Dandelion-lite: Decentralized nodes for dummies for GC, Gimbalabs, Roundtable and devs

[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)

A distributed companion to Dandelion backend services. Allowing people with basic server management skills to instantiate a Dandelion-lite node. Add a new API using direct SQL

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

All code will be MIT licensed

[METADATA] SDG rating

SDG Goals

4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

SDG Subgoals

8.10 - Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all

9.3 - Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

8.10.1 - (a) Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adults and (b) number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adults

8.10.2 - Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider

9.3.2 - Proportion of small-scale industries with a loan or line of credit

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Our proposal entails the development of a comprehensive Docker-compose setup encompassing all essential services required for running a decentralized application (dApp) backend or wallet on the Cardano blockchain. This project fits under the umbrella of the Dandelion project. But also drawing inspiration from successful projects such as Koios and Blockfrost. Our codebase reflects the best practices gleaned from these endeavors, with a commitment to contributing back to the community.

In this proposal, our focus lies on establishing a robust backend infrastructure. By encapsulating essential services within a Docker-compose configuration, we aim to simplify the deployment process for developers, facilitating seamless integration and rapid development cycles. This initiative serves as the foundational step towards creating a versatile ecosystem wherein individuals can effortlessly instantiate their own instances.

Looking ahead the initiative is centered around the implementation of a direct SQL access method. This feature will introduce a serverless, low-level interface to db-sync, enabling finer-grained control and enhanced performance. Furthermore, this enhancement will streamline the transition to alternative indexers, such as cf-ledger-sync, fostering interoperability and future-proofing our infrastructure.

In summary, our proposal represents a multifaceted approach towards fortifying the Cardano ecosystem. By delivering a robust backend infrastructure, facilitating client-side development, and laying the groundwork for advanced database access, we aim to catalyze innovation and empower developers worldwide.

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

For dApp developers and especially starting blockchain developers, it would be nice to easily run the services needed to build breakthrough applications. With the proposed work we intend to remove roadblocks and streamline the access to publicly available API's.

[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?

Project Leader:

Maarten Menheere. He is a design engineer with a masters degree Industrial design at Technical University in Delft. Founder and for 10 years owner of M2tec design and engineering. Has 15 years experience in project management and engineering of payment systems.

M2tec was one of the first to deliver in Fund 5. Completing all set goals of the project within the set delivery schedule. Followed by development of the Totem v1 in Fund 7 .

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maartenmenheere/

Lead developer:

Adriano Fiorenza is Entrepreneur & Senior Full Stack Developer with 15+ years of experience software and IOT development. Founder and Developer of GameChanger Wallet, participated in 1st gen Plutus Pioneer Program, Team member at ALDEA, Gimbalabs collaborator

Linkedin: https://ar.linkedin.com/in/adriano-fiorenza

Adviser:

Roberto C. Morano: Gimbalabs co-founder, creator and maintainer of Dandelion. Stake Pool Operator since Shelley Incentivized Testnet (2019), currently running PEACE Pool. Systems administrator and dev-ops magician with experience building at Emurgo and for 12+ years on Open Source systems including community distributions for Linux.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rcmorano/

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

General planning stage

Time: 1 month

Milestone outputs:

• API definition of the needed services. With a list of basic queries which should return predefined and correct return values.
• List should provide good enough coverage but will not cover all API functionality.
• Assign tasks and create a list of responsibilities

Acceptance criteria:

• Specification in google doc format.
• A basic running service.

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Specification in google doc format.
• Ogmios endpoint available.

Service build stage

Time: 2 months

Milestone outputs:

• GraphQL running service.
• Koios running service.

Acceptance criteria:

• Services are running
• Services restart without error.
• Services allow for minimal uptime of 2 days.

Evidence of milestone completion:

• GraphQL endpoint is available with testing queries specified in in documentation delivered at milestone 1
• Koios endpoint is available with testing queries specified in in documentation delivered at milestone 1

Service build stage

Time: 2 months

Milestone outputs:

• Postgrest running service.
• pgAdmin running service.

Acceptance criteria:

• Services are running
• Services restart without error.
• Services allow for minimal uptime of 2 days.

