James

Ethers vs VIEM | Which Web3 Frontend Library?

Ether.js took over from Web3.js as the number one library for connecting up our dApps to smart contracts running on EVM blockchains. Recently Ethers v6 was released and VIEM is disrupting the space by offering a lightweight Ethereum client library from the authors of WAGMI react hooks. I have always been a big fan of…

19/05/2023
Trading The Lifecycle Of Crypto Narratives

The blockchain sector moves fast and attention shifts rapidly as crypto narratives emerge inflating valuations for sub-sectors before moving on to the next big thing. In this article I’m going to outlay my research into the lifecycle of crypto narratives to explore how we can best position our portfolios and allocate funds in a +EV…

18/05/2023
Defending Against Sandwich Attacks and MEV | A Guide to Flashbots Protect

By using a private mempool such as Flashbots protect, Ethereum users can protect themselves against MEV (maximum extractable value) including sandwich attacks. It doesn’t cost anything to use and is easy to setup with existing digital wallets, such as Metamask. Sandwich Attack Protection MEV refers to the potential profit that miners can extract from the…

17/05/2023
How To Create A BRC20 Bitcoin Token

In this tutorial we will create our own BRC20 token on the Bitcoin network. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/6eTN2fVd4Pw |Subscribe What are BRC20 Tokens? BRC20 tokens are created using the Bitcoin Ordinals protocol. The Ordinals protocol is a set of rules that govern how inscriptions are created, transferred and managed. Bitcoin and the…

16/05/2023
Hyperledger Fabric | IBM’s Enterprise Blockchain

Hyperledger Fabric is a permissioned blockchain platform designed for developing enterprise grade distributed ledger applications. How Does Hyperledger Fabric Work? Hyperledger Fabric uses a pre-authorised network of nodes, with each node storing a copy of the blockchain ledger. It is EVM based which means you can run Solidity code there, all be it with some…

14/05/2023
Taproot Explained | Beneficial For Bitcoin?

The Taproot Bitcoin upgrade was activated on November 14th 2021. It was designed to improve privacy, efficiency and the network’s ability to process custom logic. The upgrade inadvertently made it possible to link metadata to Bitcoin transactions. By using ordinal theory it is possible to inscribe each satoshi (lowest denomination of Bitcoin) with a corresponding…

13/05/2023
How To Create Your Own Memecoin With Solidity and Uniswap

In this tutorial we will be creating a permissionless, ERC20 memecoin and deploying it with a Uniswap v3 liquidity pool so users can buy it on the decentralized exchange. This tutorial is for demonstration purposes, don’t speculate on memecoins. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/-bVzqtIa0bc |Subscribe The full source code for this is at:…

10/05/2023
What is Pepe | A Memecoin Story

The Pepe memecoin is a cryptocurrency based on the Pepe the Frog meme, which originated on the imageboard website 4chan in 2005. The meme gained mainstream popularity in 2016 when it was adopted by supporters of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. PepeToken is an ERC20 token on the Ethereum blockchain. It is widely traded across many…

09/05/2023
MEV Uncovered | The Dark Side Of DeFi

MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) is a term used to describe the maximum value that can be extracted from block production beyond the standard block reward and gas fees by including, excluding, and changing the order of transactions in a block. MEV can be thought of as the economic value that arises from the ability to…

02/05/2023
RDNT v2 Radiant Capital | DeFi Analysis Report

Earlier this year Radiant Capital launched Radiant v2, an omnichain lending protocol. This is a write up of my internal research notes, this is not a sponsored post and I have no allocation at time of writing in Radiant or RDNT. Radiant is a DeFi platform that allows users to lend and borrow digital assets…

01/05/2023
Protodanksharding & Danksharding Explained

Protodanksharding and Danksharding are two approaches to scaling the amount of data on-chain for a future version of Ethereum. The goal of both upgrades is to ensure that the data on-chain is made available to archiving parties when it was first posted. This is accomplished through a technique called Data Availability Sampling (DAS). When &…

30/04/2023
Will Quantum Computing Break Bitcoin?

