As mentioned previously, one aspect of promoting the Blockstack ecosystem is to provide a platform to help support the global community of developers, designers, and others to submit their ideas and products for a chance to win a prize.  Over the last quarter or so and into 2017, Blockstack’s Signature Fund has held several bounties – see these links, here, and here (winner of portfolio app). 

Well, once again, the Blockstack Signature Fund — a $25 million dollar fund used to help support teams to build applications for the new internet has yet again announced another bounty for a dApp.  And, once again, Blockstack has partnered with a another project – ShapeShift – to bring the open source world a new wallet platform – Universal Wallet.

April 25, 2018

$50,000 Signature Bounty to Build a Universal Wallet

Blockstack Partners with ShapeShift (leading instant digital asset exchange) to build a universal wallet

Details

• Build an open source wallet app using Blockstack for
  • Authentication
  • Storage
  • Encryption
• Must support custom tokes
• Must use the ShapeShift API for token exchange
  
  • Shape Shift
    • Describes itself – leading instant digital asset exchange – “We Buy and Sell Digital Assets” and “the safest way to buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and many other blockchain tokens.”

Register for the bounty at Blockstack

Other Bounties announced so far (completed):

2018

Blockstack: $50,000 Bounty for Messaging and Communication Applications…

2017

• Encrypted Token Portfolio app – Coins (winner of bounty)

Blockstack: A New Decentralized App – Coins

Blockstack Signature bounty for a new universal wallet is open and waiting for the Community. Go to this link for more details from Blockstack re: $50,000 Signature Bounty.

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, a new decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar). Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM.  A new decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

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Apparently, Mr. Thomas Osmonson created a starter kit to help developers to get up and running with authentication on Blockstack.  It may be barebones but it uses the latest versions of react, babel, webpack and others.  And, for developers that need a more robust application to manage state in an application, the starter kit is using Redux bundler, redux and reselect.

It is all there for anyone interested in learning about and developing applications for Blockstack.  Go check it out on github and get up and running with blockstack authentication and code away.

And, for more on Mr. Osmonson – a self proscribed independent designer, developer, and creative director, please visit his website here.

Additionally, don’t forget Mr. Osmonson is the developer of a Blockstack dApp – Coins.  Coins was also the bounty winner for portfolio management dApps on Blockstack too.

What a great starter kit to help anyone get started with authentication for a dApp on Blockstack!

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any namespace (name/domain name) or dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet, that is distributed via the blockchain, bitcoin), you must use the Blockstack browser).

Download the Blockstack Browser

For help on installing and using the Blockstack Browser, please visit this link Getting started with the Blockstack Browser.

For a more in depth look into the Blockstack Browser, please visit these links – Inside the Blockstack Browser and Blockstack Browser: It does that?

Resources re: Blockstack and dApps

• Blockstack
• @blockstack
  • @blockstackapps
• Developers
  • Introduction
    • • Papers
      • Videos
    • Tutorials
      • (e.g., todo and multi-player storage)
    • Installation
    • Github
      • Javascript
      • Core API
• Blog
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Blockstack Meetups

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar).

Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way.^TM A decentralized internet | The Way The Future.^TM Try out the new internet, The Blockstack Way.^TM Blockstack: The New Internet – It Makes The Internet You Use Better!^TM

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The team with the best decentralized community messaging dApp wins the bounty – $25,000.  And, the team with the best decentralized P2P encrypted messaging dApp wins the other bounty – $25,000.  Good luck to all participants.

Resources

• Blockstack
  • Build a Community Messaging App – Register for the bounty at Blockstack
  • Build a P2P Encrypted Messaging App – Register for the bounty at Blockstack
• Community Messaging Collaborators or Open Source (fork)
  • Rocket.Chat – Rocket.Chat is the leading free open source team chat Slack alternative.
    • Collaboration w/Blockstack
    • Forum on Rocket.Chat re: Collaboration w/Blockstack
    • @RocketChat
  • Mattermost – Open source, private cloud Slack-alternative – Workplace messaging for web, PCs and phones.
    • @mattermosthq
  • Riot – Open, secure and inter-operable communication for work and home.
    • @RiotChat
  • Matrix – is an open standard for inter-operable, decentralized, real-time communication over IP.
    • @matrixdotorg

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you.  Feel free to post a comment below and sign up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar).  Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 and help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM.  A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

The post Blockstack: Signature Bounties Challenge – One Week to go… appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

Next, in line in the Developers Corner series is a high level overview of a first in the decentralized dApp internet space – the ability to share data (public/private) that was stored in your preferred storage choice.  This wonderful feature is referred to as either multi-reader storage or multi-player storage.  And, up until its introduction by Blockstack, it has not been available in the decentralized application (dApp) space.  This is a first for the dApp space and for Blockstack.

