Circle, the stablecoin issuer, has introduced a new tool called the “Smart Contract Platform” that aims to simplify the process of building Web3 apps for developers. This tool allows developers to deploy smart contracts using pre-vetted code templates and offers a choice between a console or Representational State Transfer (REST) APIs. By providing easy-to-use options, Circle hopes to bridge the gap between traditional Web2 programmers and the complexities of Web3 development.
Typically, when developers deploy smart contracts, they rely on Web3 developer tools like Truffle or Hardhat. However, these tools require developers to write contracts in Solidity, a language that many conventional programmers are not familiar with. Additionally, migrating these contracts to the blockchain usually involves running deployment scripts, which can be daunting for Web2 developers. Circle’s Smart Contract Platform simplifies this process by providing pre-vetted templates that cover various use cases. Developers can use these templates for creating contracts for non-fungible tokens (NFTs), loyalty programs, interactions with decentralized finance projects, and stablecoin contracts. This eliminates the need to create Solidity contracts from scratch, which can be a hurdle for Web2 developers transitioning to Web3.
Once a contract is created using Circle’s platform, it can be deployed to Polygon using a “no-code” console provided within the platform. This means that developers don’t need to write migration scripts to deploy their contracts. However, it’s worth noting that the “no-code” console is currently only available for Polygon and not for Ethereum or Avalanche. For these networks, Circle’s Smart Contract Platform offers REST APIs that allow developers to deploy and interact with their contracts. REST APIs are commonly used by developers to interact with Web2 databases, making them more familiar and accessible to developers who are new to Web3 app development.
Circle plans to expand the availability of the “no-code” console and REST APIs for more networks in the future, providing developers with greater flexibility and options when deploying their contracts. Moreover, the platform also supports custom contracts, even if they don’t use the pre-vetted templates. In this case, developers need to provide the compiled bytecode for their custom contracts. However, they still avoid the need to write deployment scripts as the console or REST APIs take care of this process.
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Additionally, Circle has introduced another developer feature called “Gas Station.” This feature allows Web3 app developers to pay for their users’ gas fees. Gas fees are the costs associated with executing transactions on the blockchain. By covering these fees, developers can simplify user onboarding as users don’t need to pre-fund their wallets with the native coin of a network. Circle’s Gas Station leverages Ethereum’s account abstraction feature to implement gas-free transactions. Grab, a popular super-app, has already implemented this feature, enabling users to pay no gas fees when redeeming NFT vouchers.
The introduction of Circle’s Smart Contract Platform and Gas Station aims to reduce the complexity and friction involved in Web3 app development. By providing user-friendly tools and streamlining the deployment process, Circle hopes to attract more developers, particularly those familiar with traditional Web2 programming, to build on the Web3 ecosystem. As developers have easier access to the necessary tools, it could foster greater innovation and adoption within the Web3 space.