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Postgrest endpoint is available with testing queries specified in in documentation delivered at milestone 1
• pgAdmin is configured by default to access db-sync database. Allow for browsing the database and running a predefined set of verified queries.

Service build stage

Time: 2 months

Milestone outputs:

• Direct SQL running service.

Acceptance criteria:

• Service is running
• Service restart without error.
• Service allow for minimal uptime of 2 days.

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Direct SQL endpoint is available with testing queries specified in in documentation delivered at milestone 1

Documentation stage

Time: 2 months

Milestone outputs:

• Comprehensive documentation on starting services, running services. Basic description of structure of the provided services.
• Basic documentation on how to use the services

Acceptance criteria:

• Documentation with some examples, how to run services and API use is posted on the github repo.

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Documentation can be accessed online and test person is able to complete a predefined set of tasks specified in milestone 1.

Wrap-up

Time: 1 months

Milestone outputs:

• A complete set of running services as specified in previous milestones.
• Terminal GUI to administer specified services.
• Documentation of how to run and maintain the services.
• Promotion of completed project and on boarding new developers to the platform.

Acceptance criteria:

• Services are running
• Services restart without error.
• Services allow for minimal uptime of 2 days.

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Service end points can be accessed with example queries.
• Documentation is available in the git repository.
• Enpoints can be set as a target in the Gamechanger wallet. Allowing for viewing assets and running transactions.

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

Adriano Fiorenza. - Lead developer. Defining the software architecture. Building key features.

Maarten Menheere - Debugging code. Testing services and writing documentation.

Roberto C. Morano - Adviser and Founder of the Dandelion project.

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

Personnel cost     

Write Specification - 3,500 ADA

Build Milestone 2 - 15,000 ADA

Build Milestone 3 - 15,000 ADA

Build Milestone 4 - 15,000 ADA

Build Milestone 5   20,000 ADA

Finalize  - 20,000 ADA

Technology cost     

Run 3x Dandelion-lite nodes (yearly) - 100,000 ADA

Marketing cost      

Design of promotional content - 2,000 ADA

Community Workshops/Webinars - 2,000 ADA

Media and PR engagement - 3,500 ADA

Miscellaneous     

Reserved for unforeseen costs or overruns - 3,000 ADA

Total   199,000 ADA

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

1. Reduced Development and Deployment Costs:

• Simplified Setup: By providing a comprehensive Docker-compose setup, developers can avoid the time-consuming and complex process of configuring and deploying essential services from scratch. This leads to significant savings in both time and money.

• Rapid Development Cycles: With a pre-configured environment, developers can focus more on building their dApps rather than managing infrastructure, leading to faster time-to-market and reduced costs associated with prolonged development phases.

2. Enhanced Performance and Scalability:

• Direct SQL Access Method: The introduction of a serverless, low-level interface to db-sync enhances performance and allows for more efficient data handling. This improvement reduces the need for costly server resources and optimizes operational costs.
• Future-Proofing with Interoperability: By enabling seamless transitions to alternative indexers like cf-ledger-sync, the project ensures long-term sustainability and flexibility, reducing the need for future investments in major overhauls or migrations.

3. Open-Source Community Contributions:

• Collaborative Development: By open-sourcing the project, the Cardano community can contribute to its development and maintenance. This communal effort reduces the burden on any single entity and leverages the collective expertise and resources of the ecosystem.
• Shared Innovations: Best practices and innovations derived from projects like Koios and Blockfrost are incorporated and shared, ensuring that the broader community benefits from cutting-edge advancements without duplicating efforts.

4. Scalability and High Availability:

• Built-In Scalability: The Docker-compose setup is designed for scalability, allowing developers to easily adjust their infrastructure to meet varying demands without incurring substantial additional costs.
• High Availability: Pre-configured services for monitoring and logging enhance reliability, reducing downtime and associated costs with service interruptions.

5. Long-Term Sustainability:

• Optimized Resource Utilization: The project’s emphasis on performance optimization ensures efficient use of resources, which translates to lower operational costs over time.
• Support and Maintenance: Ongoing community support and regular updates ensure the infrastructure remains up-to-date and secure, mitigating the risk and costs associated with obsolescence and vulnerabilities.