The introduction was the next logical next step for the dApp space on the Blockstack ecosystem.  The first two steps being Blockstack Authentication (SSO and authentication without 3rd parties or remote servers) and Single Player Storage (ability to store all of your app data privately). 

Not to get to deep into the tech – better left to the engineers (see video below), multi-reader storage allows for the data that you write into storage while using a dApp – via the Blockstack browser & ecosystem, to be readable only by you or by others that you give access too (if you so desire).  In other words, you are now able to own and share your data (created when using a dApp) with only people of your choosing, no need for a third party to help you do that. 

A great visual resource (see video below) that provides a more detailed and technical overview of Blockstack’s multi-player reader (storage) was presented a few months back at one of the Meetups – in particular Blockstack NYC during September 2017.  The presentation – by Mr. Jude Nelson, a Blockstack Engineering Partner – provides some excellent information on multi-reader storage and how it works.

The ability of the user – no one else – to own and control access to the user’s (your) data is at the core of the Blockstack vision.  It is a fundamental shift from the internet we use today – centralized versus decentralized.  Imagine the new internet The Decentralized Way^TM in which your data (written word, spoken word, other things internet…) resides with you – only you, is controlled by you and not by anyone (or company) else.  With the introduction of multi-reader storage, it is hard not to be a developer/user/supporter of Blockstack and the Blockstack community. If you have not done so, go give the Blockstack browser a try.

Please find below, some links that might be most helpful as you learn more about Blockstack’s tools for developing a decentralized application for use on Blockstack.

Resources re: Blockstack and dApps

• Blockstack
• @blockstack
  • @blockstackapps
• Developers
  • Introduction
    • Papers
    • Videos
    • Tutorials
      • (e.g., todo and multi-player storage)
    • Installation
    • Github
      • Javascript
      • Core API
• Blog
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Blockstack Meetups
  • Blockstack NYC Meetup
• Graphite

And – calling all developers, do not forget about the dApp bounties – Blockstack: $50,000 Bounty for Messaging Applications. Bounties – One aspect of promoting the Blockstack ecosystem is to provide a platform to help support the global community of developers, designers, and others to submit their ideas and products for a chance to win a prize (e.g., decentralized application(s), dApp, dApps on the Web 3.0).  THE DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 16, 2018 – YOU STILL HAVE TIME.

Additionally, do not miss the next big event/meetup – Blockstack: Event in Berlin – March 2, 2018.

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar). Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM. A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

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And, in order to have applications to use/run on the ecosystem, you need an idea for a decentralized application (e.g., P2P Encrypted Messaging, Community Messaging, Word Processing, Cryptocurrency Portfolios…) and then a developer to build the decentralized application.  Welcome to the Developer’s corner (not only for developers though)…

In this post, and subsequent posts related to this series, we will try and explore some of the tools created for developers (and others) to build the decentralized applications (dApps) that can be used on the decentralized internet.  

To begin with, Blockstack is probably a developer’s dream come true.  By that, we mean Blockstack is making it a lot easier for developers to build decentralized applications for use on the Blockstack ecosystem. 

How did Blockstack make it a little easier, well they setup the kitchen (architecture and infrastructure) with almost everything the cook (developer) needs to create the dish (decentralized application – dApp).  The kitchen – Blockstack’s ecosystem, includes (among many other items):

• a decentralized domain name system (DNS)(it is called BNS)
• a decentralized public key distribution system
• a registry for applications (dApps)
• a registry for user identities
• a decentralized storage system
• tokens…

so the cook (developer) can bake (build) some wonderful creations (dApps).  Below, you will find a couple of different diagrams (e.g., stack for decentralized applications & how blockstack works) laying out the major components – blockchain, virtualchain, routing layer and storage layer – of the Blockstack architecture:

It is all there – the Blockstack infrastructure described above, provides a lot of the tools that a developer might need to build decentralized applications for use on the Blockstack ecosystem.  And, by providing some of the tools needed to build decentralized applications, Blockstack has enabled the developer to more easily build a dApp.  For example, the 

