AdaStat Cardano Explorer - Open Source Improved Reboot towards a first-class community blockchain explorer

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Dmytro Stashenko aka "AdaStat"

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

Entity (Not Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Co proposers and Additional applicants

Tetiana Stashenko

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

The proposed solution is to rewrite AdaStat.net based on experience & users feedback, focusing on usability & performance to transition it towards an innovative, scalable & collaborative platform

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

Yes

[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.”

Well, that's an interesting question because it seems to me that absolutely all projects funded by Project Catalyst have dependencies. However, we use only open source software like cardano-node, cardano-cli, cardano-db-sync, etc. There are no external factors (such as third-party suppliers, external resources, third-party software, etc.) that may cause a delay.

[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

Project will be fully Open Source and licensed under Apache License 2.0

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

To resolve the issue of the acute shortage of Cardano Open Source Community explorers, as well as to make AdaStat.net useful and available in the long run, including on public Preview and Pre-prod testnets, the chosen solution is to prepare the transition of AdaStat.net to a community project by rewriting it as an improved Open Source project based on past experience and users feedback, as well as adding support for both Cardano Preview and Pre-prod public testnets.

The main goals for the project are:

• transition adastat.net service to an Open Source project
• make adastat.net available on Preview & Pre-prod networks
• 
  
• improve user experience
• increase usability
• solve performance, scalability & robustness shortcomings
• achieve zero downtime deployment
• make it possible for everyone to relaunch the project even if current funding or development comes to the end
• make it easier to identify problems and add new features, which should help keep the service accurate, reliable and up to date with new standards
• implement staking from any CIP30 wallet to any stake pool
• add support for CIP-18 Wallets (Multi-staking)
• allow other internal parts to be reused in other projects

In order to improve the usability and the user experience, we are developing a new user interface. Some examples are provided below (final release may vary slightly since it's still under active development). Click on the images to display them in full size:

To overcome performance, scalability and robustness shortcomings code/database refactoring is needed. It is also needed because at the moment the code does not have a clear structure, since it was not written to be understandable for other people unfamiliar with it. So, we need to add the descriptions for some methods, rewrite code to enhance the readability, etc. We also have to move a lot of variables from the code to the settings, because at the moment they are just hardcoded.

Also we are going to check all dependencies on AdaStat side. That's a very important because at the moment there are many outdated extensions that AdaStat uses, which (possibly) have vulnerabilities. Disclosure of information about them increase the risk of an external attack, therefore, before uploading the AdaStat code to the public repository, we need to thoroughly check everything and update all dependencies to the latest versions. Updating dependencies will almost certainly entail a change in the AdaStat code, since latest versions most likely have new code requirements. Therefore, after updating the dependencies we need to check and rewrite the code if necessary, as well as check our code again for vulnerabilities.

The new AdaStat version will also make a lot of other new features, even if they are not part of this proposal (like CIP-1694 DReps / Voting support, tokens price / trading value support, etc)

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

Everyone will benefit from new AdaStat open source version:

• Stake Pool Operators will benefit from improved accuracy & performance, particularly the return of soft real-time updates and the removal of epoch boundaries lag.
• Users will benefit from an improved user experience thanks to performance, UI & UX improvements as well as new features
• SPOs, developers & testers will benefit from Preview & Pre-prod testnet versions.
• Cardano Community will have an open source blockchain explorer which supports all network features.

AdaStat open source release will give Cardano developers the opportunity to launch their own explorer, which, in turn, will increase utility, transparency and friendliness when users interact with the Cardano ecosystem.

Moreover the number of open source explorers in the terms of decentralization is crucial. Since the explorer is a point of failure and can potentially cheat with data, it's important to have as many explorers as possible. Also, convenience and simplicity of interacting with blockchain data will potentially attract more users.

[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?

As the AdaStat.net developer and maintainer for the past 4 years, I'm probably well placed to assess the problems, needs and challenges of the project.

The reliability of the existing service, despite its shortcomings, and the quantity & quality of features released by the past should help ensure a high level of trust and accountability to deliver the new project.

Also, you may have followed AdaStat on Twitter, and you may have seen that I've studied Function programming in Haskell and successfully graduated it with distinction in January, 2023

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

Preparing for Alpha version release - Site framework, Main elements, Homepage page / Backend optimization

Duration: 2 months

Outputs:

• Alpha version is available on new.adastat.net

Preparing for Beta version release - Blocks, Transactions, Accounts, Addresses page / Backend optimization

Duration: 2 months

Outputs:

• Beta version is available on new.adastat.net

Preparing for Release Candidate version release - All other front-end pages / Backend optimization

Duration: 2 months

Outputs:

• RC version release is available on new.adastat.net

Preparing for Release - Process reported issues / Tests

Duration: 2 months

Outputs:

• All source code is available on GitHub
• Mainnet version release is available on https://adastat.net
• Preview testnet version release is available on preview.adastat.net
• Pre-prod testnet version release is available on preprod.adastat.net

Catalyst Close-Out report

Duration: 1 week

Outputs:

• Catalyst Close-Out report - video, links, source code, etc

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

• Dmytro Stashenko - Lead developer, Founder of AdaHold, Co-founder of AdaStat.net
• Tetiana Stashenko - Front developer, Project manager
• Mariya Turlak - UX/UI Designer
• Olha Domornikova - QA Engineer

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

Assumptions:

• Company hourly rate: $50 per hour before all tax
• 1 ADA = 0.36 USD (current price with slippage tolerance)

Project Cost:

• Design / Architecture: 60 hours = $3,000.00
• Development: 640 hours = $32,000.00
• Project Management / Reporting: 64 hours = $3,200.00
• Support / Maintenance: 366 hours = $18,300.00
• Public Communication: 24 hours = $1,200.00
• Infrastructure: 24 months = $7,200.00

TOTAL: $64,900.00 = 180,277.78 ADA

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

• The cost of this project has been meticulously calculated, aligning with current market standards and labor cost considerations within the blockchain industry. My development experience validates that the projected timeline adequately reflects the complexity of tasks and does not exceed the realistically incurred time.
• Considering that a substantial amount has already been developed, initiating this project 'from scratch' would result in significantly higher costs. The project is economically viable as it leverages existing resources and expertise, contributing to an overall reduction in expenses.
• Moreover, the project brings substantial benefits to the Cardano ecosystem. It not only enhances functionality but also makes a positive impact on the community, fostering sustainability and growth. This investment ensures long-term advantages for the Cardano ecosystem, delivering benefits to Ada holders, Pool operators and DReps, and increasing the number of Open Source projects and Cardano Developers within the ecosystem.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agrees to Fund 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