Besides having most of the major weaknesses of Web 2.0 fixed, Web3 creates room for completely new opportunities. With this being the case, there is a growing interest from enterprises, institutions, and average users to embrace it.
However, to benefit from this next phase of the internet, it is necessary to learn how to build on top of it, which begins with understanding the basic tools for the process. In this complete tutorial guide to Web3 development we will walk you through the essential aspects of developing new applications on a decentralized blockchain network.
Web3 is a phase in the internet evolution that takes over from Web 2.0. It is important to understand that there was no Web2 and that there is Web 3.0, which is a different concept from Web3.
The phrase Web 3.0 was popularised by Tim Berners-Lee, the internet inventor, beginning in 2006. It refers to an internet protocol upgrade that makes data machine readable. Web 3.0 is also known as Semantic Web.
On the other hand, Web3 was first described by Ethereum blockchain co-founder and founder of Polkadot Gavin Wood in 2014. It is supposed to be an upgrade to the internet that focuses primarily on decentralizing it using blockchain technology.
Even though they are not in the same sequence, Web3 is considered an upgrade from Web 2.0.
The transition to Web 2.0 happened in the early 2000s with the invention of programming languages such as Javascript, HTML5, and CSS3, which facilitated the implementation of complex features on web pages. Web 2.0 is highly interactive, and content consumers are also content creators.
However, the popular services that became possible on Web 2.0, such as search engines, social networking, and video streaming, could only be delivered through the facilitation of powerful intermediaries. This has led to the centralization of the internet.
Besides centralization, it became necessary to collect user data for use in personalizing and customizing the end user's experience and support monetizing the web. The collected data is used for targeted marketing and is often sold to third parties.
Web3 is designed to have a structure that is the opposite of that of Web 2.0 in most critical areas.
In particular, it makes it possible that the execution of code can be achieved by peer-to-peer networks through consensus protocols and is largely immutable. In web 2.0, the execution happens primarily in centralized servers, and admins have significant control over the process.
Data is handled differently in Web 2.0 and Web3 data. In the former, data is stored in centralized servers after being collected through intermediaries on the web. In the latter, data can be stored on shared ledgers, and if it is stored on servers, it can be secured through timestamps, hash functions, and cryptography.
Also, data ceases being the commodity that intermediaries can easily collect, use or sell without the permission of those it is collected from. Indeed, internet users get control over their data, and they can decide what to share, to whom, and under what conditions.
As the transition to Web3 is underway, it might be necessary that development teams learn how to become part of it, especially in regard to its implementation. They can build from several levels depending on their specific needs.
The lowest level is a completely new blockchain. This could be necessary if the blockchain development team feels it could be restricted by using the existing blockchain technology to implement the concept they are working on.
If a blockchain seems to meet the basic needs of a concept, web3 developers might not need to build a new one but use existing tools to build the decentralized applications they need. That could be as simple as writing a detailed smart contract using a provided environment, such as Casper smart contracts or ethereum smart contracts.
Several components are necessary for Web3 developers planning to build or implement an application, process, or system on Web3. The list includes the following:
The web3.js library is a collection of tools that facilitate the environment, the actual application, or a smart contract connecting to a local or remote node of the blockchain the development team decides to use. The Web3 js libraries often use HTTP, IPC, and WebSocket protocols to help your smart contract or application read and write on the blockchain.
The blockchain is a peer-to-peer network with a protocol that empowers the nodes to find real-time consensus in updating the state of a shared ledger, applications, or smart contracts. The blockchain nodes and terminals form the backend in Web3.
Web3 developers can choose to use any existing blockchains or build one from the ground if they cannot find the necessary capacity for their project.
An integrated development environment (IDE) is the space through which the team can manage the tasks involved in building new applications, such as creating, testing, and debugging. The blockchain development environment could be a test network, web portal, a desktop client, ethereum virtual machine, or a browser extension.
The IDE a blockchain development team uses is determined by the blockchain and the programming languages used.
Teams behind blockchain protocols often provide ready-made components and tools that other blockchain developers can easily customize to easily built applications and smart contracts. Before deciding what to use, a blockchain developer should find out what tools are available, look at code examples, review environment variables, and how easy they are to use.
This is a library of code of a specific programming language that facilitates communication with a web server via HTTP or HTTPS. Web3 apps can be built with a variety of programming languages, such as solidity, rust or react js.
This is a critical component, especially where smart contracts and oracle networks are involved.
Web3 changes how data is collected, processed, stored, and used. It is important to determine how particular blockchain protocols organize data and what is collected from internet browsers.
It is important that the backend of Web3 can enable users to get information from their searches in an order that is the most meaningful and useful.
Most systems and processes on Web3 are implemented through smart contracts.
A smart contract is a code that self-executes on the blockchain when predetermined conditions are met. It is a code fed with data from the real world primarily using oracle networks. Smart contracts can be used to automate processes and also build highly complex systems.
Web3 differs from Web 2.0 primarily by its ability to support peer-to-peer transactions on decentralized applications. Web users can move money and other digital assets without having to use intermediaries. These transactions on the blockchain can be enhanced through smart contracts.
To start writing a smart contract, you first need to set up your own node that connects to the blockchain you intend to use. If you can't run your own node, you can use third-party developer environments and APIs such as Alchemy.
You also need to set up a wallet that will enable the creation of a new account on the blockchain and pay transaction fees (gas fees). That means that you also need to have some of the native coins in the wallet when creating a new file. Besides, you need a new account on a testnet such as the Goerli network, where it tests new smart contracts.
Use your environment to create the Web3 smart contracts you want. When it is ready, run it on the testnet and test it and fix whatever bugs you might discover.
It is important to point out that smart contracts are not like applications on Web 2.0. Once launched, it can become impossible to stop their execution or change part of the code. This is why testing smart contracts on a test network is highly critical. Before they are activated, they must be tried on testnets to debug.
With that stated, blockchains like Casper Network have created the capacity to have upgradeable smart contracts while simultaneously protecting their credibility.
After you are fully satisfied, you should deploy and activate your smart contract on the mainnet. This will require fees from a wallet linked to your blockchain development environment to facilitate transactions on the blockchain.
The web3 development resources you need to create, test and deploy your smart contracts depend on the blockchain technology you decide to use for your project.
The team behind the Casper Network has built the tools that enterprises and other types of users need to build, test and deploy upgradable smart contracts that maintain their integrity.
If you need to implement Web3 apps and blockchain solutions for your enterprise and systems, feel free to contact the Casper team for a complete guide and blockchain development tutorial.
Image courtesy of Pixabay.