Quantum computing has the potential to transform the way we solve complex problems in various fields, including cryptography. It offers a unique approach to problem solving that can break certain cryptographic algorithms and create new opportunities for cryptography. Bitcoin uses a combination of SHA256 hash functions and secp256k1 elliptic curve (ECDSA) cryptography to secure transactions.…

29/04/2023
Quadratic Voting | Make Democracy Great Again

Quadratic voting has gained popularity in recent years through adoption on applications such as Gitcoin Grants. Quadratic voting has the potential to fundamentally improve how public decisions are made. This essay will explain what quadratic voting is, how it works and what problems it solves. How Quadratic Voting Works The process of quadratic voting involves…

28/04/2023
Technical Analysis For Crypto Degenerates

For cynics technical analysis is seen as astrology for middle aged white guys for others it is the holy grail, which when mastered, inevitably leads to trading success. The truth is somewhere in the middle, it is undeniable that price action reacts more at some levels than others. It’s important for anyone involved in investing…

27/04/2023
Asymmetric Cryptography Explained

Asymmetric cryptography uses different keys for encrypting and decrypting data. The key used for encryption is called the public key, and the key used for decryption is called the private key. Asymmetric cryptography schemes are used for secure communication over insecure channels, such as the internet. It is used in blockchain networks for users to…

26/04/2023
What is DVT? | Distributed Validator Technology

Distributed Validator Technology (DVT) enables a group of network validators, in a proof of stake system such as Ethereum, to act as a single validator. This can create a form of decentralized staking solution for the network which is more censorship resilient and secure. What Is DVT? The role of providing a consensus mechanism has…

24/04/2023
AutoGPT Tutorial | Automated Agents In Practice

AutoGPT is an open source app that uses ChatGPT and several other plugin based modules to carry out every step needed to achieve a goal. AutoGPT is capable of interacting with 3rd party software and services both external such as the web and APIs and internal like spreadsheet apps. AutoGPT vs ChatGPT AutoGPT is a…

24/04/2023
Advice For Hackathons | 9 Tips For Competing In Hackathons

Hackathons are a great way to socialise with other developers and build projects over a short period of time for fun and profit. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/mnBofeo1Ib0 |Subscribe Work on something you are passionate about This starts with choosing a hackathon that is based on tech that you are interested in. I’m…

23/04/2023
Frax Finance | DeFi Analysis Report

Frax is a growing ecosystem of DeFi products built on Ethereum. This is a write up of my internal research notes, this is not a sponsored post and I have no stake currently in Frax or FXS. What Is Frax? Founded in 2019 by Jason Huan, Sam Kazemian & Travis Moore. Frax has a legal…

22/04/2023
Monolithic vs Polylithic Blockchains

Bitcoin is a monolithic blockchain, consensus is achieved on a single chain where all state data is stored. The Cosmos ecosystem is an example of a polylithic chain where there are multiple sub-chains running under a single consensus client. Monolithic Blockchains Monolithic blockchains are single-chain protocols where all functionalities including programmability through smart contracts, consensus…

21/04/2023
Web3 Investment Thesis

This Web3 investment thesis covers the potential disruption from decentralized permissionless computing. As blockchains scale it’s going to be possible to use smart contracts to enable users to store their own data creating the opportunity for a new era of decentralized applications. Web3 Disrupting Data Web3 disrupts the way we store data online by using…

21/04/2023
Private Funding vs Public Funding Rounds | How To Raise Capital In Crypto

Since the 2018 ICO bust, venture capital funding has become the primary avenue for blockchain startups to raise money. This comes with pros & cons which we will explore in this article alongside how raising capital works in the blockchain sector. How Private Funding Rounds Work During a private funding round the founders of a…

19/04/2023
Blockchain Jobs | A Definitive List Of Roles & Salaries In Crypto

With the growing popularity of digital assets and decentralized finance, blockchain jobs are becoming increasingly lucrative and desirable. If you’re looking for a career with the potential for innovation, challenge, and outstanding opportunity, this list will guide you though the different jobs in the blockchain sector and what to expect. Executive Blockchain Jobs The founders…

17/04/2023
DeFi Futures – GMX vs DyDx

Trading DeFi Futures products on decentralized exchanges such as GMX and DyDx has never been easier. The user experience is getting close to on par with centralized exchanges. Liquidity however, not so much… In this article we will look at how DeFi futures work, the market opportunity for decentralized futures exchanges and the two most…