• developer can use java-script (and libraries) to build a single page application(s)
  • that does not plug into the front-end of a centralized API
    • but one that plugs into an API run by the user (as the API is pre-built and runs on the user’s device)
• developer does not have to worry about
  • running servers
  • maintaining databases
  • building out user management systems because:
    • the applications are server-less and decentralized
    • users bring their own storage
    • user/applications use public-key cryptography for authentication
    • the developer’s of the application and the application itself do not have to store anything

To make it even easier, Blockstack also includes libraries and step-by-step tutorials (e.g., identity, storage, tokens (coming soon)) for the developer, hacker, hobbyist and others to build decentralized applications. 

All of this looks so good that we might try and build a decentralized application too.  All kidding aside (not really though), it looks like Blockstack has put forth a complete package so developing decentralized applications should be a lot easier.  In addition, Blockstack has put together a great team in case a question should arise.   And, to top it off, everything Blockstack ecosystem is an open source community project.  So, not only is Blockstack there to help, the open source community of developers, hackers, users and supporters, and others  – already participating in the environment –  are helping out too (e.g. forums, meet-ups, code/programing feedback, testing…).  

Please find below, some links that might be most helpful as you learn more about Blockstack’s tools for developing a decentralized application for use on Blockstack.

Resources re: Blockstack and dApps

• Blockstack
• @blockstack
  • @blockstackapps
• Developers
  • Introduction
    • Papers
    • Videos
    • Tutorials
      • (e.g., todo and multi-player storage)
    • Installation
    • Github
      • Javascript
      • Core API
• Blog
• Frequently Asked Questions

And, if all of the above wasn’t enough, Blockstack and the Blockstack Signature fund have sprinkled a little powdered sugar on top with the dApp bounties – Blockstack: $50,000 Bounty for Messaging Applications.  Bounties – One aspect of promoting the Blockstack ecosystem is to provide a platform to help support the global community of developers, designers, and others to submit their ideas and products for a chance to win a prize (e.g., decentralized application(s), dApp, dApps on the Web 3.0).

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar).  Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM.  A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

The post Blockstack: Developers Corner… appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

And, as you know (or see this), the bounty window closes in about two (2) weeks.  So, if you or your team have the dApp for the new communication reality, there is still plenty of time to submit applications for both dApps before the window closes – February 16, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. eastern.

Along with the Bounty participants, we wanted to also provide a brief overview about one of the open source platforms – Rocket.Chat – a Slack alternative, that is collaborating with Blockstack to help bring the new community messaging dApp to fruition. 

Rocket.Chat – in a nutshell – is an open source web based chat platform (server) that offers both companies or general communities the ability to privately host its own chat/messaging service.  In addition, it allows the developer community the ability to build custom chat platforms (web based chat platform (server)). 

The collaboration (generally) is about Blockstack providing its single sign on feature (no need to rely on any outside servers or third parties) and Rocket.Chat providing its open source web based chat platform (server) so that a team can figure out how to integrate (build) both into a new decentralized messaging platform.  The ultimate goal is to have a team build a new messaging platform that enables users to access Rocket.Chat with their Blockstack identity for secure login and identity verification (e.g., single sign on feature).  The team with the best decentralized messaging platform wins the bounty – $25,000.

Resources

• Blockstack
  • Build a Community Messaging App – Register for the bounty at Blockstack
  • Build a P2P Encrypted Messaging App – Register for the bounty at Blockstack
• Rocket.Chat
  • Collaboration w/Blockstack
  • Forum on Rocket.Chat re: Collaboration w/Blockstack
  • @RocketChat re: Collaboration w/Blockstack

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar).  Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM.  A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

The post Blockstack: Signature Bounties – Two Weeks to go… appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

• Blockstack Auth, which provided you with a single-sign on you could use with apps to privately access them without any 3rd parties involved
• Single-Player Storage, which gave you the ability to store all of your app data privately.(e.g., managing your own private token portfolio app).

Multi-Player Storage will provide the Blockstack Browser user the ability to not only own and control access to the user’s own data, but will also give the user the ability to share the user’s data with the user’s friends without the need for a third party.  Remember, it is the user’s (your) data, and the user (you) and only the user (you) should determine the fate of the data created by the user (you).

