We explained the use case in more detail so that even non-technical people can understand the value-add and dApp developers get a better idea on how they can leverage the work used here. [-> Project Information, rewritten from scratch, highlighting the problem statement and how our solution fits in]

We expanded the technical architecture as requested to better highlight the wiring between a dApp [-> Technical Architecture Doc].

The scope and budget has been adjusted for the new Activation award.

Abstract

Eventure aims to address a common challenge faced by our team and the broader blockchain development community: the recurring task of setting up backend infrastructure for user-facing clients and middleware in blockchain applications.

The proposal is to extend the standard development stack beyond the Stellar ecosystem for every initiated project: making the historical, current, and progressing blockchain states accessible for decentralized applications (dApps) and other user-centric applications.

Problem Statement

Blockchain Architectures like Soroban do work with a Key-Value-Store database architecture: When a developer initialises a new Soroban smart contract, they ignite storage capabilities within the scope of the contract. E.g. the balance of a token typically (and within the Soroban Standard Interface) is stored by using the address of a user as the key and the balance as the value. A transfer of tokens then typically happens by subtracting the transfer value from the sender's balance and adding it to the receiver's balance. The transactionality of this process is guaranteed by the smart contract itself, as both balances are only updated if the method of the smart contract doesn't revert.

This no-sql way of doing storage has huge advantages for the scalability. Since all Key-Value pairs are independent and not relational, the database does not lock; sharding and parallelism - some of sorobans key features -  are enabled.

The downside of this process though, is that data aggregations, accumulations and the likes are not possible by default. E.g. the total-supply of a token can't be calculated from the data stored in the system or the addresses holding the token. Even with discovery functions that can be added to the smart contract, are cumbersome and have at least O(n)  complexity, making it unusable for live data retrieval.

Eventure: Our Solution

Soroban smart contracts, though emit Events that give insights over the transactional status over time, which can be used to generate a relational-database schema on top of the key-value store. The key takeaway here is that the key-value store serves as the single-source-of-truth of data (that's why we put things on chain) and the relational database schema on top serves as an access layer for developers.

We’ve been there. In our previous work on soroban we’ve created middleware backend services to populate an API for our dApps. This is a tedious process and it is repetitive: Everyone building on soroban has to do this!

In order to build feature rich dApps like https://www.multiclique.org/ or https://elio-dao.org/ we created such an infrastructure from scratch (https://github.com/deep-ink-ventures/elio-dao-service) and it line of codes by far exceeds the complexity of the smart contracts.

Eventure automates API creation, reducing manual efforts significantly and serves as a base layer for builders to extend.

In both commercial/closed source ventures and open-source contributions to the Stellar ecosystem, we are initiating an in-house stack that we’ve extended or modified to address specific issues. The ecosystem observes multiple individuals performing similar tasks repetitively:

• Monitoring soroban for event emissions
• Translating events into a searchable structure
• Enabling querying deep into the blockchain’s history
• Generating logic to recover from missed blocks, system downtimes, etc., to maintain a comprehensive API server.

Therefore we propose a fully open-source architecture that can operate as a standalone infrastructure for everyone building on soroban.

It gives developers an extendable architecture that starts to listen to their events and having a good-to-go API and Websocket service that they can wire to their dApp. We plan to support the Soroban Token Interface from the gates and to expand with arising standards and protocols on subsequent awards. The details are layed out in the Technical Architecture Doc.

[Deliverable 1]
API Automation Module Development

• Brief description: Development of a module to automate API creation, reducing manual setup efforts significantly for Soroban smart contracts.
• How to measure completion: Successful development, testing, and deployment of the API automation module integrated with Soroban’s event system.
• Estimated date of completion: 1 month post-award.
• Budget: $15,000

[Deliverable 2]
Database Architecture and Integration

• Brief description: Establishing a robust database architecture and integrating it with the API automation module to enable structured data storage and retrieval.
• How to measure completion: Successful integration with the API automation module and passing all predefined test cases.
• Estimated date of completion: 1.5 months post-award.
• Budget: $12,500

[Deliverable 3]
Websockets Interface Development

• Brief description: Development of a Websockets interface to provide real-time updates to dApps.
• How to measure completion: Successful deployment of the Websockets interface and passing all predefined test cases.
• Estimated date of completion: 1.5 months post-award.
• Budget: $10,000