16/04/2023
Account Abstraction – ERC4337

ERC4337 is an Ethereum standard that achieves account abstraction on the protocol without any consensus-layer changes. Deployed on the Ethereum mainnet in March 2023, ERC4337 makes it possible to transact and create contracts in a single contract account. Account abstraction opens the door to user-friendly crypto wallet designs that could potentially facilitate broader adoption. How…

15/04/2023
CAP Theorem & The Blockchain Trilemma

CAP Theorem states that a distributed system can deliver only two of three desired characteristics: Consistency, Availability, and Partition tolerance. In this article I’ll explore what CAP theorem is and how it relates to blockchain technology. What is CAP Theorem CAP theorem, was introduced by Eric Brewer in 1998 and proven as a theorem in…

14/04/2023
Bitcoin Ordinals

Bitcoin ordinals are a means of creating NFTs by attaching data such as images, videos, and more to an individual satoshi on the base Bitcoin blockchain. They use an arbitrary but logical ordering system called ordinal theory to give each individual Bitcoin satoshi a unique non-fungible reference. What Are Bitcoin Ordinals? Bitcoin ordinals, also known…

13/04/2023
Solidity vs Vyper

Solidity and Vyper are the two most popular programming languages for blockchain developers on Ethereum. Both of these languages have their own strengths and weaknesses which we will go through to help developers decide which is best suited for their project. Solidity Solidity is the most widely used programming language for developing smart contracts on…

12/04/2023
Autonomous AI Agents

Autonomous AI agents are often considered the most dangerous form of AI, as they have the capacity to evolve to meet their developers goals. In this article we will explore how autonomous AI agents work, the potential for this technology and question some implications in it’s inevitable roll out. How Autonomous AI Agents Work Autonomous…

12/04/2023
Sign In With Ethereum Tutorial

To sign in with Ethereum using Metamask we will be using the ERC4361 specification that allows Ethereum accounts to authenticate with off-chain services using a standard message format. This technology offer users a self-custodial alternative to centralized identity providers that generally use email:password credentials. In Web3 applications we can improve user experiences and establish a…

11/04/2023
EigenLayer | DeFi Analysis Report

EigenLayer is a protocol which allows Ethereum stakers to restake their ETH. This is a write up of my internal research notes, this is not a sponsored post and I have no stake currently in EigenLayer. EigenLayer is being developed by EigenLabs which is headed by CEO Sreeram Kannan. Sreeram has an academic background and…

10/04/2023
Solidity Callback | Solidity Tips & Examples

A callback function in Solidity allows us to pass a function reference from one contract to another and have it execute as part of an atomic transaction. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/pjm0eOelPXc |Subscribe Let’s first take a look at an example from the Solidity Snippets Github repo. Full code at: https://github.com/jamesbachini/Solidity-Snippets/blob/main/contracts/Callback.sol This code…

10/04/2023
Strings in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

A string in Solidity is a data type used to store text. Working with strings in Solidity can be challenging due to the limitations and efficiency required by the Ethereum virtual machine. This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide on how to use strings in Solidity, covering their properties, limitations, and best practices for…

09/04/2023
Renegade Dark Pool DEX

Renegade is a new type of decentralized exchange that utilizes a dark pool to provide MEV resistant private transactions. This is a write up of my personal research, is not a sponsored post and I currently hold no stake in Renegade. What Is Renegade? The Renegade whitepaper was authored by Christopher Bender and Joseph Kraut.…

09/04/2023
Timestamp in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

A timestamp is a numerical value that represents a specific moment in time. It’s often used to track when a certain event occurred or when a piece of data was created or modified. The most common way to represent a timestamp is by using the number of seconds that have elapsed since a specific moment…

08/04/2023
encodeCall in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

From Solidity version 0.8.11 we can use an interface to define a function to pass to encodeCall parameters. encodeCall is a function that allows you to encode a function call with its parameters into a single byte array. This byte array can then be used to make a low-level call to another contract’s function. Here…

07/04/2023
GammaSwap Pepetual Futures | DeFi Analysis Report

GammaSwap is a decentralized exchange that allows perpetual leverage trading on any token without liquidation risk from price movement, while also offering additional yield to liquidity providers through borrow fees. In this article I will write up my internal research notes, this is not a sponsored post and I currently have no stake in GammaSwap.…

