Turbocharging Cardano Dev Experience: Automated Tools & Templates

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

MuesliSwap Team

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[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] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

We will create advanced automated tools and templates for smart contract development (OpShin) and off-chain-chain infrastructure (PyCardano) to greatly accelerating dApp creation on Cardano.

[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] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

All project outputs, including templates and tools, will be released under the MIT License. This allows anyone to use, modify, and distribute the code freely, promoting transparency and collaboration within the Cardano community. If only certain elements of the code will be open source, we will ensure that all critical components, especially the templates and automated tools, are fully accessible.

[METADATA] Horizons

Developer Tools

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

We propose to develop a suite of automated tools and templates aimed at simplifying the development process of Cardano dApps. By leveraging our extensive experience with successfully and efficiently implementing both on- and off-chain code for complex decentralized applications on Cardano, we will:

1. Automate Off-chain Code Generation: Build tools that automatically generate off-chain and API infrastructure code in Python, using PyCardano and frameworks like Flask or FastAPI. These tools will infer necessary components from the on-chain code, reducing manual coding efforts. In other words: The developer only writes the essential smart contract code in OpShin (i.e. Python), and our tools automatically generate code for the most important off-chain components such as parsing the dApp-specific datum format of locked UTxOs, maintaining an efficient off-chain database of the dApps on-chain code, and providing a web server with API endpoints for querying dApp state and interacting with the locked smart contract UTxOs.
2. Create Templates: These templates will help developers avoid reinventing the wheel and focus on unique aspects of their project. In particular for smart contract development, many patterns occur frequently. Having a set of such basic code elements at hand greatly speeds up the time from start to the first working on-chain prototype contract.
3. Provide Documentation and Examples: Offer comprehensive documentation and examples to help developers understand and utilize these tools and templates effectively.

Our solution addresses the repetitive nature of dApp development on Cardano by providing ready-to-use components and automating significant portions of the coding process. The development process is streamlined and reduced to only the most essential components (i.e. the parts of the smart contract logic that is unique to each dApp). In our experience, this can enable a single developer to make similar progress as would otherwise be achieved by 3-4 developers building the infrastructure from scratch. We believe, this represents a great opportunity for developers to focus on innovation, accelerate development cycles, and ultimately contribute to the growth of the Cardano ecosystem.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Our project will have a significant positive impact on the Cardano community by:

• Lowering the Barrier to Entry: Simplifying the development process makes it easier for new developers to start building on Cardano.

• Increasing Development Efficiency: By reducing repetitive tasks, developers can save time and resources, leading to faster deployment of dApps.

• Accelerating Ecosystem Growth: More efficient development processes will result in a greater number of high-quality dApps, enriching the Cardano ecosystem.

• Promoting Open Source Collaboration: Releasing our tools under an open-source license encourages community involvement and continuous improvement.

Measuring Impact:

• Adoption Metrics: Track the number of downloads, forks, and stars on our GitHub repositories.

• Community Engagement: Monitor feedback, issues, and contributions from developers using our tools.

• Success Stories: Collect testimonials and case studies from projects that benefited from our templates and tools.

Sharing Outputs:

• Public Repositories: All code will be available on GitHub.

• Documentation and Tutorials: Comprehensive guides and tutorials will be provided.

• Community Outreach: We will engage with the community through our social media channels.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Our team, the MuesliSwap Team, is well-known in the Cardano community for delivering high-tech and innovative solutions. We pioneered the first decentralized exchange (DEX) on Cardano, launching months before any competition, and to date, we provide the only hybrid AMM-Orderbook DEX with an integrated DEX aggregator.

Our team members are particularly strong in developing secure smart-contract-based decentralized applications (dApps), having been at the forefront of DeFi protocol development since the early days of smart contracts on Cardano. The proposed project aligns perfectly with our area of expertise, as we aim to share our accumulated knowledge by providing templates, code examples, and sophisticated tools to simplify on-chain and off-chain development on Cardano.

We have successfully completed multiple projects funded through Catalyst, demonstrating our ability to manage funds responsibly and deliver on our commitments. As a large team of dedicated techies, we have the competence, capacity, and motivation to complete this project on time and with high quality.

Trust and Accountability:

• Transparent Fund Management: We will manage funds with transparency, providing regular financial reports to stakeholders.
• Adherence to Timelines: Commitment to project timelines with regular milestone updates to ensure accountability.
• Open Communication: Maintain open lines of communication with the community and stakeholders throughout the project.

Validating Feasibility:

• Operational Expertise: Leverage our extensive operational experience to ensure technical viability and address potential challenges effectively.
• Rigorous Testing: Engage in thorough testing and code audits to guarantee the quality and security of the templates and tools developed.
• Community Feedback: Actively gather feedback from the developer community during the development process to refine our solutions and ensure they meet the needs of users.

