Development & Infrastructure

• Challenge Setting

• Challenge Budget: ₳2,925,000

Guiding Questions : #

What research, tools or software can improve the developer ecosystem or infrastructure to make it easier to build and scale on the Cardano blockchain?

Why is it important? #

Developers need tools and software to more easily build and scale applications and integrations on the Cardano blockchain

What is success for the following guiding topics? #

1. Node, SPO tools and software - Amount of adoption from other projects, metrics around any scalability, security or cost improvements.
2. Plutus and IELE tools and software - Amount of adoption from other projects, metrics around any scalability, security or cost improvements.
3. Native asset tools and software - Amount of adoption from other projects, metrics around any scalability, security or cost improvements.
4. Data oracles, indexers and explorers - Amount of adoption, reliability or availability of new data sources or number of ways to interact with both blockchain and real world data.
5. Scalability research and solutions - Total transactions per second achievable, increases in transaction efficiency achieved, security guarantees achieved.
6. Technical documentation and education - Amount of people viewing resources, reduction in number of common questions for contributors due to better resources.
7. Technical standards - Increase in any security thresholds for new applications, Increases in performance achievable by applications.

What are the key metrics? #

1. Increasing the number or quality of tools and software that improve areas such as running nodes for SPOs, Plutus & IELE development or native asset development
2. Increasing the scalability of Cardano through the introduction of solutions that could in the form of research, layer 2 solutions or integrations of existing solutions
3. Increase the number or quality of the standards, resources and research that make it easier for node operators and developers to understand the ecosystem and to improve the overall quality of the software being delivered across the ecosystem

Potential proposals Directions #

• Node, SPO tools and software - Development tools, scripts, libraries and SDKs that helps the SPO community more easily start and run their Cardano nodes or other ecosystem infrastructure.
• Plutus and IELE tools and software - Development tools, libraries and SDKs that helps developers more easily write and deploy smart contracts onto the Cardano blockchain. Keep in mind that IELE is yet to be released to the wider community.
• Native asset tools and software - Development tools, libraries and SDKs to improve how the community and developers can issue and manage native assets.
• Data oracles, indexers and explorers - Tools and software that integrate real world data into Cardano or that make existing Cardano data more easy to use and accessible.
• Scalability research and solutions - Rollups (e.g. zero knowledge rollups, optimistic rollups), sharding, state channels, zero knowledge proofs, side chains.
• Technical documentation and education - Technical documentation and educational resources on how to use different tools, libraries or SDKs in the ecosystem.
• Technical standards - Creation and improvement of standards used within the ecosystem that help to improve the overall quality of software deployed.