07/04/2023
Custom Error Handling in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

Custom error handling enables Solidity developers to efficiently handle reverts and failed transactions including logging parameters. Let’s first take a look at an example from the Solidity Snippets Github repo: Note that the Solidity compiler version must be greater than 0.8.4 to use custom errors. Customer errors are supported by Etherscan and most other block…

06/04/2023
Timeswap v2 AMM Money Market | DeFi Analysis Report

Ricsson Ngo took inspiration from Uniswap and set out to build a permissionless money market. The idea evolved into Timeswap which recently launched on Arbitrum. In this article I’ll write up my own notes and internal research on the protocol. Note this is not a sponsored post and I don’t currently hold any stake in…

05/04/2023
Solidity Libraries | Solidity Tips & Examples

A solidity library is a reusable contract that contains functions that can be called by other contracts. When you import a Solidity library into your contract, you can use the functions provided by the library. How To Import Solidity Libraries In your smart contract, you can import the library by using the import keyword followed…

05/04/2023
Random Numbers in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

Generating a random number in Solidity is not as straightforward as in some other programming languages, because the Ethereum blockchain is deterministic, meaning that multiple execution clients or nodes must come to the same conclusion about the state of the blockchain. For many use cases using the new prevrandao global variable provides “good enough” randomness…

04/04/2023
Conditional Statements & Loops in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

Conditional statements & loops in Solidity are fairly intuitive and follow the conventions of other languages such as Javascript. In this article we will go through some examples of each before looking at the relational operators we can use within these statements. if statement The “if” statement is used to execute a block of code…

03/04/2023
Natspec in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

Natspec comments are important for Solidity developers to understand because sooner or later you will come across a code base that requires you work with them. Proponents will say Natspec makes the code more readable and understandable. While I personally disagree with this and prefer to separate code and documentation, the format is popular and…

02/04/2023
How The Twitter Algorithm Works

On the 31st March 2023 Twitter open-sourced large sections of it’s algorithm which ranks content. This provided refreshing insights into how large scale social media applications rank content. In this article I’m going to look at how the algorithm works and how content creators can use this new information to gain more reach and influence.…

02/04/2023
ERC1155 Token Contract | Solidity Tips & Examples

ERC1155 offers a more flexible and efficient way of managing fungible and non-fungible tokens, making it an attractive option for developers who want to create complex digital assets with multiple use cases. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the details of ERC1155 and explore why it’s becoming a preferred choice for Solidity developers looking…

01/04/2023
ERC721 Token Contract | Solidity Tips & Examples

The ERC721 Token contract is the original industry standard for NFTs (Non-fungible tokens). In this article we will look at a simple example and talk about some of the best practices around building ERC721 Tokens. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/B64VBGt3tMU |Subscribe Why Use ERC721 Token ERC721 is a standard interface for NFTs on…

31/03/2023
ERC20 Token Contract | Solidity Tips & Examples

ERC20 tokens have become the de facto standard for creating tokens on Ethereum and are widely used in many DeFi protocols for things like governance and utility tokens. Why Use ERC20 Token Solidity developers use ERC20 tokens because they are the industry standard for fungible tokens (where every token is equal to another one). The…

31/03/2023
Merkle Tree in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

Merkle Trees provide an efficient way to verify data in Solidity. This reduces the gas cost for on-chain storage when validating large data sets such as a large list of addresses. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/NTPpyL4pJG0 |Subscribe How Do Merkle Trees Work Merkle trees are a data structure that allow efficient and secure…

30/03/2023
How To Emit Events in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

A Solidity Event is a way for smart contracts to communicate with the outside world by providing a mechanism for emitting messages that can be observed by external applications. It’s like a signalling message that is broadcast when a certain condition is met within the smart contract. Emitting Events In Solidity Here is a simple…

29/03/2023
Bulk Send Tokens & ETH Contract | Solidity Tips & Examples

Sending payments in bulk can be a tedious and time-consuming process, especially when dealing with a large number of recipients. However, with a Solidity smart contract, bulk payments can be executed in a matter of seconds, providing a more efficient and cost-effective solution for managing bulk transfers. In this article, I will walk you through…

