On October 19, Circle, the stablecoin issuer, made a significant announcement. They introduced a groundbreaking solution to streamline the complexities of constructing Web3 applications for developers. This solution is known as the Web3 Development Platform.
Dubbed the “Smart Contract Platform,” this innovative tool offers developers the capability to deploy smart contracts through a selection of meticulously curated code templates. Furthermore, developers can choose between a console interface or REST APIs.
This move appears to bridge the divide and ease the transition for conventional Web2 programmers.
Circle’s ‘Gas Station’ Revolutionizes User Onboarding and Eases Smart Contract Deployment
Circle has also introduced the “Gas Station” tool, an instrument designed to facilitate developers in covering their users’ gas fees. This development is touted as a potential game-changer for streamlining user onboarding.
When developers embark on the deployment of smart contracts, they typically rely on specialized Web3 developer tools such as Truffle or Hardhat. However, these tools necessitate the use of Solidity, a programming language unfamiliar to many traditional developers.
Additionally, they mandate developers to craft and execute blockchain deployment scripts or “migration” scripts, a process that remains alien to Web2 developers.
As indicated in the official documentation, the Circle smart contract platform offers a diverse selection of pre-screened templates. These templates can be utilized to create a wide range of smart contracts.
These templates have the capability to simplify the process of creating contracts for various purposes. They can be used for developing contracts related to non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and blockchain-based loyalty programs.
Additionally, these templates enable interactions with platforms like Uniswap and other decentralized financial projects.
This also encompasses interactions with Circle’s stablecoin contracts. Essentially, developers can bypass the onerous task of creating an entire Solidity contract from the ground up. This simplification is poised to empower Web2 developers in transitioning to Web3 with greater ease.
After creating the contract, developers are given the choice to deploy it onto the Polygon network. This can be done through the “no-code” console, which is an integral component of the platform, as mentioned in the official announcement.
This translates to a streamlined process, eliminating the necessity for a “migration” script when opting for Circle’s platform.
Circle’s Expansion Plans: ‘No-Code’ Console, REST APIs, and Streamlined Custom Contract Deployment
It’s worth noting that the “no-code” console is currently not available for Ethereum or Avalanche. Nevertheless, the platform also offers a set of representational state transfer application programming interfaces (REST APIs) that can be harnessed on these networks.
Developers can employ these APIs to deploy or interact with their contracts. REST APIs are the established method that developers use to connect with Web2 databases.
This makes them notably accessible to individuals who have yet to delve into the world of Web3 application development.
Interestingly, Circle’s future plans include expanding access to both the “no-code” console and REST APIs to a wider array of networks, as per the announcement.
The platform’s official documents outline that developers can also employ it for deploying custom contracts that do not fit the predefined templates.
In this scenario, developers must provide the compiled bytecode for the contract. However, even in this case, the developer is absolved from the task of creating a deployment script, as this can be managed using the console or REST APIs.
Circle Unveils ‘Gas Station’: Streamlining User Onboarding in Web3 Development Platform
Circle’s announcement also encompassed a secondary developer-centric feature christened “Gas Station.” This function empowers Web3 application developers to cover their users’ gas fees.
This advancement has the potential to simplify user onboarding by negating the need for users to pre-fund their wallets with the native currency of the network. Subsequently, to implement these gas-free transactions, the Gas Station leverages Ethereum’s account abstraction feature.
Notably, the Grab super-app has already incorporated this new feature, enabling users to avoid incurring gas fees when redeeming NFT vouchers, as per the announcement.