Blockstack has provided some helpful items for the developer community as shown below:

• Multi-Player Storage Tutorial

And, once you have been through the tutorial and feel emboldened to create on the Blockstack ecosystem, Blockstack encourages all developers to go and check the latest bounty being offered for decentralized application (s) (dApp, dApps, Web 3.0) in the communications space – Community Messaging App and a P2P Encrypted Messaging App (See also – $50K).

1.26.2018 Update: dApps (dApp, decentralized application, web 3.0) currently utilizing multi-player storage include:

• Graphite – the decentralized application (dApp) that empowers you to create and write something new (documents or sheets) without giving up your privacy (think of Graphite as a privacy-focused replacement for Google Docs—something that lets you own your writing).   Please visit our post on it here, and by all means, visit Graphite, Blockstack (@blockstack) and go try out Graphite with the blockstack browser too.

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar). Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM. A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

The post Blockstack – Developer Tutorial: Micro-blogging App Using Multi-Player Storage appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

Over the last quarter or so of 2017, Blockstack announced the Blockstack Signature Fund — a $25 million dollar fund of used to help support teams to build applications for the new internet. Blockstack likens the Signature Bounties to contests where teams submit products and judges determine who wins the prize for the best product. Blockstack further explains bounties as follows:

“Bounties are a useful tool for building out important apps on the new internet because they leverage a global community of developers, designers, and other talented folks to work on bringing interesting ideas into reality. Since apps built using Blockstack don’t own their user’s data or identity, they can be expanded on or re-purposed by other teams as the basis for more complex apps that build out an ecosystem.”

December 20, 2017

$50,000 Signature Bounty to Decentralize Communication

• Build a Community Messaging App – Blockstack Signature Bounty:
  • Blockstack writes – “It has become clear over the past several months that Slack cannot be the permanent home for community communication for open source projects like Blockstack. Slack has taken a closed source approach to team chat, and that does not work for the decentralized community as a whole in order to defend attacks from bad actors or even store chat history in a reliable way. … The Blockstack Signature Fund will award $25,000 to the team with the best messaging app using Blockstack Auth and here.
    • Blockstack minimum application (dApp) requirements:
      • Must use Blockstack for identity and authentication
      • Must fork either Rocket.Chat, Mattermost, or Riot/Matrix
      • Must be available on both desktop and mobile
      • Must be able to handle communities of 10,000+ users
      • Must not reuse a submission for the Encrypted & Decentralized P2P Messaging Bounty
        • Date and Time 9:00am EST December 20th, 2017: – 11:59pm EST February 16th, 2018
          • Bounty is closed and all projects must be submitted via SUBMISSION FORM
            
            – February 21st, 2018: Winning project is announced.

Register for the bounty at Blockstack

• Build a P2P Encrypted Messaging App
  • Blockstack writes – “Encrypted messaging apps have gained significant use and traction in recent years, with popular offerings including Signal and WhatsApp. With Blockstack, users own their own identity and data, including any and all encrypted communication…. The Blockstack Signature Fund will award $25,000 to the team that creates the best P2P encrypted messaging app.
    
    • Blockstack’s minimum application (dApp) requirements:
      • Must use Blockstack for identity, storage, and encryption
      • Must not use a central server or database
      • May be a fork of a pre-existing P2P messaging app
      • Must not reuse a submission for the Team Messaging Bounty
      • The use of STUN/TURN servers is fine, however signaling servers should not be used, as signaling should be done over Gaia
        • Date and Time – Wed, Dec 20, 2017, 6:00 AM – Fri, Feb 16, 2018, 11:59 PM EST

Register for the bounty at Blockstack

Other Bounties announced so far (completed):

September 2017 –

• Encrypted Token Portfolio app as follows (September 2017):
  • private, encrypted Token Portfolio Management app that allows you the user to
    • (1) sign in with an identity you own, and
    • (2) gives you the privacy to input and view your cryptocurrency/token balances on your own encrypted cloud storage provider.

The the Community responded in force – app submissions here. And a screenshot of the latest blockstack browser homepage with all of functioning coin-portfolio applications:

Blockstack Signature bounties are open and waiting for the Community. Go to this link for more details from Blockstack re: $50,000 Signature Bounty.

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar). Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM. A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

The post Blockstack: $50,000 Bounty for Messaging Applications… appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.