Dandelion: Decentralized Web3 APIs

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

For the last 21 months, Dandelion has been provided as a community service. It has been used by countless Cardano builders to bootstrap their dapps/businesses - with some dapps even using Dandelion in production because it is easy, reliable, and free.

Dandelion is already built, and it is already delivering value to the Cardano community. It is provided as a community service so that dapp developers can test their ideas and learn how to use Cardano. We have included a disclaimer that Dandelion should not be used in a production deployment, but because the service provides value, it is common for developers to ignore this warning. Dandelion has supported live implementations of NFT marketplaces, DEXes, wallets, and community DAO tooling.

This proposal is to use Catalyst funding to ensure that Dandelion keeps running robustly, so that everyone who relies on it can keep using it.

In order to meet demand and continue providing this service for the community, we must fund additional servers. This provides an opportunity. Our plan is to deploy as many Dandelion nodes as are needed, on top of a decentralized computing network. The network will not be centralized on any major hosting provider but on top of multiple, underlying independent providers, so the exact number of nodes will depend on the research on decentralized computing networks we are doing, and on the demand for the network.

In the long term, our vision is for a global network of node operators to run Dandelion as a distributed and decentralized service – much like Stake Pool Operators run Cardano Nodes. In order to get to that point of a fully-decentralized Dandelion network, we propose to create a federated Dandelion network of nodes (much like the Byron era of Cardano), to train node operators, capture fair value for the services provided by the network, and to roll-out the distributed network at scale.

It’s time for Dandelion to chart a course where we can deliver on its true vision: a network of service providers, as robust as the Cardano network itself, that ensures that Web3 apps built on Cardano are truly decentralized and distributed.

This proposal is for the critical funding to keep Dandelion running, while also setting an example that other operators can follow as they support the network. We’re asking for two things: 

1. Funds for servers to keep Dandelion running reliably
2. Funding to develop an access service that allows the network to capture enough value so that operators are incentivized to run resilient Dandelion Nodes.

[IMPACT] Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.

At Gimbalabs, we take seriously the idea mentioned at the top of this challenge: Cardano needs a thriving ecosystem of different Dapps, products and integrations for the community to use that increasingly become the better alternatives over current centralized providers.

But business thinking is not evolving as fast as technology.

We are building Web3 tools with Web2 mindsets. That is why it has been so much easier for organizations like Infura and Blockfrost to capture market share.

In addition to providing innovative technology that serves as the backbone of Web3, the Dandelion model demonstrates a new way of thinking about distributed value capture.

[IMPACT] What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?

The greatest risks to this project are that Web3 development never liberates itself from existing systems. If centralized API providers capture so much market share that other options are not viable, or if developers focus on what is easy over what is sustainable, it will be hard to bring this system to life.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed plan, including timeline and key milestones for delivering your proposal.

There are three key parts to this plan:

Stage 1: Research DCCN (Decentralized Cloud Computing Networks) alternatives

• Make a deployment plan based on DCCN’s capacity, available geo-locations and underlying node providers variety.
• In this first phase we’ll also develop a long-term partnership with the chosen DCCN community and ecosystem.

Stage 2: Develop an IaC (Infrastructure as Code) OpenSource project to deploy servers on the chosen DCCN

Whether it’s using a regular cloud provider or the same DCCN we choose to build the federated network, we want to enable everyone to join the network. For the former option we already provide Open Source tooling and we need and want to provide the same for the latter.

Stage 3: Develop and deploy Access Token system that allows the network to capture + distribute value

• Work with existing development partners to implement core solutions, for example: https://github.com/argus-nft/cardano-web3-auth-java (which implements CIP-8 and CIP-30)
• Work with Gimbalabs Project-Based Learners to research and implement tokenized access systems, and use our work to create learning resources for dapp developers, aspiring Dandelion node operators, and additional education institutions.

Timeline:

• 1st month: Research DCCNs
• 2-3 month: Have the nodes deployment ready, have tokenomics defined
• 6th month: Have a first version of the Access system deployed
• 6-12 months: Iterate on the developed ecosystem (maintenance, evolution, monitoring, and additional services)

In order to fully develop an open, tokenized access system, we will:

• develop a governance framework for the token minting
• develop a minting smart contract
• develop the access system based on NFTs/FTs that allow to access the network at per-minute billing rates

While this system is being developed, the deployment will be kept open and free and served behind the current Community Service.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

$60000 = $5000/month server costs x 12 months

+

$30000 = funding the development of the API access system and tokenomics design

=

$90000

Note: 2/3 of this proposal is simply to keep the Dandelion network running so that community developers can continue to use it. 1/3 of the proposal is for the development work of making sure that the network is sustainable in the long term.

We have a companion proposal here: https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/416790, aimed at funding the operators who will monitor the network as a community service.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide details of the people who will work on the project.

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/

James Dunseith: Gimbalabs co-founder, currently focused on building Project-Based Learning modules that support the growth of open, distributed communities building on Cardano.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-dunseith-0135651/

Giovanni Gargiulo - CTO @ ArgusNFT. Principal Software Engineer with 15+ years of commercial experience. DevOps advocate with strong experience in Machine Learning, distributed systems and cloud. Cardano Plutus Pioneer, Stake Pool Operator and Open Source Developer. Main developer for argus-nft/cardano-web3-auth-java

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovannigargiulo/

[FEASIBILITY] If you are funded, will you return to Catalyst in a later round for further funding? Please explain why / why not.

Our greatest interest in Project Catalyst is that it's an unprecedented experiment in community governance. With that in mind, of course we'll be back!

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or any member of your team working on any other proposals in this Fund9?

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or your team working on any other proposals from previous Funds?

[AUDITABILITY] Please describe what you will measure to track your project's progress, and how will you measure these?

Monitoring for the network and the deployment deals (DCCN) will be public by default for anybody to check how the service is behaving and how the funds are spent on servers hosting.

In addition we’ll provide monthly key metrics reporting, ie, total requests.

[AUDITABILITY] What does success for this project look like?

A federated network authorized by Cardano native assets and a tooling ecosystem that is ready to accommodate new, independent node operators and contributors to distribute and decentralize it further.

[AUDITABILITY] Please provide information on whether this proposal is a continuation of a previously funded project in Catalyst or an entirely new one.

It’s a continuation, an evolution of the current Dandelion Community Service:

• Fund2 proposal: https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/322195
• Fund5 proposal: https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/352562
• Fund7 proposal: https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/385065

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating

#8, 9, 17