Cardano DeFi SDK - Dexter & Iris V2

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

Cardano DeFi SDK - Dexter & Iris V2

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

100000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

5

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Currently, developers must navigate separate SDKs and APIs with inconsistent interfaces to interact with Cardano DeFi protocols, making integration and composability complex and time-consuming.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://github.com/IndigoProtocol/iris
,
• https://github.com/IndigoProtocol/iris-sdk
,
• https://github.com/IndigoProtocol/dexter
,
• https://github.com/IndigoProtocol/indigo-sdk

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

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

No

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

No dependencies

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

MIT License

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Developer Tools

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Mention your open source license and describe your open source license rationale.

We have chosen to continue with an MIT License - Giving the Cardano community free-range on using this project for how they see fit. Both the API & SDK will be open-source, and will allow self-hosting.

How do you make sure your source code is accessible to the public from project start, and people are informed?

All code will be hosted on GitHub, and the Cardano community will be notified through X and other related communication channels from 3rd Eye Labs. Also, all repositories will be shared through the Project Catalyst milestones.

How will you provide high quality documentation?

All documentation will include installation instructions, and tips on how to extend functionality to meet developer needs. API endpoints & SDK functions will be documented to inform developers of the project's possibilities. Once finalized, documentation will be run through an LLM to spot any mistakes or resolve any readability issues.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

The proposed solution is an open-source SDK & API to interact with popular & proven out Cardano protocols. These tools will allow developers to read on-chain data through a REST API & submit transactions on the Cardano blockchain to interact with these protocols/projects through a normalized SDK. Using Indigo Iris & Dexter as a partial foundation, we can extend the possibilities to include other non-DEX Cardano projects.

Key components & features of the proposed solution include:

• REST API - Complete REST API providing data for the integrated projects, exposing on-chain data for the supported projects. This data includes any analytic, order, or DeFi trading activity the projects submit on-chain.
• TypeScript SDK - Interact with Cardano protocols & projects through your trading bots, personal projects, or aggregators. The SDK will include handling for gathering data from the API, providing a seamless flow for submitting transactions on-chain.
• Extensibility - All interfaces & entities within the API & SDK will be extendable to allow developers to expand upon to include their own integrations.
• Documentation - Comprehensive documentation will be provided, offering clear guidelines on API integration, functionality, and best practices. This facilitates a smooth experience for developers and users.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

While some projects provide their own SDKs or public APIs, there is a gap in tooling to seamlessly interact with each project within one SDK or API, without different restrictions for each integration. This project enhances the accessibility in building projects that absorb Cardano DeFi data & on-chain activity.

The collaborative and open-source nature of these tools promotes community-driven development, encouraging developers to contribute and improve the tools continuously. This collaborative effort strengthens the Cardano community by fostering a culture of innovation, knowledge-sharing, and support.

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & 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 has a proven track record with Project Catalyst-funded tools such as Iris and the Indigo SDK, both of which successfully index and interact with Cardano protocols. We have deep technical expertise in:

• On-chain data indexing
• SDK design and API architecture
• Transaction building for Cardano smart contracts

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Planning, Design, & Set Up

Milestone Outputs

Delivery of the initial SDK NPM package scaffold containing foundational modules, along with a TypeScript API/indexer project including dependencies, project structure, and configuration files to support further development.

Acceptance Criteria

The SDK package installs via NPM without errors, contains initial class and interface definitions, and the API project runs locally with required dependencies. Repository setup must follow documented folder structures.

Evidence of Completion

GitHub repository commit history showing setup completion, NPM package published to a test registry, and a README outlining installation and usage. Screenshots and demo video showing the initial projects running locally.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

15000

Progress

10 %

Milestone Title

REST API & On-chain Indexer

Milestone Outputs

Functional REST API exposing read-only endpoints for supported integrations, along with a fully operational on-chain indexer populating a MySQL or similar database with normalized Cardano DeFi protocol data.

Acceptance Criteria

API endpoints return valid, structured JSON matching documentation, indexer pulls and updates live on-chain data without errors, and database schema supports all proposed integrations. Must pass integration tests.

Evidence of Completion

Live API demonstration, Postman collection with sample queries and responses, database schema export, and GitHub repository updates. Screenshots and logs confirming data indexing from Cardano mainnet.

