We recently connected with Diego Lizarazo, Director of Developer Relations at Agoric.
Recently, Amazon launched Cloud Tools (AMB Access and Query services), which make it easier for developers to create decentralized applications. While this is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done to improve the substandard tooling and debugging experiences facing developers building in the Web3 space.
In light of this Agoric, a layer 1 Proof-of-Stake (PoS) public blockchain and smart contract platform, has recently launched a components library to allow developers to build faster by choosing the components that align with their specific needs and seamlessly integrate them into their projects.
The components library is also designed using Hardened Javascript, providing a jump-start introduction to Web3 development for the 14 million developers globally with prior JavaScript experience.
With this in mind, we connected with, Diego Lizarazo, Director of Developer Relations at Agoric OpCo.
Dean is a 34-year industry veteran and pioneer in distributed systems and smart contract technology and has played an incremental role in building the applications that have powered billions of users through TradFi, before turning to decentralized systems.
Dean discussed how Agoric’s general-purpose JavaScript library can support developers entering the blockchain space and assist the development of Interchain apps through tutorials, code samples and accelerated development cycles.
Our conversation with Dean is shared below.
Crowdfund Insider: What is Agoric?
Diego Lizarazo: Empowering 14M+ JavaScript developers to pioneer web3, the Agoric chain alongside its robust JavaScript smart contract platform delivers a safer, more familiar platform for accelerated development and deployment of decentralized applications.
Crowdfund Insider: Can you tell us about the recent launch of the Agoric component’s library and what it plans to achieve?
Diego Lizarazo: The Agoric components library recently went live and aims to offer developers a range of smart contract elements in tandem with comprehensive guides and tutorials. The components range from an on-chain vote counter to a full-featured NFT marketplace. As soon as developers have been onboarded to the Agoric platform, the component’s library has the resources and code samples you need to begin building apps that can interact with other chainspan across the Cosmos interchain ecosystem.
According to Electric Capital’s Developer Report, there are 21,000 monthly active crypto developers, Cosmos being responsible for 1,700 of those developers. However, this is nothing compared to the outstanding 14 million monthly active JavaScript developers working in web2. The components library, amongst other development resources offered by Agoric, is uniquely positioned to reach and channel these developers with the assets and templates needed to make the leap from web2 to web3 and to effectively navigate the web3 space.
Crowdfund Insider: Why do you think there is a gap in the interchain for Agoric’s component-based library?
Diego Lizarazo: Right now, the interchain consists of ~60 zones actively connected by the Inter-Blockchain Communication protocol (IBC), all of which have their own users, applications, and economies. It’s not uncommon for IBC to see over $15 million in volume in 24 hours. But just as a browser shouldn’t discriminate between web pages, for Cosmos to truly become the internet of blockchains, applications built on the interchain need to cooperate with each other.
Building an application that takes action across multiple blockchains, like managing a liquidity position on Osmosis or renting computing power on Akash, requires highly programmable smart contracts that can handle asynchronous execution. And for that, you need Agoric Hardened JavaScript. So how do we get more developers building powerful, IBC-enabled applications? By equipping them with plug-and-play resources that let them roll up their sleeves and start building – that’s where the components library comes in.
Crowdfund Insider: What contributions does the Agoric component’s library include?
Diego Lizarazo: Noteworthy community contributions to the library include a lending protocol, an LP stop loss contract, smart contracts for interacting cross-chain, NFT drop and auction mechanisms, and an on-chain governance committee. With a diverse range of components at their disposal, developers have the flexibility to select code that harmonizes with their unique needs. The components are also composable, which allows developers to leverage the existing elements to create complex, interoperable cross-chain systems.
Crowdfund Insider: How can the library be used to build apps on the interchain?
Diego Lizarazo: The components library has elements of all shapes and sizes that can be combined together or with other code to build web3 products. Interested developers can choose the elements which they believe best align with their goals in building their specific apps and can integrate these new components into their projects.
The library can be used as a place to accelerate the quality and speed of these development cycles within web3. Because the components are built by the community, the library also serves as a platform to share knowledge and learnings with other developers who are making the leap from web2 to web3. All of this will foster new opportunities and innovation, encouraging team development for newfound and existing web3 developers as well as prioritizing individualistic development.
Developers building with Agoric components also benefit from native platform features including ERTP, the token API to handle fungible, non-fungible, and semi-fungible tokens, as well as a built-in escrow service (Zoe), pervasive async support, and seamless marshaling for passing or storing data and capabilities between components. Agoric uses a secure subset of JavaScript, the world’s most popular programming language, called Hardened Javascript. This allows developers to dive right into reliably and easily building and deploying secure web3 applications on-chain without specialist programming knowledge required by other blockchains.
Crowdfund Insider: Can you share more about the web3 space and what opportunities exist in web3 in comparison to web2 for mainstream developers?
Diego Lizarazo: An emerging space, web3 is a near-infinite realm of new and exciting opportunities for developers to explore. Ranging from decentralized finance, interoperability and cross-chain interaction, smart contracts, and programmability, there are endless possibilities within the general web3 ecosystem. The Agoric platform is well positioned to provide web2 developers with an ideal starting point for their web3 journey.
This is the driving force behind Agoric’s component library: providing developers with the documentation, tutorials, sample code, and other resources so they can start building apps in the web3 space with as little friction as possible.
Crowdfund Insider: What is Agoric’s approach to building a developer community?
Diego Lizarazo: Transparency and approachability are key, so we offer hands-on technical support through Discord, personalized assistance for new projects, and regular developer office hours (Wednesdays at 9am PT / 16h UTC) – all part of Agoric’s commitment to empowering developers and nurturing their success in the evolving web3 landscape.
Additionally, Agoric actively leverages code bounties to motivate developers to engage with enthusiasm and creativity, increasing the quantity and quality of contributions, and to allow developers to become part of a vibrant and active community. Finally, we have partnered with Chainboard Academy to create the first Agoric bootcamp, that prioritized a mentor focus and peer-to-peer learning to offer developers the ability to build, test and deploy their own apps on the Agoric chain.
Crowdfund Insider: Where can developers who are interested learn more?
Diego Lizarazo: If you are interested in learning more, you can join the community of developers building apps for the interchain on our component’s page or join our community Discord!