DIS Weekly #1
DIS Weekly covers developments in the decentralized infrastructure solutions space.
If you’d like to submit your project updates for the next round of DIS Weekly / DIS Moment, email us at dis@pokt.network or DM us at @DISweekly.
//NODE INFRASTRUCTURE//
DAppNode | @DAppNode
In early May, DAppNode announced the release of v0.2.0. These changes make DAppNode lighter, more stable, and even easier to use. Two of the major improvements include changing their base OS to Debian and migrating to OpenVPN as the de facto method to connect to the node. Also, the Admin UI received a brand new makeover. Furthermore, they’ve added a file manager and revamped their bind package. It’s now even easier to become a Nodler. DAppNode is now selling pre-installed hardware “Plug n’ Play Nodes” that work right out of the box.
With gas prices getting out of hand, Nodlers can run Raiden, an Ethereum layer 2 solutions, on their DAppNodes.
Samourai DOJO | @SamouraiWallet
In the beginning of June, Samourai announced the release and open sourcing of Samourai DOJO. Beforehand, you needed to trust Samourai servers with knowledge of your bitcoin public keys. However, now you can run and host your own DOJO server, making this the most private way to use your Samourai Wallet.
Samourai and Nodl.it have formed an exclusive partnership to ship DOJO preinstalled on high quality “Plug n’ Play” hardware nodes. It’s coming soon!
Casa Node | @CasaHODL
With Casa Node’s most recent update, you’ll have four choices for speed when sending BTC transactions or opening custom channels: fastest, normal, slow, and cheapest. CASA also improved seed phrase recovery and fixed a bug with TOR.
OurNo.de | @OurNode
Recently announced, OurNo.de is a community DAO on Edgeware that focuses on pooling resources and providing Web3 infrastructure for developers. There are two ways to get tokens: 1) donate server resources to the DAO 2) donate EDG or DOT tokens to the DAO. In order to access the server resources, a developer would have to burn tokens equal to the cost sustained by the server maintainer. Like the Moloch DAO, one can rage quit at anytime, but money can not be withdrawn or paid out to anyone else.
Nodesmith | @nodesmith
Nodesmith partners with POA network. This partnership results in enhancing infrastructure support for POA networks and providing additional decentralization of POA’s endpoints. Developers can now get connected to the POA (Core & Sokol testnet) and xDAI networks in under a minute.
With Nodesmith’s quickstart experience, developers will be able to choose their favorite language and test out calls to public blockchain networks in their browser.
BLOCKDAEMON | @_blockdaemon
Blockdaemon offers a diverse set of protocols to connect to in their Node Marketplace. They’ve recently added Hyperledger Fabric, Lightning Network, Algorand, and Harmony Protocol (from day one). Blockdaemon partners with multiple cloud providers to maintain decentralization and to guarantee constant uptime for your nodes.
Infura | @infura_io
At the end of June, Infura provided a quick update on their development progress. This includes Websocket API updates to the logs subscription type, open source project go-ethlibs being released, and improvements to Infura’s IPFS endpoint. When using the Websocket logs subscription, developers can expect 100% consistent data responses, no timeout issues, and full support for reorged blocks. Additionally, Infura raised the limit on eth_getlogs results to 10,000 logs and events per request.
Infura has welcomed Cloudflare in joining them as an Ethereum gateway provider. They look forward to collaborating with their team to build a better distributed web.
Check out Circle Research’s “Degrees of architectural (de)centralization: To Infura and beyond” for deep dive into Ethereum’s emerging node infrastructure-as-a-service landscape.
Pocket Network | @POKTnetwork
Last week, Pocket released the Pocket Core DAppNode Package (DNP). It allows any DAppNode instance to run a Pocket Core node. That means Nodlers can now become Service Nodes in the Pocket Network and relay transactions from DApps. With the Pocket Core MVP 1.7 update, developers can expect modifications to the chains.json file and the addition of a changelog. Find out other updates and what else Pocket has been up to the last month in their monthly newsletter.
Check out these first two pieces of DIS content. We interviewed Brendan Lee of Nodesmith about a place for cloud agnostic solutions and Dmitry Shklovsky of QuikNode on future proofing node infrastructure.
Parity Technologies | @ParityTech
Parity Technologies released the new Substrate Developer Hub, so developers can learn how to build blockchains using a next-gen blockchain framework.
Pierre Krieger, the peer to peer guy at Parity Tech, shows off his proof of concept of a Substrate full node compiled to WASM and running inside of a browser. Although the node is running extremely slow, it opens up countless possibilities, like running a light client in the browser.
Lightning Network | @lightning
Lightning Labs recently announced the release of lnd v0.7-beta. This release includes many improvements, such as support for Watchtowers, as well as, more accurate payment tracking, on-chain fee control, and efficient routing. LND v0.7-beta release also includes advancements in performance, RPC calls and other developer improvements, and bug fixes. Their Lightning App, available on Bitcoin mainnet in Alpha for iOS and Android, was released late last month.
