Yepple - NFT & Token Snapshots - Holders, Metadata, & more!

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

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

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

We will open source a TypeScript library enabling projects to autonomously capture and analyze Cardano blockchain data for metadata, asset owners, and asset minters for a wide variety of use cases.

[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.”

To support unlimited portability, the library will utilize a Cardano API provider, such as BlockFrost, as the source of the raw blockchain data. The library will support any data source with the necessary information and is not dependent on any specific third party. To remove all external dependencies, the data source could also utilize an in-house Cardano node for the more technical projects.

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

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

Our entire Cardano snapshot solution will be open source and free to use. Our modular, open source design will ensure portability, transparency and community collaboration on all components of the solution ranging from data granularity to wallet analysis and filtration. This will allow our solution to serve as the backbone for a multitude of new, cutting-edge snapshots that can be used to recognize and reward the most loyal and engaged members of project communities.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

While providing a large variety of services on Cardano over the past few years, we have found snapshots to be one of the most critical and common dependencies shared by all services. Whether a project needs to prepare a whitelist, generate an airdrop, set up a staking platform, run minting raffles, support asset-based Discord roles, provide token-gated website, show asset metadata on a website, or provide any other service based on asset metadata or asset holders, snapshots are the foundation. With that said, there are no open-source snapshot tools that are easy to use and robust enough to support all of the use cases described.

Our snapshot solution, a portable TypeScript library that can be utilized in any website or server environment, will have a feature-first design built with project owners in mind. The tool will cover all common use cases out of the box, with the ability to build upon the solution for more advanced situations. This includes, but is not limited to, holder snapshots based on policy IDs, metadata snapshots for policy IDs, snapshots for the original minters of assets based on policy IDs, and stake pool delegator snapshots including the assets held by each wallet.

The snapshots will be efficiently performed by running requests in parallel to the data source. There will be built-in protection for request failures (due to network issues, exceeding allowed request frequency, etc.) that retries the requests at safe intervals. The snapshot will not be disrupted by these issues, but will instead carry on normally as soon as the requests are successful again. There will also be several configurations available for the snapshots, relating to request frequencies, data filtering, and more. When it comes to wallet addresses, there will be advanced detection and filtering of wallet data including era (Byron vs. Shelley), payment part, and delegation part. If the address is a script (smart contract), there will even be the ability to see if the first address with the shared stake key was also a script; in other words, you can see if the wallet was originally created as a normal user payment wallet or if the wallet is only used for scripts. All of this information is essential when it comes to preparing meaningful whitelist and airdrop setups.

Obtaining the data is only one part of the solution. Once we have the data, we need to understand it and make use of it. This tool will come with support for various output granularities (some examples being asset-level, address-level, and wallet-level) to enable usage in every situation. The initial goal is to provide JSON output, however that may be expanded upon based on community feedback.

Demonstrating Impact:

We will track the adoption of our solutions through direct feedback, tool usage metrics, and success stories from project owners who utilize our snapshot solution. This will allow us to continuously refine our offerings and provide tangible evidence of our impact on the ecosystem.

Uniqueness and Benefits:

What sets our solution apart is its proven track record, ease of integration, support for any level of complexity, and robust error handling. By democratizing access to high-quality snapshot tools, we are helping to lay the technical foundation needed for rapid and valuable project growth and accomplishments.

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

Our project will significantly enhance the Cardano ecosystem by democratizing access to snapshot technology, expediting project development, opening the door to new methods of recognizing community members’ loyalty to a project, and reducing dependency on costly service providers. By open-sourcing our advanced airdrop solution, we empower creators across the globe to capture, track, and manage project data independently with a secure, scalable, and free tool. This not only drives innovation within the Cardano community but also attracts new users and developers to the platform, strengthening its position in the competitive blockchain space.

We will measure the impact of our project through several key metrics:

1. Adoption Rate: Tracking the number of projects and users adopting our tool.
2. Community Contributions: Monitoring updates and enhancements made by the community to the open-source code.
3. Innovative applications: Noting success stories from projects on ways they were able to add value to the ecosystem by advancing their snapshot capabilities.

To ensure wide distribution and engagement, our outputs will consist of:

• A GitHub repository hosting the complete source code
• Comprehensive documentation of how to configure and facilitate any type of snapshot using our tool
• Advice, insights, and guides on the best practices surrounding common snapshot use-cases, gained from several years of experience performing them

These efforts will not only showcase the practical benefits of our solution but also reinforce Cardano's reputation as an inclusive and innovative blockchain community.

[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?

Yepple has a strong track record of delivering high-quality blockchain solutions since February 2021. Having successfully managed over 200 projects on the Cardano platform over the past three years, we have not only mastered the technology relevant to this proposal but also gained countless invaluable insights into data management and user engagement within the community. Our team is composed of seasoned blockchain developers, project managers, and strategists who are deeply knowledgeable about the Cardano ecosystem. This experience positions us uniquely to deliver this snapshot technology with high levels of expertise, trust, and accountability.

