchemy etc Its native utility token POND is used for: * Running validator nodes on the network via staking * Making and voting on governance proposals to determine how network resources are allocated * Determining a set of network performance auditors and compensating users from an insurance fund in case of a SLA breach Marlin aims to deliver on the promise of a decentralized web where applications secured via the blockchain are indistinguishable in terms of performance to users accustomed to Web 2.0.