NEAR Protocol (NEAR) is a decentralized platform for blockchain applications designed for high performance and scalability. It uses sharding technology, which allows it to distribute the load across the network and process a large number of transactions simultaneously. NEAR is focused on simplifying the development of decentralized applications (dApps) and offers developer-friendly tools and documentation. The main goal of the platform is to make blockchain accessible and easy to use for the mass market, while ensuring security and decentralization.