Blockchain Architecture First Principles #5 — Smart Contracts Guarantee Logic, Not Execution

💭 Explanation

Smart contracts are not autonomous. They don’t run by themselves or independently monitor conditions. They react deterministically once invoked, guaranteeing consistent, immutable logic but not automatic execution.

There is no internal scheduler. No background process. No proactive “if this, then that” mechanism unless explicitly called.

I sometimes hear people say: “Because we use a smart contract, we guarantee this will happen.”

But that guarantee only holds if the smart contract actually gets called (!)

Even DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) are not truly autonomous. They are decentralized systems governed by rules, but they still rely on participants or offchain automation to trigger actions. The organization may be codified, but it does not operate by itself.

If your logic depends on being triggered, always ask yourself: Will it be?

Smart contracts shift responsibility to their environment, an environment that can forget, stall, or simply choose not to act.

🥷 How to Apply

• Clearly define who or what triggers contract execution
• Don’t assume automatic execution; explicitly incentivize actions
• Pair contracts with bots, keepers, or offchain automation if necessary
• Always consider scenarios where execution doesn’t occur

Smart contracts are reactive.
Without a caller, they remain silent.
When triggered, they execute exactly as written, no more, no less.

Every Sunday, I propose a blockchain first principle for architects. These are not fixed rules, but emerging truths meant to be ruthlessly challenged, like a scientific hypothesis. If a principle cannot stand up to questioning, I will refine or discard it. 😌

🌐 Also shared on LinkedIn