A must-have for developers: A look at the best tools for building blockchain applications

Original title: "20+ Blockchain Development Tools"

Original author: Emmanuel Awosika  

Original compilation: ChinaDeFi

< /p>

Blockchain is reportedly one of the fastest growing fields right now. With the explosion of blockchain projects (DeFi, NFT, DAO), the demand for blockchain developers is also skyrocketing.

If you're already building on the blockchain, or planning to, here's an introduction to some of the best tools for creating blockchain applications.

Programming Language  

To develop blockchain applications, you need Learn a programming language. These languages allow us to create smart contract code that acts as the backend of the application.

Solidity

Currently, Solidity is the most popular programming language for blockchain development. It is a high-level, object-oriented language that borrows elements from other languages, notably C++.

Many developers prefer to learn Solidity because Ethereum, considered the de facto blockchain, uses Solidity to write smart contracts. Besides that, Solidity is Turing complete, allowing us to create complex applications with rich features.

Learning Solidity is a great start to your journey as a blockchain developer. Solidity's popularity means we have access to helpful tutorials, guides, and documentation designed for beginners.

Solidity can also run on other blockchains as long as they are compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). This means that we can deploy projects on EVM-compatible blockchains, such as Binance Smart Chain, Avalanche, Polygon, Matic Network, etc.

Vyper

Solidity is not the only language for creating smart contracts. A popular alternative is Vyper - a Python-based EVM-compatible language.

While Vyper is not as powerful and popular as Solidity, it is ideal for developers familiar with Python. Additionally, Vyper's simple architecture reduces software errors and simplifies smart contract auditing.

Rust

Rust is a newer programming Increasingly popular in the development community. It is a low-level language for writing smart contracts, praised for its storage efficiency, simplicity, and reliability.

The problem is that Rust is not EVM compatible, so we cannot deploy projects on Ethereum and EVM compatible chains. But newer chains like Solana, Terra, NEAR, Polkadot, and Elrond can use Rust, so learning the language is still a good investment.

Framework

Building a decentralized application (dApp) from scratch can be difficult task, especially if we have to handle every tiny detail ourselves. Fortunately, we can benefit from software frameworks with "plug-and-play" infrastructure for easy dapp creation.

The framework comes with resources (libraries and tools) for creating, testing and deploying code. Writing a dApp from scratch is not necessary as we can use an off-the-shelf package and then add additional functionality. Also, most of the frameworks are developed and optimized by experienced engineers, so they are all powerful, efficient and versatile.

Truffle

First in our list of blockchain development frameworks is Truffle. Truffle is a javascript based framework for developing, testing and deploying smart contracts. It remains one of the most used frameworks in the blockchain industry.

Truffle provides the resources needed to create fully functional dApps, from built-in smart contract creation tools to an environment for testing blockchains. It also has ready-made libraries that make it easier to build front-ends for Ethereum dApps.

Hardhat

Hardhat is another framework that is highly recommended for smart contract developers. Like Truffle, Hardhat is a javascript-based framework for creating, testing, deploying and debugging applications on Ethereum.

Hardhat is a comprehensive tool platform that abstracts most of the underlying common functionality related to blockchain software development. Thus, we can focus on more important tasks like building the core infrastructure for dApps.

Embark

Embark is a full stack development framework that allows us to build dApps simultaneously front-end and back-end. Although last on the list, Embark is as good as the other frameworks listed in this section.

Embark provides resources for dApp data storage, live code testing, and smart contract deployment. Also, we have access to important plugins like Etherscan, Solc, Solium, etc.

Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

Integrated Development Environment (IDE) develops Tools combined into a graphical user interface (GUI) to aid in application development. Most IDEs feature code compilation, editing, syntax highlighting, build automation, and debugging.

Remix IDE

Remix is considered the industry standard IDE by many blockchain developers . Using Remix IDE, we can compile, test, and debug smart contracts—all through an intuitive interface.

Remix IDE is written in JavaScript, we can use it on any browser, we can also run it locally on our own computer (as a desktop application program). It provides a comprehensive set of libraries, plugins, and other features to facilitate smart contract development.

EthFiddle

EthFiddle is a browser-based IDE for writing and debugging Solidity code. If we are collaborating with others on a project, then EthFiddle by Loom Network is a great tool, with this software, we can easily edit, find code snippets, and share code snippets with others for feedback.

EthFiddle is not as feature-rich as the Remix IDE, but it is useful for sharing code within presentations. It offers well-designed testing and prototyping features, making it a great tool for all blockchain developers.

Ethcode

We also recommend Ethcode, a Visual Studio Code plugin. Ethcode provides a beginner-friendly development environment for writing, debugging, and unit testing contract code.

