Dev Release-155

Hello, BlockDAG community!

It’s been an exciting season here at BlockDAG, and we’re thrilled to share some fantastic updates across multiple areas, including a major UI enhancement, backend optimizations, and advanced testing practices. Each of these upgrades is focused on making BlockDAG more robust, dynamic, and user-friendly. Let’s explore these developments in detail and what they mean for our community as we continue to build a next-generation platform for decentralized applications.

Quality assurance is at the core of delivering a reliable and secure platform, and automation plays a crucial role in making this process efficient and consistent. We’re excited to announce the initiation of automation testing on our EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) module, which is one of the foundational components of BlockDAG. This testing spans essential elements such as blocks, detailed blocks, transactions, and the faucet feature within the Explorer, ensuring each component performs precisely as intended.

Details of EVM Automation Testing:

• Blocks & Detailed Blocks: Through automation, we’re validating the accuracy of each block on the chain, ensuring that users can rely on the block data to be correct and up-to-date. Each block’s data is meticulously examined for consistency, helping us detect and resolve issues early on, maintaining a smooth user experience.
• Transactions & Detailed Transactions: Since transactions are central to any blockchain, our automation testing confirms that each transaction is accurately recorded and displayed. This ensures that users can trust the Explorer to reflect the real-time state of the network with accurate data for all transactions.
• Faucet Functionality: Automation testing on the faucet simulates various scenarios to ensure it works flawlessly. We validate the transaction process, handle requests efficiently, and confirm response times, guaranteeing that the faucet operates smoothly even under high demand.
   

Automating these essential components allows us to proactively identify and resolve issues before they impact the user. Additionally, automation accelerates the testing process, enabling us to roll out updates quickly and reliably. Every automated test is carefully documented, analyzed, and integrated into our continuous improvement cycle, providing a stable and resilient platform as we introduce new features and enhancements.

Creating an engaging visual experience is crucial for our Explorer, especially on the Node Visualizer screen, which serves as a powerful tool for visualizing the BlockDAG network. During R&D, we identified a new and improved globe library that significantly outperforms our previous version in terms of visual sophistication and interactive features. This library will enhance the globe feature, providing an immersive experience for our users.

What to Expect with This New Globe Library:

• Sharper Visuals: With higher-resolution visuals, each node and connection point is displayed with greater detail, making it easy to understand complex network topologies at a glance. Users will enjoy an immersive 3D experience, zooming into nodes and exploring connections within the ecosystem.
• Enhanced Interactivity: This library introduces smooth animations and fluid transitions, making node exploration feel natural. Users will be able to zoom, rotate, and interact with the globe seamlessly, experiencing the network as a digital galaxy of interconnected nodes.
• Responsive Design Improvements: The new library adapts to different screen sizes, from desktops to mobile devices, ensuring users can interact with the Node Visualizer smoothly on any device.
   

Our development team is fully committed to integrating this new library, replacing the current globe feature with a version that brings high performance and a visually stunning experience. This integration prioritizes speed, ensuring quick load times and smooth interactions without compromising visualization quality. Once this visual transformation is complete, we’re eager to bring this to you and gather your feedback.

In our ongoing effort to streamline backend performance, we’ve optimized the API for the Faucet screen. The faucet is an essential tool for community members exploring or testing the ecosystem, and this optimization ensures that it performs better than ever, especially during peak usage.

Benefits of the API Optimization:

• Reduced Load Times: The optimized API speeds up the loading process, making it easier and faster for users to access test tokens.
• Improved Server Efficiency: By refining how the API manages requests, we’ve significantly reduced server load, ensuring that the faucet remains fully operational even during high traffic periods.
• Better Data Handling: Enhanced data retrieval capabilities make the faucet more responsive, providing a seamless experience every time.
   

Our QA team is currently testing the optimized faucet API, simulating various scenarios to ensure it remains stable and consistent. Once the testing is complete and passes our quality checks, the optimized faucet will be rolled out, allowing users to enjoy an even faster experience as they engage with the BlockDAG platform.

With these advancements, BlockDAG is becoming stronger, faster, and more user-centric. 
Here’s what you can look forward to in the coming weeks:

• Enhanced Visuals for Node Exploration: As soon as we complete integrating the new globe library, we’ll share a sneak peek so you can experience the upgraded visuals firsthand!
• A Faster, Streamlined Faucet Experience: Pending successful QA testing, the optimized faucet API will be available soon, bringing you a smoother, faster interaction with BlockDAG’s faucet feature.
• Consistent EVM Performance: As automation testing progresses, you can expect fewer bugs, increased stability, and a more robust EVM module, providing accurate and reliable data for all your Explorer activities.
   

Stay connected, share your feedback, and keep exploring! We can’t wait to bring you even more updates in the coming weeks.
Let’s keep building the future together!