Cardano DevHub - A Comprehensive Support Platform for New Developers

[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 platform offering resources for:

• dApp and smart contract development
• Online courses, guides from basic to advanced
• Hackathons
• dApp reviews, discussions, and sharing audit reports.

[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.”

Certain tasks such as design, smart contract development (if needed), and marketing may be outsourced depending on the project's needs and progress.

[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

We intend to use the MIT License for the open-source components of the Cardano DevHub project. The MIT License is permissive and widely adopted, allowing for flexibility in use, modification, and distribution while maintaining a level of attribution.

Open Source Elements:

All core functionalities of the platform, including:

• The front-end web application
• Back-end API integrations for fetching and displaying developer tools, documentation, and courses
• The dApp evaluation and aggregation module

These elements will be fully open-source, hosted on a public GitHub repository for the community to access, contribute to, and reuse.

[METADATA] Horizons

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Problem:

Cardano has a strong foundation but is difficult for new developers to approach. The lack of centralized resources to guide and support them in building dApps or smart contracts is a major obstacle.

Solution:

We propose creating Cardano DevHub, a platform aggregating documentation, tools, and courses to help developers easily build on Cardano. The platform will include:

• Learning materials from beginner to advanced levels.
• Tools for dApp and smart contract development.
• Hackathons to challenge skills and connect the community.
• dApp reviews and discussions, with open-source links and audit reports if available.

Target Audience:

The platform will engage:

• New developers needing guidance.
• Experienced developers sharing knowledge.
• The community for dApp evaluation and feedback.

Impact:

We will measure success by:

• Number of users and hackathon participants.
• Growth of open-source contributions.
• dApp reviews and discussions.
• Developer satisfaction surveys.

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

Impact on the Cardano Community:

The Cardano DevHub project will create a robust platform that supports new developers, making it easier for them to engage with the Cardano ecosystem. This will foster dApp development and decentralized applications, increasing the number of developers and high-quality projects within the ecosystem.

The success of the project will bring value to the community by:

• Increasing the number of new developers joining the ecosystem.
• Promoting transparency and security in dApp development through community-driven reviews.
• Encouraging innovation and creativity through hackathons and collaboration.

Measuring Impact:

We will measure impact through the following quantitative and qualitative metrics:

• Number of users engaging with the platform and its learning resources.
• Number of dApps reviewed and positively received by the community.
• Hackathon participation rates and projects developed as a result.
• Developer satisfaction surveys regarding their experience on the platform.

Sharing Outputs and Opportunities

The results and opportunities from the project will be shared through:

• Regular reports to the Catalyst community, providing updates on project progress and impact.
• Open-source code of development tools shared on GitHub for community use and contribution.
• Hackathon events and online forums for developers to discuss, share experiences, and propose new ideas.

[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?

Capability:

We have engaged with blockchain from its early stages and have a deep understanding of the challenges new developers face when joining the ecosystem. We know exactly what new developers need to get started quickly and effectively.

To ensure transparent and reliable fund management, we will implement the following steps:

• Project Phases: The project will be executed in clear, measurable phases with specific milestones and goals.
• Regular Progress Reports: We will provide detailed progress and financial reports to the Catalyst community and stakeholders.
• Financial Oversight: All expenditures will be recorded and monitored through a transparent financial management system to ensure that the budget is used efficiently and for the intended purpose.
• Open-source Approach: We commit to making all development tools and resources open source, allowing the community to track and verify the project's progress.

Feasibility:

We will take the following steps to validate the feasibility of our approach:

• Initial Testing: We will conduct limited environment testing of the platform and tools to assess feasibility before full-scale deployment.
• Community Feedback: Through hackathons and beta testing, we will gather feedback to refine and improve the product.
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• Adaptive Adjustments: The project will be flexible and adapt based on user feedback and market conditions to ensure that the final goals are met.

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

Develop and finalize the website platform (3 months):

A: Milestone outputs:

• Completion of website structure and design for DevHub.
• Development of tools to support new developers.
• Launch of initial learning materials for Cardano developers.

B: Acceptance criteria:

• Website accessible with all basic functionalities.
• Development tools and materials available for download and use.
• Feedback from at least 10 beta testers.

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• Link to the fully functional website.
• Statistics on the number of users testing the platform.
• User feedback report from beta testers.

Complete basic documentation and courses, implement the dApp evaluation section (2 months):

A: Milestone outputs:

• Completion of documentation and basic courses for new developers.
• Implementation of dApp evaluation and aggregation section on the platform.

B: Acceptance criteria:

• Documentation and courses are accessible and easy to use on the website.
• dApp evaluation feature is implemented and functional.
• At least 3 dApps evaluated by the community.

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• Links to the documentation and courses on the website.
• Report summarizing dApps that have been evaluated.
• Statistics on user participation in dApp evaluation.

Project Close-out Report and Video (1 month):

A: Milestone outputs:

• Detailed report on project outcomes.
• Final video summarizing development and key project milestones.
• Report on community feedback regarding the platform and hackathons.

B: Acceptance criteria:

• Comprehensive report on achievements compared to initial plan.
• High-quality video reflecting the project implementation process.
• Positive feedback from at least 50 users on the platform.

C: Evidence of milestone completion:

• Final report shared with the community.
• Final video published on communication channels.
• Summary of feedback from the community post-project completion.

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

The project will be carried out by Ho Duy Long, who will handle the main roles including project management, platform development, hackathon organization, and documentation writing. Certain tasks such as design, smart contract development (if needed), and marketing may be outsourced depending on the project's needs and progress.

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

1. Domain purchase: ₳ 130 (Month: 1-12)
2. VPS rental: ₳ 1,500 (Month: 1-12)
3. Website development: ₳ 6,000 (Month: 1-3)
4. Design (UI/UX): ₳ 2,000 (Month: 2-3)
5. Module integration (documentation, dApp, etc.): ₳ 4,200 (Month: 4-6)
6. Lesson design: ₳ 2,400 (Month: 6-9)
7. Hackathon 1: ₳ 1,500 (Month: 9-10)
8. Hackathon 2: ₳ 1,500 (Month: 11-12)
9. Marketing: ₳ 2,000 (Month: 7-9)
10. Summarize, evaluate, write, video for the close out report of the project: ₳ 1,000 (Month: 1-12)
11. Contingency budget: ₳ 2,500 (Month: 1-12)

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

The project provides a comprehensive platform that effectively supports new developers through courses and hackathons. These activities will help developers easily join and grow within the Cardano ecosystem.

The budget of 24,730 ADA is entirely reasonable and well-allocated across areas such as platform development, event organization, and learning materials, ensuring high value for the community.