28/03/2023
Multiple Return Values | Solidity Tips & Examples

In Solidity we can multiple return values from a function. This enables us to efficiently move data about within the application flow of a smart contract. In this example we are returning three variables enclosed within brackets. Note that the data types of these variables are defined at the top of the function in the…

27/03/2023
Modifiers in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

Modifiers in Solidity are a way to add a certain condition to functions within a smart contract. They allow developers to define a piece of code that can be reused across multiple functions and contracts, making your code more modular and easier to read. A modifier is defined using the modifier keyword, followed by a…

26/03/2023
Struct in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

A struct in Solidity is a data type that allows you to group together multiple variables of different data types into a single unit. This is useful because it gives us a convenient container to package structured data, it enables us to pack variables into memory slots more efficiently and it allows us to get…

25/03/2023
Ownable Contracts | Solidity Tips & Examples

Ownable contracts in Solidity are used to implement access control for certain functions. The idea is that only the contract owner, who is typically the deployer of the contract, can execute these protected functions. To do this we will first import the OpenZeppelin library Inside our contract we can then add the onlyOwner modifier to…

24/03/2023
Payable Transfers | Solidity Tips & Examples

Payable transfers are one of a number of ways to send ether from a Solidity smart contract to an external address. In this next example we create a fallback function so that any user can send this contract ether and it will get split between the different addresses. Full code at: https://github.com/jamesbachini/Solidity-Snippets/blob/main/contracts/PaymentDivider.sol Payable fails if…

23/03/2023
Solidity Interface | Solidity Tips & Examples

A Solidity interface is code that provides a set of function declarations without any implementation details. Interfaces are used to interact with 3rd party contracts or external systems by defining a common set of functions that both parties agree to implement. Interfaces are used to define a contract’s external-facing functions, which is the only part…

22/03/2023
OpenZeppelin Libraries | Solidity Tips & Examples

OpenZeppelin libraries are popular for building secure smart contracts on top of pre-audited code in Solidity. The framework includes a number of reusable smart contract components, such as token contracts, access control contracts, and math libraries. In this article we will explore the various Libraries available within the OpenZeppelin framework to give you a tool…

21/03/2023
Arrays in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

Arrays are a fundamental data structure in programming, and Solidity is no exception. In Solidity, there are several types of arrays available, including dynamic arrays, fixed-size arrays, and multi-dimensional arrays. Dynamic Arrays Dynamic arrays are the most common type of array in Solidity. These are arrays whose length can be changed during runtime. To declare…

20/03/2023
Get Contract Balance | Solidity Tips & Examples

To get the contract balance in solidity there are a few different methods depending on if you want the Ether balance or an ERC20 token balance. Contract Balance Eth You can use the address type’s balance property to get the balance of any address, including the contract’s own address. The this value is used to…

19/03/2023
Mapping in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

This article explores how mapping in Solidity is used to for storing key->value pairs, where the keys are of a specific data type and the values can be of any data type. Mappings are declared using the mapping keyword, followed by the key data type in parentheses and the value data type after the parentheses.…

18/03/2023
Variables in Solidity | Solidity Tips & Examples

Variables in Solidity can be classified into several categories based on their data types and scope. In this article we will explore all the different uses of variables in Solidity and look at some example code. Variables in Solidity Solidity variables are used to store and manipulate data in our smart contracts. They come in…

17/03/2023
ERC721 vs ERC1155 | Solidity Tips & Examples

Today we will discuss the differences between ERC721 vs ERC1155 smart contracts and the use cases where each is best suited. These are the two most popular types of smart contracts used for the creation of NFTs (non-fungible tokens). James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/B64VBGt3tMU |Subscribe ERC721 Smart Contract ERC721 is the original standard…

16/03/2023
ERC20 Carbon Credits | Creating A Depleting Token

Carbon credits are used to tokenise finances put towards carbon offsetting. On-chain products often have a purchase and burn mechanism where a user must first purchase the token on a DEX and then manually execute a transaction to burn the token. I had the idea to create a automatically depleting token which you just hold…

13/03/2023
zkEVM | Are Zero-Knowledge Rollups The Future Of Ethereum Or A Ticking Time Bomb?