[Deliverable 4]
Elasticsearch Integration

• Brief description: Integration of Elasticsearch to enable fast and efficient querying of blockchain data.
• How to measure completion: Successful integration of Elasticsearch and passing all predefined test cases.
• Estimated date of completion: 1.5 months post-award.
• Budget: $7,500

[Deliverable 5]
Soroban Interface Integration and Token Core Models

• Brief description: Integration of the Soroban interface and development of core token models to enable easy tracking and management of tokens within dApps.
• How to measure completion: Successful integration of the Soroban interface, development of core token models, and passing all predefined test cases.
• Estimated date of completion: 1.5 months post-award.
• Budget: $5,000

The total budget amounts to $50,000, complying with the budget constraints of the Activation Award for a 1-1.5 month project duration. Each deliverable is essential for achieving the goal of streamlining backend infrastructure setup for developers working with Soroban smart contracts on the Stellar blockchain.

The overarching goal of the Eventure project is to create a robust and user-friendly middleware solution that significantly streamlines the process of setting up backend infrastructure for developers within the Soroban ecosystem. To achieve this objective, a comprehensive roadmap has been laid out to ensure systematic development, testing, and deployment of crucial features that form the core of Eventure.

Phase 1: Activation Award Stage (Budget: $50,000)

• Duration: 1-1.5 months post-award.
• Deliverables: As detailed in the previous section, this phase will focus on the development and integration of core components including API automation module, Database Architecture, Websockets Interface, Elasticsearch Integration, and Soroban Interface Integration with Token Core Models.
• Outcomes: Establish a solid foundation for Eventure, making it operational with basic but crucial functionalities.

Phase 2: Additional Feature Development (Estimated Budget: $50,000 - $70,000)

• Duration: 2-3 months post-Phase 1.
• Funding: Aiming to secure an additional grant or funding from external sources.
• Deliverables:
  • Sign-in Service Integration (Login with Freighter).
  • File Upload to IPFS functionality.
  • Extensive support for evolving standards within the Soroban and Stellar ecosystem.
  • Multiclique Support.
• Outcomes: Enhancement of Eventure’s functionality making it a comprehensive middleware solution.

Phase 3: Community Building and Open Source Contribution (Ongoing, no specific budget)

• Duration: Ongoing post-Phase 2.
• Funding: Relying on community contributions, potential sponsorships, and in-house resources.
• Activities:
  • Actively engaging with the Soroban developer community to encourage contributions towards the project.
  • Organizing hackathons, webinars, and tutorial sessions to educate developers on utilizing Eventure for their projects.
  • Regular updates and feature additions based on community feedback and evolving ecosystem needs.
• Outcomes: Establishing a vibrant open-source community around Eventure, ensuring its continuous improvement and adaptation to the needs of the Soroban ecosystem.

Future Funding and Sustainability:

While SCF Awards provide a kickstart, the sustainability of Eventure as an open-source project largely hinges on active community participation and potential external funding. The project aims to attract developers and contributors from the Soroban ecosystem, and additional grants will be explored for further development. Additionally, forming partnerships with other projects in the ecosystem, and seeking sponsorships or donations could also be viable avenues for funding.

At Deep Ink Ventures, we are driven by a profound commitment to fostering trust in the digital world. As an incubator and agency, we immerse ourselves deeply in start-ups, helping them shape their vision and build their products from the ground up. Just as ink permeates the pages of a book, we write ourselves deeply into the DNA of the start-ups we work with, leaving a lasting impact.
 

We understand the challenges and complexities that arise in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. The proliferation of fabricated content and the erosion of trust pose significant obstacles for businesses and consumers alike. That's why we have made it our mission to empower start-ups to navigate this landscape with confidence, integrity, and authenticity.

Our team of dedicated professionals combines expertise in technology, business strategy, and design to guide start-ups through every step of their journey. We don't just provide solutions; we become trusted partners, working hand in hand to develop and execute innovative strategies that stand the test of time.

The team possesses rich experience not only within the Stellar ecosystem but also in cross-chain development of user-centric dApps and applications. We excel in crafting intuitive and user-friendly experiences as opposed to cumbersome ones. Moreover, we have substantial expertise in creating middleware abstraction layers to account for the inherently non-relational structure of blockchain key-value stores and the dispersed nature of information across various operations and contracts.