The code is open source and new developers can seek support when needed. Ethcode works with Vyper and Solidity, and can deploy smart contracts to the Ethereum mainnet and Goerli testnet, among others.

API and SDK

In addition to framework and IDE, API and SDK are also Web3 development one of the most important tools of the reader. Help blockchain engineers solve specific problems encountered in the development process and help with the creation of dApps.

In order to simplify the interaction between different software, an API (Application Programming Interface) is designed. By using APIs to request data to improve dApps, we can build on existing functionality.

SDK is the abbreviation of "Software Development Kit" (Software Development Kit), which is a collection of software products for building applications for specific platforms. The Blockchain Development SDK reduces the complexity of building platform-specific dapps.

Alchemy NFT API

As the value of NFT soars, many developers are beginning to pay attention to Turn to this industry. If you plan to create an NFT application, Alchemy's NFT API is the perfect tool.

Alchemy NFT API allows developers to display metadata of different NFTs in a user-friendly interface. It works across multiple chains (Ethereum, Polygon, Flow , etc.), so buyers have more flexibility in choosing NFTs.

The NFT API abstracts most of the technical tasks involved in interacting with NFTs. By integrating the NFT API into our platform, buyers do not need to read smart contracts before verifying and purchasing NFTs.

Thirdweb SDK

Thirdweb SDK is useful for building Web3 applications or integrating Web3 features into existing There are apps that are very useful. For example, we can add a "connected wallet" feature to our application without writing any code.

Thirdweb can be used for the following:

- Create NFT marketplace

p>- Launch NFT without writing code

- Create tokens for governance, community membership and other purposes

- Programming royalties split into NFT

Thirdweb currently supports Fantom, Avalanche, Ethereum and Polygon, and promises to support more chains in the future. While the smart contract is free to use, Thirdweb makes money by charging 5% of the future royalties of the Token contract.

Moralis API and SDK

Moralis is a Web3 development platform that provides API and SDK, To speed up the blockchain development cycle. The Moralis SDK reduces the complexity of building a full-featured dApp by providing out-of-the-box functionality such as:

- User Authentication

- Send and Get transactions

- Listen to smart contract events

- Interact with smart contracts

Moralis' cross-chain Web3 The API can also aggregate comprehensive information about account balances, tokens, on-chain transactions, and more. It supports the most popular chains including Avalanche, Polygon, Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain.

Testing the Blockchain Network

By default, most smart contracts are immutable Yes, once the code is deployed on the blockchain, no changes can be made. Therefore, testing on the Ethereum mainnet is discouraged as we cannot make changes after deployment.

To address this, Ethereum developers can use a test blockchain network (testnet) to test dapps. Testnets allow us to see how smart contracts work on the blockchain, allowing us to find bugs before launching it.

Native Blockchain (Ganache)

Ganache is a native blockchain for Ethereum development Geoblockchain, available as a command-line tool or a desktop application. Blockchain developers can use Ganache to deploy smart contracts and execute tests.

Ganache tool has a user-friendly interface and provides access to debug information and blockchain data (accounts, blocks, transactions). We can also configure other elements, such as block times, to suit our development needs.

Public test network (Ropsten / Rinkeby)

We can use public testnets like Ropsten, Goerli or Rinkeby instead of Ganache. The main difference is that Ganache can be used offline and does not require online access.

Some developers prefer public testnets as they mimic the behavior of Ethereum and may be better suited for testing hypotheses. For example, Ropsten uses a proof-of-work consensus similar to the Ethereum mainnet.

While the testnet is free to use, we need to test ether (ETH) in a browser wallet to complete transactions.

Oracle

While smart contracts have exciting applications, their Functionality is limited as they can only access information stored on-chain. This poses a problem for any developer building smart contracts that rely on external information to perform their functions.

This is where oracles come into play.

Blockchain oracles collect real-world information from different sources and pass it to smart contracts running on the blockchain. This information can be displayed in many forms: real-time prices, weather information, sports results, and more.

Select to Centralized oracles are important because they are harder to manipulate by malicious actors and provide (mainly) reliable information. Many popular dapps, such as   Kyber, Synthetix   and   Compound, use decentralized oracles to execute smart contracts.

Chainlink

Currently, Chainlink is the market-leading decentralized oracle solution . Launched in 2017, Chainlink provides “reliable and tamper-proof” data for smart contracts across multiple blockchains.

With Chainlink, we can connect smart contracts to various data sources in the real world. For example, we could create a dApp that rewards users for predicting the outcome of real-world events.

Other decentralized oracle solutions include Band Protocol, Witnet and Universal Market Access (UMA). These applications incentivize selected oracles to provide accurate information, maintaining the integrity of off-chain data.