zkEVM is a zero knowledge Ethereum virtual machine, credited as being “the ultimate solution to Ethereum scaling” The Ethereum ecosystem continues to grow alongside concerns around its scalability and privacy. A new technology currently being rolled out aims to address these issues through the implementation of zero-knowledge rollups. In this article, we’ll take a closer…

08/03/2023
ETHDenver | Thoughts & Takeaways From The Biggest US Blockchain Conference

This article is aimed at providing an overview summary of what was talked about at ETHDenver and some of the things I picked up while being there. Buzz Word Bingo I took the schedule and ran through how many talks there were on each of these subjects. Buzz Word No. Of Talks Zero Knowledge 18…

05/03/2023
The Feynman Technique 2.0

The Feynman Technique is a learning tool developed by the infamous physicist Richard Feynman. It involves breaking down complex concepts into simple terms and explaining them as if you were teaching the subject. In March 2020 Covid lockdowns were imposed and I started creating content based on what I was learning or interested about at…

28/02/2023
Anonymous Developer Tutorial | How & Why You Should Code Anonymously

There are plenty of articles and content about why you should be an anonymous developer for blockchain projects but I haven’t seen much content about best practices and how to actually set up an anonymous development environment. In this article we will cover the following:- Anonymous Developer Video Tutorial James On YouTube Watch On YouTube:…

16/02/2023
How To Stake Ethereum | Earn More Yield With Ethereum Staking

Staking Ethereum has become a popular way for crypto investors to earn passive returns on their holdings. Liquid staking tokens like stETH make this process easily accessible. You can buy staking tokens and effortlessly enjoy the rewards of staking Ethereum without having to manage the technicalities of running a node. Lido Finance were first to…

06/02/2023
Advanced MidJourney Prompt Engineering | Unleash Your Inner Artist

As the leading AI image generator, MidJourney consistently produces stunning, high-quality images that range from the bizarre to the breathtaking. As someone who lacks artistic talent, I’ve taken the time to study and master this tool, and in this post I share my insights and tips for getting the most out of it. Follow my…

19/01/2023
Advanced ChatGPT Prompt Engineering

By now you have probably experimented with ChatGPT and realised the huge potential this “calculator for words” has. In this article I share the results of my research on how to make the most of this powerful tool. Whether you’re using ChatGPT as a personal assistant or in a professional setting, you’ll find some valuable…

16/01/2023
Crypto Market Thesis 2023

Once viewed as a fringe market for tech-savvy libertarians, the crypto market has grown exponentially in recent years and is now being recognized as a legitimate asset class by mainstream investors. As we move into 2023, the crypto market is at a crucial juncture, with the potential to continue its explosive growth or face regulatory…

05/01/2023
Remixd Tutorial | How To Take The Solidity IDE To The Next Level

I’ve gone full circle from Remix > Hardhat > Foundry > Remix I find that I enjoy coding most when I’m experimenting with ideas and proof of concepts within the Remix IDE at https://remix.ethereum.org However for more serious projects I inevitably find myself moving out of creative mode and into testing mode in either Hardhat…

02/01/2023
The Psychology Of Money | Book Summary

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel covers personal finance from the perspective of a middle aged American value investor. It offers some interesting insights into long-term investing mindsets and the psychology of why we make investment decisions. Evolution of Personal Finance Western economies have seen a transition in the way we work from manual…

31/12/2022
Mean Finance | How To DCA With DeFi

Mean Finance is a DeFi protocol that enables users to dollar cost average (DCA) into a position for an ERC-20 token. In this article we will look at why dollar cost averaging is useful and how Mean Finance works. Why Dollar Cost Average Dollar cost averaging is an investment strategy that simply breaks a entry…

19/12/2022
LayerZero Example | How To Send Cross-Chain Messages In Solidity

In this article we are going to look at how to send messages or data from one chain to another. In this LayerZero example we will be sending a string from Ethereum’s Goerli Testnet to Optimisms Layer 2 Goerli Testnet. Cross-Chain Tutorial Video James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/rKVhQHmljXM |Subscribe How LayerZero Works LayerZero…

13/12/2022
How To Debug Solidity Smart Contracts

If you’ve ever received a “gas message” error which makes no sense in Solidity then you’ve probably come across one of it’s greatest flaws. Error reporting and debugging isn’t great for blockchain developers but in this tutorial I’m going to provide some tips, tools and resources to debug Solidity smart contracts. James On YouTube Watch…

