Total to date

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

Additional applicants

Willie Marchetto

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

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

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

[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?

[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

[METADATA] SDG rating

C and C++ are some of the most energy-efficient programming languages available. By providing the Cardano community with a C/C++ library, we can further reduce the energy footprint of the Cardano ecosystem.

https://greenlab.di.uminho.pt/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/sleFinal.pdf

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Libcardano is a relatively new Cardano SDK written entirely in modern C++ that seeks to expose Cardano to one of the world’s largest developer communities. The initial development of libcardano was funded by Catalyst Fund8, which saw the library implement basic features like BIP-32 wallets and basic transactions. However, the library does not yet provide stake pool cryptographic functionalities. In order to keep building out this toolset, we propose to add the following capabilities to libcardano:

• Stake pool VRF key generation and serialization (CBOR)
• VRF signature, hash, and verification (ability to implement CIP-22)
• Stake pool KES key generation and serialization (CBOR)
• Stake pool cold key generation and serialization (CBOR)
• Stake pool certificate generation and serialization (CBOR)

We will also update the libcardano documentation to describe the work achieved in this project (how to create and use the keys, etc.). The new documentation will be created with a high quality documentation generator like mdBook.

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

Our mission with libcardano is to provide a high-quality open-source Cardano SDK written in pure modern C++. We believe further development brings the following benefits to the Cardano community:   

• This project can increase the number of contributors to the Cardano ecosystem by bringing in developers from the C++ developer community.
• The library serves as samples and/or templates for developers new to the ecosystem that are familiar with C/C++.
• The project furthers the knowledge base of the Cardano developer community as a whole.

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

We will measure technical success through unit tests that achieve complete coverage of new code. Additionally, success will be measured by the number of projects and community members that utilize the developed code and documentation.

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

The project code and documentation will be open-source and available on the Viper Science Gitlab and Github pages. Details of the project will also be documented in a blog post and shared via the Viper Science social media outlets.

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

The Viper Science team has been an active contributor to the Cardano community for over four years. In addition to operating stake pools since the Incentivized Testnet, we have developed several open source tools for Cardano developers and SPOs. Three of these projects have been successfully funded through Catalyst in the past:

• Cardano-Tools Python Library (https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/8/f8-open-source-development-ecosystem/cardano-tools-python-library) 
• Cardano development library in C++ (https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/8/f8-open-source-development-ecosystem/cardano-development-library-in-c)
• API for Multi-Delegation Portfolios (https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/6/f6-dapps-and-integrations/api-for-multi-delegation-portfolios) 

A complete list of our contributions can be found at https://viperscience.com/.

The original work on libcardano was funded in Catalyst Fund8 and saw many important base functionalities completed, e.g., BIP32 HD wallets, BIP39 mnemonics, basic transactions, CBOR and bech32 encoding, Shelley addresses and Byron addresses. Work progresses after the initial project as the Viper Science team continues to build out the Cardano C++ ecosystem with Viper25519 and libcppbor libraries. The Viper Science team is particularly well-suited to successfully deliver quickly on this update to libcardano.

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

The main goal of this proposal is to expand the Cardano C++ SDK libcardano to include critical Cardano specific functionality related to stake pool on-chain operation. The approach is feasible given the extensive knowledge of the team and current progress on the libcardano and supporting libraries.

[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.

The milestone timelines are decoupled from the hourly price in ADA since it is assumed development will not be full time due to staff allocations. Please see the budget breakdown for estimated hours per task.

Milestone 1 - Cold Keys and Certificates [4 weeks]

1. Stake pool cold key generation and serialization (use Viper25519). Include the ability to generate the cold key counter used when generating KES keys. Add associated documentation. [2 weeks]
2. Expand the current ledger data types to include stake pool certificates. The certificates will be serializable to CBOR for inclusion within transactions. Add the ability to generate and sign transactions containing a stake pool certificate. Add associated documentation. [2 weeks]

Milestone 2 - VRF Functionality [4 weeks]

1. Upgrade the Viper25519 library to include VRF functionality. [3 weeks]
2. Implement VRF key generation in libcardano. Add associated documentation. [1 weeks]

Milestone 3 - KES Functionality [4 weeks]

1. Implement KES key generation and rotation functionality. Add associated documentation. [4 weeks]

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

Milestone 1: Cold Keys and Certificates

• Deliverables: Working code and unit tests for: stake pool cold key generation and serialization, stake pool certificate generation, serialization, and inclusion in valid transactions. All associated documentation included in the new book.
• Outputs: Open source code pushed to the public repository including passing test cases. New documentation auto built and published to the project website.
• Intended outcomes: Cold key generation implemented and unit tested. Stake pool certificate generation and transaction inclusion completed. The new code is ready to be included in a separate project as part of the libcardano public API. The new functionality is documented in sufficient detail that a reader could re-implement the code.

Milestone 2: VRF Functionality

• Deliverables: Completed VRF functionality in Viper25519 (libcardano submodule). VRF key API as part of libcardano. Added VRF documentation to the libcardano website.
• Outputs: Open source code pushed to the public repository including passing test cases. New documentation auto built and published to the project website.
• Intended outcomes: VRF capability implemented and unit tested. The new code is ready to be included in a separate project as part of the libcardano public API. The new functionality is documented in sufficient detail that a reader could re-implement the code.

Milestone 3: KES Functionality

• Deliverables: Completed KES functionality in libcardano submodule. Added KES key documentation to the libcardano website.
• Outputs: Open source code pushed to the public repository including passing test cases. New documentation auto built and published to the project website.
• Intended outcomes: KES key generation and rotation implemented and unit tested. The new code is ready to be included in a separate project as part of the libcardano public API. The new functionality is documented in sufficient detail that a reader could re-implement the code.

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

The project team consists of engineers with advanced degrees, each with over ten years of professional experience developing and building complex systems in research & development environments. As a baseline labor rate, we are using a relatively conservative rate of $63.91, which is the mean hourly wage for software developers in the US according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Budget breakdown:

• Labor ($7669.20):
• Milestone 1: 40 hours
• Milestone 2: 40 hours
• Milestone 3: 40 hours
• Materials ($0): 
• Item: N/A

Assumed $/ada exchange rate: $0.28.

Total project cost: 27,390 ADA

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

The cost of the project represents superb value for money for the Cardano ecosystem in multiple ways:

1. Increased Developer Adoption: By investing in the development of the C++ Cardano SDK, the Cardano ecosystem will attract a larger community of developers proficient in this language. This expanded developer adoption brings diverse perspectives, fresh ideas, and a wider talent pool to contribute to the growth and innovation of the ecosystem. The cost of the project is justified by the long-term benefits of a thriving developer community.

Implementation Costs: The costs of this expansion in the libcardano capabilities is minimized since it builds off the rich modern C++ ecosystem of Cardano capabilities already being developed by the Viper Science team.

[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.