Lisk, the blockchain application platform, has announced updates to its full suite of applications; Lisk Core, Lisk Nano, and Lisk-JS.

In the official release, Lisk said that the updates signify an important milestone, bringing the platform closer to the launch of Lisk 1.0.0 – the first major release. A complete list of changes can be seen in the release log on to the Lisk GitHub.

“Lisk’s latest updates feature significant performance gains across all platforms, enhancing efficiency and usability while providing greater stability. Each update improves upon the solid foundation established by our previous releases, preparing for Lisk 1.0.0”, said Max Kordek, President of the Lisk Foundation. “While efforts toward scalability are ongoing, these updates bring a much-needed step in the right direction. With our first major release, Lisk 1.0.0, in sight, we are closer to becoming the innovative, safe, and seamless blockchain application platform outlined since day one”.

Lisk 0.8.0, the latest update to the Lisk Core product, includes optimization of the databases, a refinement of the API layer and the resolution of several difficult bugs.

“Following the optimization of our databases, our nodes now synchronize blocks after 20 seconds of not receiving new blocks, compared to 120 seconds previously. In addition, under 0.8.0 all existing APIs have been extracted into their own modules so that future development of the APIs will be easier to implement”, said Oliver Beddows, Vice-President of the Lisk Foundation.

Lisk Nano 0.2.0, the light client used by LSK holders to transfer LSK without hosting a node of their own, now includes many sought-after features, including the ability to send all funds with a single click and to show pending transactions from the blockchain. In a blog post, the startup said that Lisk Nano is set to become its primary client for sending and receiving LSK transactions securely. It added that while Lisk Nano does not cover all of the cases for usage yet, these features will be rolled out in a subsequent release and will ultimately replace Lisk UI.

“Our development team have undertaken a significant refactoring of Lisk Nano, and while this is invisible on the surface, we’ve laid the foundation for drastic changes to come, including the switch to a fully-featured desktop client for the Lisk network”, said Beddows.

Multi-signature functionality has now been implemented in Lisk-JS and is ready to use, marking an important step towards higher security for entity-owned funds. Furthermore, the latest version now includes the ability to locally encrypt messages using the account secret and the recipient account public key.

“Lisk Nano and Lisk-JS are becoming tightly coupled projects, due to Nano’s reliance on Lisk-JS for all of its transactional API functions. The latest update, Lisk-JS 0.4.0, has many useful improvements for developers who may be looking to create their own wallets with the library”, added Beddows.

LSK, the cryptocurrency underpinning the platform, is currently sitting in 25th place of the most valuable digital currencies, and is valued at over $35 million USD.