09/12/2022
RAILGUN 2.0 | ZK Privacy Protocol

Railgun just announced the launch of version 2.0 this week and in this article we are going to explore the zero knowledge wallet and discuss why privacy protocols are important. In August 2022 Alexey Pertsev was arrested and he has been imprisoned without trial ever since. He was a developer on a ZK mixer called…

06/12/2022
Timeframe & Budgets For Web3 Development

In this article I’m going to provide a timeframe, gantt chart and budget costs for web3 development projects. This assumes a medium sized project for something like a new, innovative DeFi protocol consisting of 5-10 interconnected smart contracts and around 1000 lines of code plus an external audit and dApp frontend. If you are just…

28/11/2022
Dynamic Evolving NFTs | How To Create Dynamic NFTs & dApps

Dynamic NFTs include logic that evolves the underlying data that the NFT contract holds. In this example we will build a picture profile NFT that is upgradeable to an alien 👽 All the source code for this project is available at: https://github.com/jamesbachini/WomenWhoCode Dynamic NFT Smart Contract The Solidity smart contracts will comprise of two tokens:…

23/11/2022
FTX Collapse Explained | The Story Of Scam Bankrun Fraud

In November 2022 the world’s second largest cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapsed, stopped withdrawals and filed for bankruptcy. The stories of the last week are so far-fetched they deserve a Netflix documentary. Here we will look at how FTX was able to defraud the crypto industry of somewhere in the region of $10 Billion US dollars.…

15/11/2022
POAP vs NFT | A Guide With Examples

In this article we will look at what POAPs are and how their technology is built on top of NFT standards. We will also look at how to create simple POAPs and NFTs. In the conclusion I’ve put together some thoughts on why I think POAPs should only be used for fun and not for…

09/11/2022
SAFT Template | Simple Agreement Future Tokens

Below I’ve shared an example SAFT legal agreement and a smart contract which can be used to lock up tokens. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/hpsegda6gvo |Subscribe What Is A SAFT? A SAFT is a simple agreement for future tokens. It is used primarily for blockchain projects to sell tokens at an early stage…

27/10/2022
Ethereum DevCon Bogotá Write Up

In this post I’m going to try to summarise some of the most interesting talks at from DevCon 2022. Here’s a video summary about the key takeaways from the conference. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/kgiAV7z1fwo |Subscribe The main topics for this years event were: One of the best things about the event is…

24/10/2022
Complete Introduction To Web3 Tutorial | Fullstack Web3 Development Tutorial

This video course provides a complete introduction to Web3 development. The Web3 tutorial starts with a simple Hello World smart contract and React frontend before diving in to create something useful on Ethereum mainnet. Introduction To Web3 Development James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/RwuG9HluFQY |Subscribe Hello World Smart Contract James On YouTube Watch On…

06/10/2022
Yield Futures With Resonate Finance

Resonate Finance is building a protocol for the creation and sale of yield futures. In this article we will look at what yield futures are, how they can benefit a projects tokenomics & why investors might find them attractive. This post isn’t sponsored and I currently have no stake in Resonate Finance or Revest at…

04/10/2022
Solidity Token Factory Contract Walkthrough

A token factory contract is used to deploy tokens from a parent contract within Solidity. In this simple example we will be deploying an ERC20 token from our factory contract. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/MY9SoGPGVoo |Subscribe Full source code below and on Github: https://github.com/jamesbachini/Token-Factory-Tutorial We start with a standard ERC20 token using the…

25/09/2022
Trading The Merge

Once or twice a year the crypto markets align to provide exceptional trading volumes and volatility. I believe the Ethereum merge will presents one such opportunity for low time frame system trading. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/3ltpF4UGir4 |Subscribe About The Ethereum Merge The merge is happening in just a few days. This is…

13/09/2022
The State Of CBDC Central Bank Digital Currency

Nation states across the world are exploring CBDC’s (central bank digital currency). Many governments including France, Canada, Saudi Arabia & China have pilot schemes already in place. The US dollar is the global reserve currency, it’s used throughout the world as a base asset and more recently as a political weapon in the form of…

