Last updated 3 months ago
.NET lacks a canonical CBOR library for all Cardano eras. Chrysalis.CBOR fills this gap but needs ongoing maintenance and DeFi types to prevent redundant implementations.
Maintain Chrysalis.CBOR as .NET's canonical Cardano library. Add 10+ DeFi protocol types with full CDDL coverage, ensuring cross-era compatibility and production reliability.
This is the total amount allocated to SAIB: Chrysalis.CBOR – .NET's CBOR (De)serialization Engine.
Please provide your proposal title
SAIB: Chrysalis.CBOR – .NET's CBOR (De)serialization Engine
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
100000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
6
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
.NET lacks a canonical CBOR library for all Cardano eras. Chrysalis.CBOR fills this gap but needs ongoing maintenance and DeFi types to prevent redundant implementations.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
No dependencies
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
License and Additional Information
Chrysalis.CBOR is fully open source under the MIT License. All code, type definitions, and documentation are publicly available on GitHub with transparent development processes.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Developer Tools
Mention your open source license and describe your open source license rationale.
We chose the MIT License to align with Microsoft’s official .NET projects—such as .NET Core, ASP.NET Core, and Entity Framework Core—which all use MIT licensing. This consistency ensures seamless integration for enterprise users who require license compatibility. MIT permits commercial use, modification, and distribution without requiring derivative works to be open source, removing adoption barriers for both open source and commercial projects building on Cardano.
How do you make sure your source code is accessible to the public from project start, and people are informed?
All development has been public on since the repository was forked in late 2023, and developers can watch the repository for real-time updates. Every commit, pull request, and issue is visible. Updates are shared through multiple channels, including NuGet package releases, GitHub releases with changelogs, and X posts. We would also share progress in our public Discord server and through Catalyst reports.
How will you provide high quality documentation?
Similar to our previous Catalyst project Argus (formerly Cardano.Sync), Chrysalis.CBOR documentation will be centralized on our website: https://docs.saib.dev. It will include API references, integration guides, and working examples for all supported protocols. The GitHub README currently provides an overview of the project and quick-start instructions while the source code includes XML comments to support IDE IntelliSense. Documentation is updated on major releases, ensuring developers have accurate and up-to-date information for seamless integration.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
This proposal is part of a suite comprising Chrysalis—the foundational library for developing on Cardano with .NET and the core of our .NET Cardano technology stack.
Chrysalis.CBOR serves as its foundation, providing the functionality to understand Cardano data and forming the critical data layer that all other Cardano .NET applications depend on. It originated when, as .NET developers building on Cardano, we found existing CBOR Serializer solutions inadequate for our needs. System.Formats.Cbor lacked Cardano-specific features and performance optimizations. On the other hand, CardanoSharp hadn't been updated to support newer eras and protocols. Both required extensive custom code to handle Cardano's complex data structures. Since we needed a modern, actively maintained solution optimized specifically for Cardano, we built Chrysalis.CBOR.Despite being unfunded, we invested months studying Cardano's CDDL specifications, implementing custom serialization logic for 50+ core Cardano types, building source generators for compile-time optimization, and extensive benchmarking against existing implementations. We reverse-engineered undocumented protocol behaviors, handled edge cases across different Cardano eras, and optimized memory allocation patterns for high-throughput scenarios. While functional and performant, the library now needs comprehensive unit tests and audits to ensure production reliability.
The results exceeded our expectations – Chrysalis is now the only .NET library that can serialize and deserialize Cardano data across all eras from Shelley to Conway. Through aggressive optimizations and source generators, our engine is 28% faster at deserializing Cardano blocks than Rust implementations (https://github.com/SAIB-Inc/Chrysalis?tab=readme-ov-file#-performance) However, after its release, we discovered developers still face major hurdles in this layer:
This slows development from weeks to months, wastes resources, and introduces costly bugs.
To establish Chrysalis.CBOR as the production-ready canonical .NET library for Cardano, we will focus on three critical areas:
Comprehensive Unit Testing & Code Quality Audit:
Documentation & Developer Experience:
DeFi Protocol Types Enhancement:
As an additional value-add, we'll implement type definitions for 10+ major DeFi protocols:
This comprehensive approach transforms Chrysalis.CBOR from a functional library into an enterprise-grade, battle-tested foundation that the entire .NET Cardano ecosystem can rely on with confidence.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
Chrysalis.CBOR provides a high-performance CBOR serialization engine that is 28% faster at deserializing blocks than Rust equivalents (https://github.com/SAIB-Inc/Chrysalis?tab=readme-ov-file#-performance), enabling .NET developers to efficiently process all Cardano data. Through comprehensive unit testing and code quality audits, we'll validate everything built so far from the ground up, ensuring enterprise-grade reliability that institutions require. Combined with pre-built types for 10+ DeFi protocols, this eliminates weeks of reverse-engineering and reduces integration errors. This thorough enhancement transforms Chrysalis.CBOR into a production-ready foundation that developers can trust, ultimately enabling the creation of robust, high-quality applications across the Cardano ecosystem.
While this project specifically targets .NET developers, it strategically positions Cardano for significant enterprise adoption. The .NET ecosystem represents one of the world's largest developer communities, with over 7-8 million active developers globally (https://www.softacom.com/wiki/development/future-of-dot-net/) . By providing enterprise-grade tooling, we're removing a major barrier for institutional and corporate adoption of Cardano.
Our impact is already proven in production: Levvy, built with our Chrysalis toolchain, currently secures around 1.76 million ADA in total value locked (https://defillama.com/protocol/levvy-finance?denomination=ADA) across a thousand active loans, directly serving the Cardano community today. This demonstrates that our tools work and scale to handle real financial operations.
The improvements of the module will be tracked in both quantitative and qualitative metrics:
Quantitative Impact Measurement:
Qualitative Impact Measurement:
To ensure the greatest impact possible, technical outputs would be published as a NuGet package for easy installation, with the complete source code placed in the GitHub repository. Comprehensive documentation would be recorded on our existing documentation site containing examples and tutorials.
Technical outputs would then be strengthened by community engagement, with progress reports published to the Catalyst community, video tutorials and presentations establishing guidelines, and our active Discord support channel for any inquiries or issues.
The success of this project would allow greater DeFi integrations in .NET. This could be applied in the creation of DEX aggregators and utilized to power portfolio trackers requiring multi-protocol DeFi data. This makes Cardano significantly more accessible to the massive enterprise .NET community. Additionally, C#’s popularity could boost adoption and visibility far beyond the existing ecosystem. With proven production impact already demonstrated through Levvy's success, this library expansion would enable a wider range of high-quality projects and use cases on the blockchain, ultimately strengthening Cardano's position in the enterprise development space.
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?
We believe that SAIB Inc. has a strong track record of technical success and community-oriented tool creation and management. Highlights include achieving major milestones in our Catalyst Fund 12–funded project Argus (Cardano.Sync - https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/12/cardano-open-developers/cardanosync-or-a-netc-indexing-framework-for-cardano), delivering consistent Chrysalis updates from v0.1.0 to v0.7.18 (https://github.com/SAIB-Inc/Chrysalis/releases) , and deploying Levvy (https://levvy.fi/), which leverages Chrysalis and Argus to process Mainnet transactions. Furthermore, our tool development is open and transparent, with code publicly available on GitHub and progress tracked in real time.
The team brings over 15 years of full-stack development experience, with six dedicated engineers who have proven Cardano expertise. We have successfully implemented complex Conway-era CBOR types, built high-performance networking protocols that outperform Rust implementations, and created production-ready transaction building systems. Additionally, we maintain strong collaborations with key ecosystem participants including TxPipe, dcSpark, and the Cardano Foundation. As operators of the ADAPH stake pool and contributors to multiple open-source Cardano tools, we bring hands-on network experience and deep integration within the Cardano community.
This deep expertise enabled us to architect Chrysalis.CBOR with zero external dependencies, reducing project risk and ensuring long-term ecosystem stability as the foundational .NET library for Cardano. The successful development and testing of the existing CBOR engine Chrysalis grants us the confidence to further enhance and validate the module. Our risk management approach recognizes that the primary risk for Chrysalis.CBOR is becoming unmaintained, which would leave .NET developers without a canonical Cardano library. We mitigate this through sustainable development practices: comprehensive documentation ensures knowledge transfer, automated testing reduces maintenance burden, and this Catalyst funding provides runway for continued development. By establishing Chrysalis.CBOR as the go-to solution with robust community support, we create incentives for ongoing maintenance even beyond this project's scope.
Furthermore, our track record of successfully managing and delivering complex tools demonstrates our capability to execute this project with the highest quality standards while ensuring responsible and transparent fund usage.
Milestone Title
Comprehensive Unit Testing & Code Quality Audit (Months 1-2)
Milestone Outputs
Establish a robust testing foundation for the existing CBOR engine and implement type definitions for the most popular AMM (Automated Transform Chrysalis.CBOR into a production-ready library through comprehensive testing and rigorous code quality audits. This critical milestone ensures the foundation is bulletproof before adding any new features.
Acceptance Criteria
A reviewer must be able to access the source code and see it contains:
A reviewer must be able to access the document and see it contains the coverage and achieves:
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
2
Cost
40000
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
DeFi Protocol Types Implementation (Months 3-4)
Milestone Outputs
Add comprehensive type definitions for 10+ major DeFi protocols, leveraging the robust foundation established in Milestone 1. Each protocol type will be thoroughly tested and validated against real mainnet transactions.
Source code containing:
Detailed report outlining:
Acceptance Criteria
A reviewer must see the source code has:
A reviewer must be able to access the document and see it contains the coverage and achieves:
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
4
Cost
40000
Progress
60 %
Milestone Title
Documentation & Developer Experience (Month 5)
Milestone Outputs
Create comprehensive documentation and enhance developer experience through improved APIs and IntelliSense support. This milestone transforms the library from functional to developer-friendly.
Acceptance Criteria
A reviewer must be able to access the document and see it contains the coverage and achieves:
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
5
Cost
10000
Progress
80 %
Milestone Title
Project Close-Out and Impact Reporting
Milestone Outputs
Final Close-Out Report:
Final Close-Out Video/Presentation:
Acceptance Criteria
Final Close-Out Report:
Final Close-Out Video/Presentation:
Evidence of Completion
Link to Final Close-Out Report:
Link to Final Close-Out Video/Presentation:
Delivery Month
6
Cost
10000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
The project's cost breakdown ensures value for the Cardano ecosystem by focusing on key areas:
Development Team (40,000 ADA):
Our engineers will implement 10+ DeFi protocol types, create extension methods for fluent C# patterns, build sample applications, fix bugs discovered during audits, ensure cross-era compatibility (Shelley to Conway), and maintain the library throughout the project. This investment transforms Chrysalis.CBOR from a functional prototype into a production-ready, actively maintained library that the .NET ecosystem can rely on.
Testing & Quality Assurance (40,000 ADA):
This substantial allocation reflects our primary focus - comprehensive testing and code quality audits of the existing CBOR engine built without formal testing. We'll write unit tests from scratch achieving >80% coverage, conduct thorough code audits to identify vulnerabilities, implement regression testing for all Cardano eras, validate against thousands of mainnet transactions, and establish CI/CD pipelines. Since Chrysalis.CBOR is foundational infrastructure for all .NET Cardano applications, this investment is critical - preventing even one major bug saves the ecosystem from potential millions in losses.
Documentation & Community (10,000 ADA):
Technical documentation covering API references, protocol integration guides, and code examples for each protocol. Community engagement through Discord support and developer workshops. Marketing and developer outreach through social media and conference presentations. Two frontend engineers will enhance the documentation website at docs.saib.dev as part of this allocation.
Project Management & Reporting (10,000 ADA):
Project coordination including milestone planning, team management, and resource allocation. Catalyst reporting with progress updates and milestone documentation. Close-out activities include final report, video production, and knowledge transfer. This ensures transparent delivery and community accountability throughout the project lifecycle.
Total Budget: 100,000 ADA
Third-Party Services:
All other development utilizes free tier services (GitHub, Discord, NuGet) and open source tools (VS Code, .NET SDK). The project leverages existing Chrysalis.Cbor infrastructure, maximizing value delivery within budget constraints.
No Additional Funding Required: The 100,000 ADA fully covers all project costs. We leverage existing Chrysalis infrastructure and our established development environment, eliminating setup costs. Our team is based in the Philippines where development costs are competitive, maximizing value per ADA spent.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
The costs of this project have been carefully structured to ensure they represent strong value for money for the Cardano ecosystem, while delivering high-quality results. Here's how the costs were determined and why they are justified:
Development Team (40,000 ADA):
The 40,000 ADA covers essential development beyond just DeFi types: bug fixes from audit findings, cross-era compatibility improvements, extension methods for developer experience, sample applications, integration helpers, and ongoing maintenance. Our team's deep understanding of Cardano's CDDL specifications and existing Chrysalis architecture allows efficient delivery. This investment ensures the library evolves from a working prototype to a production-ready, maintainable solution.
Testing & Quality Assurance (40,000 ADA):
This is our largest allocation, reflecting the critical need to validate the existing CBOR engine from the ground up. The budget covers writing comprehensive unit tests (currently lacking), conducting code quality audits, implementing regression testing across all eras, validating against mainnet data, and establishing automated testing infrastructure. For a foundational library handling all Cardano data serialization, this investment in quality assurance provides exceptional value - the cost of bugs in this layer would far exceed the entire project budget.
Documentation & Community (10,000 ADA):
Comprehensive documentation and community support are essential for developer adoption. This budget ensures complete API documentation, integration guides, and active community engagement through workshops and Discord support. Our developers will update the documentation website, making it easier for developers to integrate into our library. Good documentation reduces integration time from weeks to days, multiplying the value across all users. This budget would also include event preparation in the case of community outreach such as workshops or QnA sessions, with the goal of spreading awareness and increasing adoption.
Project Management & Reporting (10,000 ADA):
Effective project management is essential for delivering complex technical projects on time and within scope. This allocation covers project coordination including milestone planning, team management, and resource allocation, ensuring efficient development workflows and preventing costly delays. Catalyst reporting with comprehensive progress updates and milestone documentation maintains transparency and accountability to the community throughout the project lifecycle. Close-out activities including final report, video production, and knowledge transfer ensure successful project completion and enable future community contributions.
Direct Economic Impact:
The primary value comes from establishing a tested, audited foundation for all .NET Cardano development. Without proper testing and audits, every project using Chrysalis.CBOR faces potential critical bugs that could cost millions. Our comprehensive testing eliminates this systemic risk. Additionally, the 10+ DeFi protocol types save 2-4 developer weeks per protocol integration. Combined with documentation, workshops, and ongoing maintenance, this 100,000 ADA investment prevents countless hours of debugging, reverse-engineering, and redundant development across the ecosystem, creating compounding value that far exceeds its initial cost.
Competitive Rates & Regional Standards:
Our team operates from the Philippines, where we can access strong technical talent at competitive rates. This regional advantage allows us to deliver the same quality as teams charging hundreds of thousands of dollars in other ecosystems, while keeping costs reasonable for Catalyst funding. We've benchmarked our rates against local market standards to ensure fair compensation without budget inflation.
Long-Term Value:
We built Chrysalis.CBOR without any direct funding, investing our own resources to create what is now the only .NET library supporting all Cardano eras. This Catalyst funding represents the first external support for further development and maintenance of this critical infrastructure. The investment ensures the library won't become abandoned like other Cardano .NET projects, providing confidence for enterprises considering Cardano adoption.
The funding enables us to add primitive types for 10+ major DeFi protocols, conduct comprehensive testing and audits, create documentation, and establish sustainable maintenance practices. With zero external dependencies, the library requires minimal ongoing maintenance while providing maximum reliability. This positions Chrysalis.CBOR as the canonical .NET solution for years to come.
Every new project using our tested, audited library amplifies the return on this 100,000 ADA investment. Similar protocol libraries in other ecosystems cost hundreds of thousands to develop from scratch. By building on our existing foundation and leveraging our efficient team structure, we deliver enterprise-quality infrastructure at a fraction of typical costs. Most importantly, this investment transforms a self-funded prototype into a professionally maintained, production-ready library that the entire .NET Cardano ecosystem can depend on.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Team Lead:
Clark Alesna - https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarkalesna
15+ years full-stack development, Cardano specialist, SAIB Inc. CEO and Founder
Backend Engineers:
Rico Miles Quiblat - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rico-miles-quiblat-34a6b7298
Herminigildo Timtim - https://www.linkedin.com/in/herminigildo-timtim-43a7b0298/
Wendell Mor Tamayo - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendell-mor-tamayo-41388b298
Frontend Engineers:
Stan Kiefer Gallego - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiefer-gallego
Caitlin Lindsay - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-mariel-lindsay-7341a3323
Operations and Marketing:
Bern Villacura - https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbiebern/
Leah Belle Acas - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-belle-acas-886714370/