Formally, "The Dash Platform is a technology environment for building decentralized applications (Dapps) based on the blockchain and the Dash network, a cloud that developers can integrate with their applications."
Recently, a series of videos have been posted explaining the 4 key building blocks of the Dash Platform: Dash Drive storage, decentralized API (DAPI), Dash Platform Name Service (DPNS) usernames, and Dash Platform Protocol (DPP). It is noted that the DAPI Dash Platform will be the world's first decentralized HTTP API.
I omitted the "promo texts" of the original interview, and in essence it turned out:
In 2020, the Dash Platform was in testing phase at Evonet, where community developers research, build and test the network to see what it can do.
To find out more, we asked for an exclusive interview with an active Dash community developer who works under the pseudonym 'readme' to get inside information on an intriguing release called the Dash Platform.
Why did you decide to build apps on the Dash Platform and not on another blockchain?
I am very passionate about Web3, the Internet of Things, big data and the issues of monetizing it all. The advantage of the Dash Platform is that developers can immediately start writing code in Javascript and use the blockchain with its decentralized API (DAPI) for authentication, interaction with accounts, storing metadata and analytics. And then there are usernames that provide usability for both users and developers.
From a developer's point of view, an approach that focuses on the primacy of data is especially interesting, while using data contracts that define the structure of the on-chain data. I see a lot of potential in a data-driven approach and there is no doubt that there is a need for decentralized metadata in Web3. Building apps on the Dash Platform has also convinced me of the Dash network's commitment to keeping transaction fees low - an important issue in mass adoption.
What projects are you working on right now?
I spent quite a bit of time exploring the possibilities this new data-driven approach offers before choosing a topic that everyone knows - non-fungible tokens - and combining it with the game everyone loves - Minecraft. That is, I'm working on non-fungible tokens that store the structures of buildings in Minecraft - they are also called blueprints. I named this project “Dashcraft”. There is a kind of structure that can be created using various building blocks within the game - for this there is a game mode solely for construction, called "creative". That is, it's like Lego, you can build anything. I personally like pixel art and abstract structures. Unlike the announced Enjin-Minecraft integration, where they will store typical in-game items and assets on the blockchain (such as weapons and armor),the building structures stored in Dashcraft are more of art and personalization that anyone can create. The only limitation that I set on Minecraft NFT is that each structure must be unique, so you cannot upload an exact copy of an existing one to the blockchain. The project consists of three parts:
- Minecraft Server Plugin, Minecraft Dash, / - / , NFT NFT . (https://github.com/readme55/Dashcraft)
- Minecraft Creative Server Dashcraft
- Minecraft NFT Explorer, - , Dash . (http://readme.dashdevs.org/minecraft-explorer/)
Authentication and data loading is done with a simple browser wallet that I'm also working on. For communication between Minecraft Game and Browser Wallet, there is a variation of the Push Notification service, which is implemented on the Dash Platform. The Dashcraft project was recently completed and will soon be released on the testnet.
Do you think other gaming apps will integrate Dash Platform functionality?
Yes, the ability to easily work with payment accounts using a decentralized API, usernames and low transaction fees make Dash an excellent platform for developing in-game purchases, rewards and bets. There is a growing trend for storing in-game items on the blockchain, and now that there are data contracts, everything is perfect for game developers who want to integrate blockchain functionality. To use login credentials, developers can use Dash Blockchain IDs with usernames that can store user profiles, balances, contact lists, etc. In addition, instant confirmation of Dash transactions and the ability to immediately spend only that the funds received solves the main problem of game developers.
Are you developing anything else on the Dash Platform?
I started developing a data-oriented token standard. It's still in early stages of development, but it's a very interesting research topic. Only variables and token transitions will be stored in a special on-chain data contract. Confirmation of the current balance is done off-chain. This opens up possibilities for developing simple or complex tokens using any programming language, and thus one can get the scalability advantages with low fees, compared to tokens that compute everything on-chain.
What is the difference between developing applications on the Dash Platform versus developing on Ethereum?