Chainlink | @chainlink
Chainlink has seen explosive growth, and not just in token price. Although, Coinbase did list them on their exchange. Most recently, companies like Google Cloud Platform, Credits, Matic and DAPPS Inc to name a few have integrated Chainlink. They’ve have also onboarded Chainlink node operators such as ChainLayer and Kaikodata.
Check this post, where Chainlink provides details about their release on Ethereum mainnet.
//WALLETS//
Portis | @portis_io
Portis has freshly joined 21 other members in the Foundation for Interwallet Operability (FIO) consortium. The wallet now supports EOS and Loom, too. Among many others, Web3Connect recently added support for Portis, so developers can easily integrate Portis into their DApp.
Rainbow Wallet | @rainbowdotme
The team launched a new interactive website (who DIS?) to showcase Rainbow Wallet (and their creativity). Rainbow Wallet beta is currently available for iOS testflight. Click this link to check it out. Rainbow natively integrates the best dapps into their discover page. The wallet was designed around WalletConnect, which allows them to turn any browser a user is already using into a DApp browser.
MetaMask | @metamask_io
The MetaMask team is launching the public beta of their mobile wallet to Android and iOS on July 22nd. You can sign up here to be notified when it’s ready. With the MetaMask Mobile wallet, you’ll be able to 1) use DApps on any browser (because of WalletConnect) 2) enjoy end-to-end encryption 3) sign transactions and messages on your phone 4) receive notifications on your phone. If you haven’t noticed yet, MetaMask (web) has a new privacy mode UI. It’s enabled by default, alerting users when websites ask to see their Ethereum accounts.
Hello Dapper | @hellodapper
From the team that brought your Crypto Kitties and Cheeze Wizards, say hello to Dapper. Dapper differentiates itself from other wallets available on the market. It’s powered by a smart contract, which enables security features like account recoverability and fraud protection, as well as, smart fee management and multi-device support. This is possible because Dapper’s smart contract essentially allows it to act as a co-signer on your transactions. Users will also be able to enjoy free gas (and exclusive drops) and use a credit card to buy either cryptocurrency or collectibles.
Hedgehog | @AudiusProject
Audius announced Hedgehog, an open source client-side Ethereum wallet that only requires users to make a username and password. No more mnemonic passphrases, pop-ups, nor private keys. It’s touted as another alternative to MetaMask, but with a sign-up flow that end users are already comfortable with, and while all that crypto stuff happening in the background. Since the code is freely available on GitHub, a developer can easily fork and tweak it, then integrate into their DApp or game.
//MESH NETWORKS//
Athlea | @AltheaNetwork
Althea Org has released parallel connections into the wild. It not only increases their bandwidth speed and reliability, but also that of their peers. So, now every person in this connection chain can have any one link fail while still remaining online. They’ve also launched a new Altheahood recently in the Napa valley region of California. In other regions, Althea organizers have been working diligently to develop local partnerships and gain traction in their communities. For more updates, check out their June Community Update. If you are curious about the economics of these networks, read this blog post.
Helium | @helium
Helium’s LongFi wireless network (dubbed the People’s Network) launched a few weeks ago. It’s an IoT alternative to cellular, with 200x the range of WiFi at 1/1000th of the cost of a cellular modem. In order to make this viable, Helium will need its People’s Network to cover a city with p2p mesh of their hotspot devices. Roughly 150 to 200 are needed to blanket a city with connectivity. They are rewarding the creators of the network with Helium tokens, to incentivize them to build out a global wireless network for the Internet of Things. Helium has announced partnerships with Lime, Nestle’s beverage delivery service ReadyRefresh, InvisiLeash, and Agulus.
//PODCASTS//
Zero Knowledge | @zeroknowledgefm
From Warp Synch to SPREE with Polkadot’s Rob Habermeier
Epicenter | @epicenterbtc
Rob Dawson: PegaSys - Enterprise-Grade Ethereum Protocol Engineering
BlockChannel | @BlockChannel
Playing the Name Game, with Urkel.io
Into the Ether | @ethhub_io
Grid+: Lattice1 Hardware Wallet and Announcing Phonon Network
POV Crypto Podcast | @POVCryptoPod
Conterfactual’s Playground & Generalized State Channels with Nima Vaziri
Hashing It Out | @HashingItOutPod
Decrypt Asia | @DecryptAsia
Sharding with Nick White (Co-founder Harmony Protocol)
What Grinds My Gears | @WGMGpodcast
The Token Daily | @tokendaily
Jing Wang, Executive Director of Plasma Group: Plasma & the Future of Ethereum 2.0
Blockcrunch | @theBlockcrunch
Blocknet vs Polkadot: How Its Cross Chain Dex Works - Arlyn Culwick
Base Layer | @DavidJN79
Wizard of Dapps | @wizardofdapps
Burner Wallet with Austin Griffith
//DIS MOMENT//
No. 1 https://twitter.com/i/moments/1135585470832893953
No. 2 https://twitter.com/i/moments/1146098208466178048
For more moments and tweets, follow DIS Weekly on Twitter at @DISWeekly.
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