Dev Release-187

This development release focuses on key improvements across the BlockDAG ecosystem, including blockchain updates, explorer enhancements, miner application fixes, and IDE redesign. Our team has made significant strides in performance optimization, usability, and new feature implementation.

• Migration from web3.js to Ether3.js in the explorer services for better performance and reliability.
• Mobile responsiveness improvements for the explorer.
• Enhancements to the miner application addressing startup lag issues.
• Redesigning the IDE for a more intuitive development experience with better security features.
• WebAssembly (WASM) integration through the Cosmos SDK to enhance smart contract execution.
• Beta release of documentation and IDE user guide.

These updates aim to improve the overall experience for developers and users alike. With enhanced performance, better UI/UX design, and the introduction of WASM for smart contract execution, we are taking significant steps towards a more scalable and user-friendly blockchain ecosystem.

• Integration of local PR completed, with pending state-related issue fixes in progress.
• Ongoing work to resolve library compatibility issues related to WASM and Cosmos SDK integration.
• WebAssembly (WASM) integration underway, allowing for efficient smart contract execution using COSM-WASM. This includes embedding a WASM runtime into the Cosmos SDK’s custom modules to support the execution lifecycle of WASM modules, including compilation, instantiation, and interaction with the blockchain state.
• Investigating and resolving dependency conflicts in WASM libraries to ensure smooth integration.
• Implementation of enhanced state management to handle concurrent transactions efficiently, reducing bottlenecks and improving the overall transaction throughput.
• Developing an optimized consensus mechanism to improve block finality and network stability, ensuring faster and more secure transactions.
• Enhancing smart contract security audits by integrating automated vulnerability detection tools to mitigate risks before deployment.
• Continued research and development in blockchain scalability solutions, such as sharding and rollups, to facilitate higher transaction throughput without compromising security.

• Migrated from web3.js to Ether3.js across backend and frontend services for better efficiency and reduced latency.
• Improved mobile responsiveness to ensure seamless usage across devices.
• Enhancements in Figma designs for a more refined user experience.
• Optimised backend sync service to reduce load time and improve block data retrieval.

• Resolved issues where users faced difficulties in starting the mining process due to a sudden increase in user base, which caused lag in session initiation.
• Implemented optimised session initialisation to handle high user influx without affecting performance.
• New feature designs ready in Figma for future improvements.
• Enhancements in backend architecture to improve data synchronization with the blockchain network.

Redesigning the IDE for a more developer-friendly experience, incorporating features like:

• Automated Contract Deployment: Provides a streamlined approach to deploying smart contracts directly from the IDE.
• Security Enhancements: Includes built-in security analysis tools that identify vulnerabilities in smart contracts before deployment.
• Interactive UI: Features a simplified contract-building interface with drag-and-drop capabilities.
• Live Testing Environment: Allows developers to test and simulate contract executions without deploying on the main network.
• Modular Plugin Support: Enables developers to extend functionalities by integrating third-party tools and libraries.

• Optimized miner application to handle increased user load efficiently.
• Improved explorer UI/UX for better responsiveness and usability.
• Addressed initial blockchain PR integration issues.
• Enhanced IDE with better debugging tools for contract execution.

• Library compatibility issues in WASM integration with Cosmos SDK.
• Further improvements needed in explorer design implementation.
• Ongoing refinements in IDE redesign to ensure full functionality and usability.

• Continue resolving WASM and Cosmos SDK library conflicts.
• Implement new features in the miner application based on Figma designs.
• Finalize IDE redesign and roll out enhancements.
• Further optimize explorer responsiveness and user experience.
• Conduct extensive testing for WASM execution and smart contract lifecycle management.
• Implement advanced transaction batching techniques to improve network efficiency.
• Develop additional security modules to ensure integrity in blockchain operations.

We value your input! If you encounter issues or have suggestions, reach out to us at [email protected].

This release marks another step towards a more robust and developer-friendly ecosystem. With major improvements across the blockchain infrastructure, explorer, miner application, and IDE, BlockDAG continues to evolve to meet the growing demands of the Web3 community. Our integration of WASM enables more powerful and efficient smart contract execution, while IDE enhancements ensure a seamless development experience. As we resolve outstanding challenges and work towards greater scalability and security, we remain committed to delivering cutting-edge blockchain solutions. We appreciate your continued support and look forward to bringing more innovations in the upcoming releases. 

Stay tuned for more updates!