Ethereum is often referred to as the "world computer" due to the fact that the computation takes place entirely on the side of the network nodes. This is the key difference between the Dash Platform and Ethereum, at least in the current initial release. Active computing by a decentralized application on the Dash Platform happens on the client side, or on the central server side. The Dash Platform aims to provide developers with a framework for Web3 Dapps and DAPI (Decentralized API) payments to make it easy to create and manage accounts. This is achieved by entering usernames for logging into the system and for working with data. In addition, the Dash Platform provides the functionality of data contracts, which act as decentralized databases. The main benefit of developing on the Dash Platform isthat a single username acts as a decentralized login, allowing access to an unlimited number of applications, while at the same time providing full control over your (cryptographically verifiable) personal data.
Dash Platform , ?
A recent video released by developers from the Dash Platform community showcased four different Dapps: a basic username wallet called EvoWallet , a Twitter alternative called Jembe , a commercial PoS app Checkout, and a backend system for merchants InStore . These Dapps are ready and available for testing on Evonet, which is a testnet for Dash Platform developers. They demonstrate the potential of the integrated Dapp ecosystem made possible by a single decentralized login.
We are also working on integration with Ethereum for data storage tasks and studying various solutions on Oracle for interaction between the two blockchains. There is also a team working on a private messenger library based on the popular Signal protocol that stores its (obfuscated) data on the Dash Platform. In addition, one of our developers is working on a JavaScript library of atomic swaps, and against this background, there is always active research on various topics, such as verifiable computation, governance and privacy.
How can developers from other blockchain communities join the Dash developer community?
There is a constant bounty program to attract new developers. We also have an active developer discord server and lots of sample code and documentation available.
Developer resources
- Developer Discord - https://chat.dashdevs.org/
- Dash Platform Dev Documentation - https://dashplatform.readme.io/
- Dash Core Developer Guide - https://dashcore.readme.io/docs/core-guide-introduction
- Dash Core Github - https://github.com/dashpay
- Dash Platform Github - https://github.com/dashevo
I would recommend all developers to join our active community. You can receive rewards for various Dapp development bounty programs on the Dash Platform at https://dashincubator.app/ . You can find out more about the project at https://www.dash.org/ru/developers/ .
Do you really see a growing interest among blockchain developers learning the Dash Platform?
Our developer community is growing weekly, and some other crypto projects only dream about it. The Dash Platform actually opens up a whole new perspective on blockchain programming. It takes a while to understand it, but it has huge potential. Some incredible things are already happening without much publicity, all based on regular data contracts and simple javascript wallets. When the Dash Core Group starts adding additional features to the Dapp Developer Platform ... it can get really crazy!
The best of both worlds?
The two leading blockchain projects, Bitcoin and Ethereum, offer the world very different use cases. While Bitcoin has come to be used as “digital gold,” Ethereum is a platform where developers can create blockchain-based Dapps running on its network. However, Bitcoin and Ethereum do have something in common: both of these networks are characterized by high transaction fees and network congestion. This is where Dash excels at them, and this should attract the attention of developers from both camps, because the Dash decentralized network is an optimized scalable solution consisting of powerful, economically interested distributed node servers that provide Dash with its advanced functionality. Dash's two-tier masternode network infrastructure of high performance servershas been working since 2015. This is the “secret ingredient” of Dash, as it allows the on-chain to scale to a number of transactions comparable to Paypal, while keeping instant confirmation and commissions within a penny.
We've already seen the Ethereum- based Zaigar project go from Ethereum to Dash , ditching their own ERC-20 token (ZAI) in favor of Dash, saving them thousands of dollars in transactions every month. Perhaps this will be the first of many? Esports platform ReadyRaider has also chosen to partner with Dash to sign up, buy in-game items between players, pay tipping and tournament fees.
Can the Dash Platform compete with Ethereum's functionality by offering developers data contracts, usernames, a decentralized API, and blockchain storage? From this interview, we can assume that much of the success will depend on Dash's ability to continue bringing developers like 'readme' into the community to build their Dapps on its platform.
The first decentralized application to appear on the Dash Platform will be the official DashPay wallet, which supports payments by username. DashPay Alpha Program is now open where users can register their username on the blockchain, test and research the user experience and interface to personally try the latest versions of DashPay.
PS Links to a recent interview with one of the Dash developers:
The Road to DashPay (part 1 of 4)
The Road to DashPay (part 2 of 4)
The Road to DashPay (part 3 of 4)
The Road to DashPay (part 4 of 4)