Blockchain Node Providers

When building dApps, we will need to Blockchain interaction — whether reading data on-chain or writing data to the blockchain. To do this, we need to connect to a blockchain node; a blockchain node keeps the history of the entire blockchain and can send/query blockchain data.

The problem is that maintaining a full Ethereum node is expensive, time-consuming and complicated. Therefore, it is recommended that blockchain developers use a blockchain node provider (node-as-a-service). Node providers handle the blockchain infrastructure for clients, allowing us to focus on building and scaling dApps.

Alchemy Supernode

If we are looking for a suitable blockchain node provider, then Alchemy Supernode is worth a try. Supernode provides a set of fully developed APIs for interacting with the blockchain and obtaining key blockchain data.

With this tool, connecting to the blockchain network layer is as easy as registering and receiving an API key. The service is not only available for Ethereum, but also for other projects - so there will be full flexibility in using the blockchain.

Alchemy's Node-as-a-Service tool has the following additional benefits:

- Free registration

- Scalable infrastructure

- Enhanced API

- Reliable

Supernode is designed to adapt to our needs and provide seamless scalability. This way, we won't lose sleep over node infrastructure and our users can enjoy a better experience.

We can also look at other node providers if we want to know what other projects are available. Includes QuickNode, Infura, GetBlock, BlockDaemon, and Chainstack.

Analysis

When building dapps, many Web3 developers quickly discover that tracking on-chain Activities are difficult. In most cases, we need to do some heavy lifting before we can get key application information such as real-time usage information, user adoption rate, and token metrics.

However, it is important to analyze these data points if we want to improve the dApp and expand the user base. For this, we need to use a tool like Alchemy Monitor, which makes analysis easier for our Web3 applications.

Alchemy Monitor

Alchemy Monitor is a powerful, dedicated to monitoring dApp infrastructure and tools to obtain user activity. Alchemy Monitor provides real-time updates on the health of dApps and can display API calls, error rates, and response times.

The Alchemy Monitor dashboard can also track dApp usage and provide useful insights into user behavior. It also has a nifty automated alerting system that flags issues early on, before our dApps experience major failures.

Alchemy Notify

Developers are not the only ones who need real-time information on dApp activity; It is also necessary to know what is happening on the dApp. For example, a user might want to know whether a transaction performed in a dApp was successful.

That's why using the Alchemy Notify push notification service is a very good idea. Adding push notifications to our dApp can be the difference between a good and a bad user experience.

Notify provides application users with the following information:

- transaction notification;

- Resolve activity alerts;

- Gas price alerts, and more.

Security Tools

If this year has taught us anything, it is that security should be The number one priority for blockchain projects. Enhancing the security of smart contracts is a better consideration than adding bells and whistles to our new dApps. Here are some of the biggest breaches of the year:

-  Axie Infinity  ($615 million hacked)

- Inverse Finance (hacked $15 million hacked)

- Elephant Money ($22.5 million hacked)

There are many more hacks, but these should Will give us a basic idea that smart contract security is serious business. Without the right security measures in place, this could damage our reputation and prevent user adoption.

Octopus

First in our list of tools for hardening smart contract security is Octopus, a solution for detailed analysis of smart contract code. Octopus provides symbolic execution, call flow analysis, and control flow analysis -- all of which help us find contract bugs and fix them before it's too late.

Mythril

The next one is Mythril, a smart contract security tool supported by ConsenSys  . Mythril is used to analyze Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) bytecode and identify vulnerabilities in Ethereum software using taint analysis, symbolic execution, and taint resolution.

Securify

Finally, we have Securify - an Ethereum Foundation backed smart contract scanner. Securify can detect up to 37 different software vulnerabilities and enables context-specific analysis for Solidity-based smart contracts.

Wallet

If we are going to create a dApp, we need a wallet to store funds even It is testing ethereum (ETH). For this, we can set up a cryptocurrency wallet in the browser in a few minutes.

MetaMask

We recommend using MetaMask because in addition to holding ETH, it also provides Many functions. As a browser extension, MetaMask injects the Web3js API into websites, which allows users to interact with dapps directly in their browsers. MetaMask can also perform other functions such as key management, reading blockchain data, etc.

Summary

Blockchain development can be an exciting process, but only if It's that we have the right tools in the first place. Creating a robust development stack makes it easier to create applications and improves the quality of the output.

Original link

Welcome to join the official BlockBeats community:

Telegram Subscription Group: https://t.me/theblockbeats

Telegram Discussion Group: https://t.me/BlockBeats_App

Official Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/BlockBeatsAsia