Delivery Month

2

Cost

30000

Progress

40 %

Milestone Title

TypeScript SDK

Milestone Outputs

A TypeScript SDK capable of fetching API data, building, and submitting Cardano transactions for all supported DeFi integrations. Includes automated unit tests and developer-friendly function interfaces.

Acceptance Criteria

All SDK methods function as documented, can successfully interact with live Cardano DeFi protocols, and pass automated tests. Transaction submissions must be confirmed on-chain (either Mainnet or Preprod) during testing.

Evidence of Completion

NPM package publication, test coverage reports, GitHub code with working examples, and a video demo showing both read and transaction submission flows running against Cardano testnet/mainnet.

Delivery Month

3

Cost

40000

Progress

80 %

Milestone Title

Documentation & Open-source Closeout

Milestone Outputs

Comprehensive API and SDK documentation in Markdown format, detailing installation, setup, usage, and extension points. Manual testing report ensuring integration safety. All code pushed to a public GitHub repo.

Acceptance Criteria

Documentation must be complete, accurate, and usable by a third party to replicate setup and usage. Manual tests must confirm no loss of funds risk. GitHub repo must be open and accessible without restrictions.

Evidence of Completion

Published GitHub repository with MIT license, Markdown documentation files, and manual test logs. Recorded walkthrough video showing setup, data access, and transaction flow with confirmed on-chain results.

Delivery Month

4

Cost

14000

Progress

90 %

Milestone Title

Project Close-out Report & Video

Milestone Outputs

A polished 2–3 page written Close‑out Report summarizing KPIs (both challenge-level and project-level), key achievements, learnings, next steps, plus project metadata (e.g., project name, ID, manager, start/end dates, and resource links). Also, a public (YouTube or Vimeo) 2–5 minute Close‑out Video, in 720p or 1080p, demonstrating the project’s achievements, deliverables, technical solutions, and how funding was employed.

Acceptance Criteria

Report must include:

• Project name, URL, project number, manager, start and completion dates;
• Challenge and project KPIs, outcomes addressed or unmet;
• Achievements (especially around collaboration/engagement), learnings, next-stage plans, final reflections, and links to relevant sources/documents;
• A working, accessible link to the Close‑out Video.

Video must:

• Be public and in 720p or 1080p quality;
• Be 2–5 minutes long;
• Clearly demonstrate outputs—like the API/SDK functionality—or otherwise make the work visible;
• Contextualize the challenge, approach, funded solution, and outcome, aligning with what’s written in the report.

Evidence of Completion

A written report of 2–3 pages in Markdown format will be submitted, containing all required headings and content. A public video link (YouTube or Vimeo) will be embedded or included in the submission.

Delivery Month

4

Cost

1000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Milestone 1 (15,000 ₳) - Planning, Design, & Set Up

(5,000 ₳) - Investigate requirements for supported integrations.

(10,000 ₳) - Develop ground-work for SDK & API projects.

Milestone 2 (30,000 ₳) - REST API & On-chain Indexer

(20,000 ₳) - Database setup & indexer implementation for the supported integrations listed in this proposal.

(10,000 ₳) - REST API endpoints for reading indexed project data.

Milestone 3 (40,000 ₳) - TypeScript SDK

(10,000 ₳) - Interface for API data reading.

(28,000 ₳) - Transaction submission & testing for the supported integrations listed in this proposal.

(2,000 ₳) - Automated unit & feature testing.

Milestone 4 (15,000 ₳) - Closeout / Documentation & Open-source

(6,000 ₳) - API documentation for interacting with the API & extending beyond supported integrations.

(6,000 ₳) - SDK documentation for submitting Cardano transactions & extending beyond supported integrations.

(3,000 ₳) - Final manual testing for each integration to prevent loss of funds.

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

• Long-Term Value : Once open-sourced, this project has the potential to drive continuous growth in the Cardano ecosystem by enhancing DeFi participation, encouraging liquidity, and providing a framework that can be continuously improved by the community at little additional cost.
• Sustainability : The open-source, collaborative nature ensures ongoing improvements, making it a strategic and valuable long-term investment for the Cardano ecosystem.
• Consistent Framework - A single, consistent framework is easier to maintain and upgrade over time compared to multiple disconnected tools.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes