JSON API service for developers

[IMPACT]

We already have a platform we call Cardano Blockchain Intelligence (https://bi.stakepoolcentral.com) to enable users to manually search for Cardano metadata messages and browsing the different data types. The platform has even been called the "Google of Cardano Metadata".

Since going live, we have experienced first hand how the platform needs increasingly more computing power to deliver fast data access. This is why we proposed some enhancements in Catalyst Fund6 to enhance both functionality and response time.

Now that this proposal has been delivered successfully, we want to address the need for developers to also have this access. Our site has been designed to provide data access for users wanting to browse blockchain data manually. Developers need access to data without having to cope with possible user interface changes breaking their search. We want to add JSON api for our site data, so developers can search the blockchain using our already running platform

Access to blockchain data requires more and more computing resources. Increased requirements for computing resources, means increased cost for developers wanting fast and reliable access to Cardano data. During the months and years since Cardano Shelley mainnet, the requirements have increased dramatically and is no longer affordable and available for everyone. We want to expand our running Blockchain Intelligence site with a JSON api to make our fast search engine available to developers without each having to run their own Cardano search platform.

JSON is an established standard developers use when communicating and querying data from sites. The beauty of providing JSON API to developers is that the site user interface can change without breaking the functionality developers already use.

We do not foresee any difficulties regarding the project delivery. The api will be developed using established technology and standards.

[FEASIBILITY]

We project mainnet delivery of the API within 3 months of successful funding by Catalyst community.

This is our projected timeline

May 2022

• Detailed design
• Startup of developing API calls and publishing these to our testnet BI site (https://bi-testnet.stakepoolcentral.com)
• Draft documentaion for each api call

June and July 2022

• Development of API calls and publishing these to the testnet BI site (https://bi-testnet.stakepoolcentral.com)
• Finishing up documentation
• Publish finished API calls to our mainnet BI site (https://bi.stakepoolcentral.com)
• Maintenance

We budget to deliver 6 calls in this proposal. The exact calls will decided when detailed specification is ready and we will connect with community developers to get suggestions for most wanted ones. The following are our suggestions at this point.

• metadata full text search
• get all metadata messages of specific transaction
• NFT / token full text search
• Verification for data signatures
• proof of donation
• get oracle data, current value and historic data by oracle symbol

Budget breakdown

• Detailed specification and solution design - 3k
• Development of JSON api (per call) - 2k and documentation (1k per call): Total 18k
• Buffer for maintenance and change requests after go-live - 5k

Budget summarized: 26k

Our team already has the experience needed to deliver this new API. We have successfully maintained and developed the Blockchain Intelligence site (https://bi.stakepoolcentral.com) since October 2020

[AUDITABILITY]

Our test site (https://bi-testnet.stakepoolcentral.com) will always be running the latest development version of the API. This give developers early access to the api so they can test their solutions with testnet blockchain data.

We will also send bi-weekly updates to the Catalyst community reporting the current status of the deliverables. This report will be available for the Community in accordance with Catalyst status report governance.

Today we provide fast and easy access to search and browse Cardano blockchain data. This data is not as easy accessible to developers as and this is what we want enhanced this time. This project is successful when developers can use our search results in their own solutions.

This proposal is a continuation of our Fund6 funded and delivered proposal Metadata search engine enhancements (https://cardano.ideascale.com/a/dtd/368588-48088). The community voted for functionality and response time enhancements in our solution. These enhancements are now available to the public on our site https://bi.stakepoolcentral.com, and with this new proposal we now want to make the enhancements available also for developers