Python Based Open Source Permissionless Marketplace and Documentation

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Marc Purvis

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

while0x1@skiff.com

Additional applicants

N/A

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

4

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

No

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.” .

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

Project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of proposal

Exchange

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Cardano has a lack of fully open-source decentralized application code and guides to attract new developers. With the emergence of multiple smart contract languages developing smart contracts has become far easier on Cardano, yet there is still a considerable lack of reference material for creating a full-stack application.

A decentralized application requires three main parts to operate; An on-chain validator, off-chain code for processing transactions, and a front-end (website) to interact with Cardano wallets. Many projects have open-sourced parts of their application stack but very few release all three parts, let alone release them with reference material or guides.

Most reference material is either rudimentary or piecemeal; very specific parts which are hard to integrate into a whole app. Specific problems like techniques for UTxO management, especially with multi-address wallets like eternl are rarely documented and are seldom shared. Most Cardano reference material is also for functional languages which have a high barrier to entry.

Solution:

Publish the code and documentation for a fully functioning permissionless marketplace application currently running on Cardano mainnet. The code and documentation would encompass all parts required for a functioning dApp – offchain code written with pycardano, on-chain validator code written in Opshin and the front-end developed with nextJS (typescript). Python is one of the most widely used and approachable programming languages in existence. Increasing open-sourced guides and code based on python encourages a broad set of developers and hobbyists to explore Cardano. Our submission is unique and valuable as we already have a working and tested application.

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

This proposal addresses the challenge on a number of fronts. Our solution adds to the Knowledge base and documentation, increases availability of resources for developer productivity, and includes usable samples/examples for DeFi. As an open source project and an active SPO we aim to interact with developers/community members to clarify/help address all questions related to our project outputs. Funding has been allocated from the budget to ensure community questions can be answered.  

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

By increasing open-source application code and documentation the project will reduce developer friction and assist in attracting new developers and hobbyists to build on Cardano. I will interact with the community via multiple channels/forums and through discussions on the project repo to help foster new developers and projects.

There are some immediate measurement tools available through the use of the github platform which will be leveraged to gauge the success of this project. The number of github forks/downloads is an immediate metric which can be publicly reviewed.

I am already active and assisting developers in the main Cardano Python developer channels - OpShin and PyCardano. Any direct communication or assistance relating to Nescrow and our proposals will be recorded for publication on the repository. Any useful/standard questions will be published in the repository as a standard F.A.Q which in itself will also represent and gauge the utility and reach of the proposal.

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

As the single developer only one role is required to achieve the deliverables. This simplifies and de-risks the proposal. Time will be split between documentation/refactoring and administration/project management. The outputs will be available for all to use/modify or simply peruse.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

I have developed multiple smart contracts and dApps using Opshin (python smart contracts). The proposed dApp is already live on mainnet and can be used/viewed currently. As a small business operator and Cardano Stake pool operator I will be able to allocate my time and funds appropriately to ensure timely delivery of the project objectives and milestones.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The goal of this project is to enable rapid onboarding of developers into the Cardano ecosystem. The on-chain and off-chain code has been developed in python – a language with one of the largest user bases in existence. A developer or hobbyist should be able to easily understand and use the documentation to create their own decentralized application.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Milestones:

1. Refactor Code (25%): Current codebase to be reviewed and cleaned for general consumption, clarity and concision - add comments to code where required.
2. Create documentation(50%): Documentation and guides explaining individual functions, overarching concepts for each domain, descriptions of stack interactions, a deployment guide (pm2,nginx,systemd,DNS) and smart contract security considerations.
3. Publish/edit Guide and Code (25%): The guide and software will be uploaded and delivered with an emphasis on readability and accessibility.

With the existing application already developed the majority of the work is already completed. As the single developer of the project it will not be difficult to comment and document my own code for use by other developers.

Please refer to the spreadsheet image in the budget breakdown for specified activities and deliverables.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

The documentation and code published to GitHub will be an easily verifiable deliverable. I hope to increase developer or hobbyist interest in Cardano development and the ecosystem as a whole. As the software is already completed simple time management and spreadsheet records will be used to manage worked hours and budget delivery.

Milestones outputs

1. Refactored Code - Open Source full stack code for the onchain smart contract, the off-chain processing algorithms and the front-end website.
2. Documentation which explains how all functions and algorithms work, the concepts involved, and the production systems used for deployment.
3. The finished/published guide, documentation and software available on-line to anyone to use and review.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

The project github page will house the deliverables for this project in a public repository. If github is not satisfactory for presenting the guide I may implement some documentation on gitbook.

Please refer to the attached image for detailed costing/budget.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

An average rate of 75 USD/hour was used to cost the project. Smart contract development can typically cost ~ 150 USD/hour so this rate is very competitive. As the code has already been developed a 50% discount was applied to the hours used for application design, development, testing and implementation to ensure exceptional value for the project deliverables.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept