Atlas 2.0 - PAB improvements and advanced features better leveraging UTxOs to build next-generation dApps

[GENERAL] Name and Surname of Main Applicant

Genius Yield Team

[GENERAL] Email address of Main Applicant

hello@geniusyield.co

Additional Applicants

Lars Brunjes

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

8

[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.” in this field.

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project outputs 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.” in this field.

Project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of Proposal

Dev Tools, API or Library

[METADATA] SDG rating

N/A

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

If you are unfamiliar with Atlas, you can watch this introduction video. Atlas 2.0 will build on that and offer the following PAB improvements and advanced features:

New Atlas features and CIP support

Support for Native Scripts (multisig) transaction building

This is will allow Atlas to build and interact with all Plutus script types: plutus-v1, plutus-v2, native scripts.

Support for including Transaction Metadata

This will allow Atlas to handle transaction metadata, particularly important for mining assets and NFTs.

Support for CIP-0057: Plutus Contract Blueprint

Integrate with CIP-0057 meta-specification defining the vocabulary and validation rules with which one can specify a Plutus contract interface.

UTxO caching to better manage back-to-back transactions

Allow for fast building of transaction while avoiding reusing UTxOs.

Performance optimization and general PAB improvements 

Improved transaction chaining and parallel transaction building abstractions

Transaction changing and parallelism offer powerful tools for developer to innovate and improve dApp interactions.

Improve Atlas utilities and helper functions

Better utilities help developers access new features, streamline development, and improve usability of Atlas.

Improve Atlas data provider functions and interoperability

Data providers supported by Atlas offer a number of functionalities and data types that are not fully taken advantage of by Atlas.

Augment Atlas’ core transaction type primitive with more fields

Atlas’s transaction skeleton is the main interface used to build and manipulate transactions. Adding more fields will open up new operation possibilities for transactions on Atlas.

Overall Atlas maintenance and upgrades to latest Node version

The Atlas PAB must be regularly maintained and updated in order to keep it compatible with the blockchain and usable by developers.

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

The challenge exists because "Developers need tools and software to more easily build and scale applications and integrations on the Cardano blockchain". This proposal addresses that need directly.

The extended UTXO model of Cardano offers a lot of powerful features which, until now, have not been fully utilized by dApp developers.

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

The success of this project will be measured based directly on the impact and benefits brought to the Cardano developer community:

• Github activity: growth metrics based on github stars, opened issues, and forks
• Developer adoption: Number of projects and teams using Atlas

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

Atlas is fully open-sourced and available on Github for the community to track progress and verify that deliverables are met. We commit to the milestones based reporting and keep the community updated via our social media channels, as well.

• Telegram
• Discord
• Medium
• Twitter
• YouTube

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

Genius Yield is the main contributor of Atlas 1.0 and possesses deep knowledge and understanding of the PAB architecture. Its track record demonstrates that the team is more than capable to execute on the deliverables of Atlas 2.0. Listen to this Learn Cardano episode to hear more from the team.

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

This proposal has a number of objectives

Objective 1: Support for Native Scripts (multisig) transaction building

This is will allow Atlas to build and interact with all Plutus script types: plutus-v1, plutus-v2, native scripts

Objective 2: Support for including Transaction Metadata

This will allow Atlas to handle transaction metadata, particularly important for mining assets and NFTs

Objective 3: Support for CIP-0057: Plutus Contract Blueprint

Integrate with CIP-0057 meta-specification defining the vocabulary and validation rules with which one can specify a Plutus contract interface

Objective 4: UTxO caching to better manage back-to-back transactions

Allow for fast building of transaction while avoiding reusing UTxOs

Objective 5: Improved transaction chaining and parallel transaction building abstractions

Transaction changing and parallelism offer powerful tools for developer to innovate and improve dApp interactions 

Objective 6: Improve Atlas utilities and helper functions

Better utilities help developers access new features, streamline development, and improve usability of Atlas

Objective 7: Improve Atlas data provider functions and interoperability

Data providers supported by Atlas offer a number of functionalities and data types that are not fully taken advantage of by Atlas.

Objective 8: Augment Atlas’ core transaction type primitive with more fields

Atlas’s transaction skeleton is the main interface used to build and manipulate transactions. Adding more fields will open up new operation possibilities for transactions on Atlas.