Yepple has deployed many solutions on Cardano (minting, token generation, airdrops, metadata updates, staking, NFT customizers, storefronts, custom dApps), and our snapshot & data management solutions have become a key component of every one of our offerings. We are excited to share this snapshot tool, fundamental to any project needing detailed data on holders, assets, stake pools, and more, with the community as part of this proposal. We are confident that we can provide sufficient support and guidance to drive adoption of this solution, ensuring projects can autonomously manage and leverage their data effectively.

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

Milestone 1 (Planning & Technical Design): 

• Outputs: Scope of work, design, and other associated planning documents for all technical aspects of the proposal. Importantly, this includes documentation on the setup, configurations, and usability from the perspective of our target audience, project owners.
• Acceptance Criteria: The designs and documentation provide a clear preliminary understanding of how a project owner can set up and run their own snapshots. The documentation elaborates on the solution to all high-level technical requirements in this proposal and aligns with the future milestones of this proposal.
• Evidence: Documentation in a public GitHub repository (alongside the future codebase) detailing the planned method of interacting with the finished product.

Milestone 2 (Product Development & Code Documentation): 

• Outputs: A product encompassing every technical feature and all functionality detailed in this proposal. This includes a refactoring of Yepple’s existing codebase to be usable by project owners, as well as additional development for customization, ease of use, and adaptability as an open-source product. Includes a screen recording video demonstration. Codebase documentation and enhanced user documentation. The codebase documentation will increase the ability for developers to understand and contribute to future versions of the codebase, increasing long-term sustainability.
• Acceptance Criteria: Product development meets all technical requirements described in this proposal. A recording of a demonstration is shown. There is sufficient documentation within the code and alongside the GitHub repository to meet open source best practices and assist in the community’s ability to build and iterate on the solution. 
• Evidence: The GitHub repository codebase and associated demonstration video will serve as evidence of the completed product development and its effectiveness as a deployed solution. The project structure and modules have their purposes all clearly explained in the repository documentation. All critical components of the code have appropriate documentation for classes, methods, and other key logic.

Milestone 3 (Community Support & Close-Out Report & Video): 

• Outputs: Comprehensive project report detailing the development process, community impact, and future directions. A professional video showcasing the project's journey and final product. Community support effectively extended to all contributors and users.
• Acceptance Criteria: The report and video must comprehensively cover all aspects of the project, demonstrating the success and community benefit. Yepple is available through Discord to accept and respond to all community feedback and questions. Any issues or feature requests mentioned through GitHub or Discord have been documented and considered for feasibility; if feasible within the scope of this proposal, the features were added for an improved experience.
• Evidence: Final project close-out report and a video link shared with the community through Discord, social media, and potentially additional locations. Responses to GitHub Issues within the repository. A channel in Yepple’s official Discord dedicated to feedback on our open source development where the Yepple team is responsive to questions and comments.

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

Nicholas Fekete - CEO/Management

Jake Shearman - CTO/Fullstack Blockchain Developer

Dominic Monette - Developer/Quality Assurance

Tyler McVety - DevOps/Blockchain Developer

Robert Nuss - Project Management

Campurean Alexandru (Sic) - Marketing

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

Design:

Comprehensive design and planning to establish a robust framework for snapshot functionalities tailored to project owner needs.

Cost: 10k ADA

Development:

Construction of a versatile, user-friendly product that incorporates snapshot capabilities, enhanced by refining Yepple’s existing codebase for broader use.

Cost: 45k ADA

Documentation: 

Detailed documentation to aid developers and users in understanding and utilizing the snapshot tool effectively, aligning with open source best practices.

Cost: 5k ADA

Management: 

Effective project management to ensure all phases from design to deployment meet specified milestones and quality standards.

Cost: 5k ADA

Marketing & Support: 

Active community engagement and marketing efforts to promote widespread adoption and provide robust support through various channels.

Cost: 5k ADA

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

Our proposed budget represents exceptional value for money for the Cardano ecosystem, reflecting more than three years of intensive development by our experienced team. The investment of 70k ADA in open-sourcing our snapshot technology is significantly lower than the industry costs of hiring three skilled developers to build a similar robust, secure, and fully-functional data snapshot tool from scratch. Typically, the costs associated with such extensive software development and testing could exceed several hundred thousand dollars, given the specialized nature of blockchain technology. We are not only offering the Cardano community access to our refined, bulletproof technology but also providing comprehensive documentation. This ensures that even those new to the space can quickly leverage our tools to capture and analyze data on holders and assets, thereby enhancing targeted marketing and operational efficiency within the Cardano ecosystem. In essence, we are equipping the community with a high-caliber toolset that simplifies data management, reduces dependency on costly third-party services, and fosters greater autonomy and innovation on the blockchain.