05/09/2022
Aligning Founders, VC’s and Stakeholders Interests In A Smart Contract

The blockchain sector prides itself on openness and transparency. Except that is when it comes to early stage VC deals and token allocations. In this article we are going to look at an experimental solidity smart contract which lays out terms, vesting schedules and milestone bonuses on-chain. Team Allocations and VC Unlock Schedules This is…

25/08/2022
Twitter Crypto Ads | Blockchain Advertising Is Live On Twitter

Twitter crypto ads are live after the platform unofficially relaxed its ban on advertising crypto products. Perhaps due to the Elon bid there seem to be more ads showing up and less stringent controls on ad quality. This opens up an opportunity for companies in the sector to use the platform for growth. In this…

19/08/2022
Dune Analytics Tutorial | How To Create A Dune Analytics Dashboard

In this Dune Analytics Tutorial we will look at how the platform works and get up to speed with creating our own queries, visualisations and dashboards to analyse and present blockchain data. Queries, Visualisations & Dashboards Dune Analytics dashboards are built using a 3 step process. First we make SQL queries to pull data into…

17/08/2022
Ownable vs Permissionless Smart Contracts

One of the beautiful things about smart contracts is they can be permissionless where the developers relinquish control to the community and all users are treated equally. However less than 20% of the top 50 protocols by TVL on Ethereum are using fully permissionless contracts. In this article we will look at why this is,…

08/08/2022
Solidity Tutorial | Fixed Rate Staking Contract

In this tutorial we will create a fixed rate staking contract that pays out 1 token for every 1 token staked per year. The contract will be built on an OpenZeppelin ERC20 token library with additional functionality for staking. The user will stake their tokens which will lock them in the smart contract at what…

06/08/2022
Zero Knowledge Proof | How ZKP Works In Blockchain Applications

Zero knowledge proofs offer a method for developers to prove data validity or knowledge of data without revealing the data or additional information about the prover. Zero knowledge proofs are becoming widely used in blockchain applications from smart contracts like Tornado Cash to ZKrollups which are layer 2 blockchains on top of Ethereum. In this…

01/08/2022
3 Examples Of How To Use Assembly In Solidity

Ethereum developers can directly use assembly in Solidity to improve the performance of their code. When OpenSea released the Seaport upgrade it reported the use of assembly reduced gas fees by 35% saving it’s users an estimated $460m per year. Today we are going to go through some simple examples of how and when to…

04/07/2022
Solidity for Beginners

Solidity is the programming language used to develop smart contracts on Ethereum and other compatible blockchains. In this “Solidity for Beginners” tutorial I will take you from setting up solidity tools to deploying your first contract. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/yM6oRMdMiTM |Subscribe Tools & Setup We will be starting in Remix which is…

22/06/2022
GameFi 2.0 | Sustainable Tokenomics & Business Models

GameFi utilises digital assets such as cryptocurrency tokens and NFT’s to create internal economies within games. In this article I look at how tokenomics can be designed to create sustainable business models for gamers, investors and developers. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ul_Mza9IyYE |Subscribe GameFi 1.0 Play2Earn Growing up I played computer games on…

14/06/2022
Bear Markets | How Human Psychology Works Against Us

Is loss aversion causing long-term underperformance in our portfolios? In bear markets I find it harder to rebalance my portfolio and allocate capital to riskier investments. This creates an unintentional de-risking in bear markets where there is a better long-term risk to reward. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/6F1Cpk14stE |Subscribe Not a financial advisor,…

06/06/2022
SBTs 👻 | Soulbound Token Solidity Example

Soulbound tokens are non-transferable digital assets. The core concept is storing on-chain data directly relating to a specific address. This is nothing new but there is potential for a ERC SBT contract to provide a industry standard for how we manage user data. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/yCHeHI8hUY8 |Subscribe Ethereum gas costs make…

26/05/2022
Solidity Interface Examples | How To Connect The Lego Bricks Of DeFi

Solidity interfaces allow developers to call external contracts from within their own smart contract. This enables us to build on top of the existing DeFi ecosystem. In this tutorial we will be looking at how solidity interfaces work and going through some example code for common tasks. James On YouTube Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/GWZmklp7RTg |Subscribe…

24/05/2022