Objective 9: Overall Atlas maintenance and upgrades to latest Node version

The Atlas PAB must be regularly maintained and updated in order to keep it compatible with the blockchain and usable by developers.

[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.

Milestone 1: New Atlas features and CIP support

Time required: 3 month

Key Results:

• Support for Native Scripts (multisig) transaction building
• Support for including Transaction Metadata
• Support for CIP-0057: Plutus Contract Blueprint
• UTxO caching to better manage back-to-back transactions

Milestone 2: Atlas performance optimization and better interoperability

Time required: 2 month

Key Results:

•  Improved transaction chaining and parallel transaction building abstractions
•  Improve Atlas data provider functions and interoperability

Milestone 3: Atlas general PAB improvements and maintenance 

Time required: 3 month

Key Results:

• Improve Atlas utilities and helper functions
• Augment Atlas’ core transaction type primitive with more fields
• Overall Atlas maintenance and upgrades to latest Node version

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

Deliverable 1: Support for Native Scripts (multisig) transaction building

• Add Native Script support to transaction building
• Support multisig transactions

Deliverable 2: Support for including Transaction Metadata

• Add metadata asset standards 
• Add metadata NFT standards

Deliverable 3: Support for CIP-0057: Plutus Contract Blueprint

• Generate Haskell types from datum, redeemer & parameters data definitions.
• Reading & parsing compiled scripts into their appropriate data types.

Deliverable 4: UTxO caching to better manage back-to-back transactions

• Design local UTXO caching mechanism
• Integrate UTxO cache into transaction building logic
• 
  

Deliverable 5: Improved transaction chaining and parallel transaction building abstractions

• Refine transaction parallelism abstraction
• Improve Transaction chaining mechanism

Deliverable 6: Improve Atlas utilities and helper functions

• Loading wallet from private key.
• Generation of private key / seed phrase.
• Signing of some payload data (CIP-8).

Deliverable 7: Improve Atlas data provider functions and interoperability

• Add support for new popular data provider (eg Kupo) and continue to maintain/improve currently supported providers
• Listen to the status of a particular submitted transaction.
• Fetching address belonging to an ada handle.

Deliverable 8: Augment Atlas’ core transaction type primitive with more fields

• Operations related to staking such as registering a key, de-registering a key, delegating, withdrawing.
• Operations related to pool - creation, retirement.
• Support for additional datums, useful for a reference input whose datum is not inlined.

Deliverable 9: Overall Atlas maintenance and upgrades to latest Node version

• Ongoing maintenance
• Upgrade to newest node version

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

Deliverable 1: Support for Native Scripts (multisig) transaction building

$50/hr x 6 weeks x 40 hr/week = $12,000

Deliverable 2: Support for including Transaction Metadata

$50/hr x 6 weeks x 40 hr/week = $12,000

Deliverable 3: Support for CIP-0057: Plutus Contract Blueprint

$50/hr x 7 weeks x 40 hr/week = $14,000

Deliverable 4: UTxO caching to better manage back-to-back transactions

$50/hr x 7 weeks x 40 hr/week = $14,000

Deliverable 5: Improved transaction chaining and parallel transaction building abstractions

$50/hr x 6 weeks x 40 hr/week = $12,000

Deliverable 6: Improve Atlas utilities and helper functions

$50/hr x 7 week x 40 hr/week = $14,000

Deliverable 7: Improve Atlas data provider functions and interoperability

$50/hr x 7 weeks x 40 hr/week = $14,000

Deliverable 8: Augment Atlas’ core transaction type primitive with more fields

$50/hr x 6 weeks x 40 hr/week = $12,000

Deliverable 9: Overall Atlas maintenance and upgrades to latest Node version

$50/hr x 6 weeks x 40 hr/week = $12,000

TOTAL ($) = $116,000

TOTAL ($0.3/ADA) = 386,666 ADA

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

PABs or Plutus Application Backends are highly valuable on Cardano and play a foundational role for all dApps. In particular, given that Cardano uses the eUTxO paradigm, the interface between on-chain and off-chain code is critical for interfacing with Plutus primitive, transaction building, and any smart contract interactions. Atlas significantly abstracts away blockchain complexity, speeds up development, and provides a solid framework on which any dApp can be created. Mature PAB frameworks like Atlas will fuel growth and innovation across the Cardano dApp ecosystem.

[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