Our proven track record, combined with our commitment to excellence and transparency, positions us as an ideally-suited team to deliver this project with high levels of trust and accountability.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

A: Milestone Outputs

• Develop and publish templates for common on-chain code patterns using OpShin.

B: Acceptance Criteria

• Creation of a set of reusable on-chain code templates.
• Comprehensive documentation and examples for each template.
• Templates published in a public GitHub repository.

C: Evidence of Milestone Completion

• Public access to the repository.
• Availability of documentation and examples.
• Announcement to the Cardano developer community.

A: Milestone Outputs

• Create and release tools for automated off-chain and API code generation in Python.

B: Acceptance Criteria

• Development of a functional tool capable of generating off-chain code from on-chain components, this includes:
• generating code for parsing of on-chain locked UTxOs including dApp-specific datum formats
• generating code for building a off-chain DB matching the respecive dApp structure
• generating code for a web server for querying dApp state via above DB
• Successful testing with sample smart contracts.
• User guides and documentation created.

C: Evidence of Milestone Completion

• Tool available on GitHub.
• Publication of user guides and documentation.
• Release of demonstration video.

A: Milestone Outputs

• Integrate and demonstrate the templates and tools in a sample dApp. This encompasses the full workflow of initially implementing the core smart contract logic, and then automatically generating off-chain code for parsing, DB creation/management, and a API web server. The dApp including all relevant off-chain infrastructure will be ready for testnet deployment based only on the automatically generated components.

B: Acceptance Criteria

• Development of a sample dApp using the created templates and tools.
• Verification of full functionality and testnet readiness.
• Provision of deployment instructions.

C: Evidence of Milestone Completion

• Source code of the sample dApp on GitHub.
• Documentation and deployment guide published.
• Testnet example transactions provided.
• Presentation to the Cardano community.

A: Milestone Outputs

• Complete project close-out report, summary video, and provide detailed documentation for users to quickly get up-and-running with the provided tools and templates.

B: Acceptance Criteria

• Publication of a detailed documentation enabling users to quickly get started using the provided tools.
• Creation of a summary video highlighting project outcomes.

C: Evidence of Milestone Completion

• Approval of the report and video by the funding body.
• Publication of the documentation.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Our project team consists of experienced developers with a proven track record in delivering successful projects on Cardano. Each member brings unique skills to the project:

• Chris: Project Manager & Backend Developer
• Role: Oversees project coordination and contributes to backend development, ensuring alignment with goals and timely delivery.
• Pascal: Technical Lead & Backend Developer
• Role: Guides the technical aspects, solving complex challenges and ensuring seamless integration between on-chain and off-chain components. Leads the development of off-chain infrastructure, including APIs and user interfaces.
• Philip: Smart Contract Developer & Expert
• Role: Specializes in writing and optimizing smart contracts using OpShin. Responsible for developing the on-chain smart contracts for delegation, hierarchical DAOs, and reputation-based governance.
• Josh: API Developer & Software Architect
• Role: Designs scalable APIs and maintains software architecture integrity. Optimizes developed components and ensures seamless interaction with smart contracts.
• Patrick: Backend Developer & Analytics Expert
• Role: Focuses on data analysis and backend performance to enhance user experience. Develops analytics tools to monitor reputation metrics.

Should additional resources be required, we are prepared to allocate more developers from the MuesliSwap team or hire additional developers from our pool of contractors to ensure the project’s success.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Milestone 1 (10,000 ADA):

• Developer Salaries:
• Chris: 4,000 ADA
• Pascal: 3,000 ADA
• Philip: 2,000 ADA
• Documentation and Publishing: 1,000 ADA

Milestone 2 (50,000 ADA):

• Developer Salaries:
• Josh: 22,000 ADA
• Pascal: 14,000 ADA
• Philip: 9,000 ADA
• User Guides and Videos: 5,000 ADA

Milestone 3 (25,000 ADA):

• Developer Salaries:
• Patrick: 8,000 ADA
• Josh: 7,000 ADA
• Deployment and Testing: 5,000 ADA
• Documentation and Presentation: 5,000 ADA

Final Milestone (10,000 ADA):

• Creation and Publication of detailed documentation: 8,000 ADA
• Project Close-out Video: 2,000 ADA

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

Our project offers excellent value for money by providing foundational tools that benefit the entire Cardano developer community:

• Economies of Scale: Investing in reusable templates and tools reduces development costs for countless future projects.
• Time Savings: Developers can significantly reduce development time, accelerating the deployment of new dApps.
• Attracting Talent: Simplifying the development process lowers barriers to entry, attracting new developers to Cardano.
• Open Source Benefits: By releasing our work under an open-source license, we enable continuous improvement and community collaboration, amplifying the project’s value.
• Cost Justification: The budget aligns with industry-standard rates for specialized developers, ensuring fair compensation while delivering high-quality outputs.

By enhancing the developer experience and fostering innovation, our project contributes to the growth and robustness of the Cardano platform, making it a worthwhile investment.