One Platform to Rule Them All: Uniblock’s Approach to Web3 Development
Web 3.0 has been around for several decades, yet has only recently started gaining momentum, primarily propelled by the rise of NFTs, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain technology in these last few years. As a relatively new idea for internet users and developers worldwide, Web3’s adoption and practical application have become complex, presenting significant challenges for developers in this field.
Imagine if you were a developer switching from Web2 to Web3, looking to build or work on multiple projects in the Web3 space. You would need to look through and choose the right tools, in this case, APIs (Application Programming Interface), that would make your work easier. Yet we all know that while thousands of tools can offer a solution, each tool is written in a different language. Never mind that they are constantly changing and breaking due to the new industry. The ecosystem is simply chaotic and a chore to run through, especially when you wish to save time navigating through it.
Saving Developers Time & Money
What two friends realized while building several Web3 projects, such as bridges, tokens, GameFi games, wallets and ANIFTY, was that to create scalable projects, they would need to unify dozens of services. Finding inspiration from companies such as Merge. Dev, Codat.io, Zapier, they decided to create Uniblock — the first Web3 Unified API.
Uniblock is creating a Web3 API that simplifies blockchain project development. It offers APIs, SDKs, contracts, and no-code tools, making it easier for developers to work with blockchain data; these Web3 tools are gathered in Uniblock and normalized to a single standard. The product allows customers (developers and engineering teams) to instantly swap between different providers for similar services and use the same coding standards for all their product integrations. A few of these key features include:
- Polyfilled Data: Uniblock ensures data completeness across multiple providers, fills in any missing data, and verifies it. This includes automated detection, source ranking, and historical data tracking.
- Data Consensus: The platform maintains uniform data across sources, eliminating the need for extra coding. It features seamless integration, real-time synchronization, and scalable management for consistent data.
- Provider Routing: Uniblock allows easy switching between different data sources without needing to recode. It provides dynamic integration performance metrics and ensures compatibility.
- Unified Backup: Uniblock’s backup system uses multiple redundant sources, intelligent switching, and proactive failure detection if a data source fails.
This boosts productivity by reducing maintenance needs and simplifies role management across service providers. The ultimate benefit of Uniblock is an enhanced end-user experience, with fewer application errors and crashes, making it an efficient and robust solution for building in the Web3 space.
Uniblock has recently announced its latest innovation, Unified Contracts, integrating seamlessly with their existing suite of services like the Contract Triggers API and the upcoming Audit API. This no-code feature is meant to further enhance what Uniblock offers and solidify its position in the market. Unified Contracts are designed to streamline processes, making it simpler and more efficient for users to leverage Uniblock’s full range of blockchain solutions.
The State of the Industry
The worldwide market for API marketplaces was valued at about $13.74 billion in 2022. It’s predicted to grow at a rate of 17.8% each year from 2023 to 2030, and it’s no surprise. API marketplaces are becoming popular because they make it easier for businesses to find the right API that meets their specific needs.
This also has an impact on the number of monthly active open-source developers in the digital asset sector, which remains strong but has declined from the developer highs in 2022. There is a reason for this, but before we dive into that below are three categories of developers found in the crypto world.
Newcomers: These are developers with less than a year of experience in crypto. A significant decrease in this group has been observed recently. Many new developers who joined in 2023 continued briefly, contributing to the decline in active developers.
Emerging Developers: This group, with 1 to 2 years of crypto experience, is growing. They represent a middle ground, having moved beyond the initial newcomer phase but still need to reach long-term commitment.
Established Developers: Those with over two years of experience in crypto have remained steady in their numbers.
Historical data has often shown that developer retention is lower during bear markets in the crypto world, yet Web3 Developers are still building despite that. The recent decline in active monthly developers can be attributed primarily to the drop-off in newcomers, while the more experienced developers tend to remain more consistent. This trend suggests that while there is long-term growth in the number of crypto developers, the sector faces challenges in retaining new talent, especially during market downturns.
The Ethereum mainnet is the primary public blockchain of Ethereum, where actual transactions involving Ether (ETH), the native cryptocurrency, occur. It serves as a crucial platform for deploying smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into lines of code. For cryptocurrency developers, particularly those in the Ethereum ecosystem, the manner offers a robust environment for innovation and application development.
Deploying smart contracts on the Ethereum mainnet directly correlates to the developer community’s level of activity and engagement. An increase in smart contract deployments signifies heightened development activity, indicating that more developers are actively building and exploring new applications. These deployments reflect the vibrancy and growth of the Ethereum ecosystem and influence the direction of innovation in the crypto space.
The Team
Kevin Callahan (CEO)
Kevin spent four years leading Twitter’s business development strategy and operations, focusing on user and revenue growth. He then joined Coinbase for a year as the Head of Growth and Ecosystem Partnerships. Additionally, he served as the Chief Product Officer at Marble, facilitating access to patient-consented health data through robust API offerings, where he later collaborated with Ryerson to launch a PM prep program in Canada.
David Liu (CTO)
As the CTO of dApp Technology, a blockchain studio primarily focused on experimental projects; David was pivotal in overseeing technology initiatives. Before this, he dedicated 1.5 years to Network Re-Engineered, where he spearheaded the development of an app that successfully connected university and college students, achieving a remarkable #6 trending positions on the Google Play Store. His track record extends to creating more than 40 diverse blockchain projects.
Conclusion
Uniblock’s unified Web3 API is an elegant solution to the present-day chaos and high integration barriers within the Web3 ecosystem. With a unified API, Uniblock simplifies interactions, making it seamless for developers of all expertise levels to integrate dApps and blockchain data.
The industry’s trajectory is undoubtedly bullish, as evidenced by the CAGR in the API marketplace. Moreover, with emerging trends like TypeScript’s increasing preference over PHP and a 65% uptick in developers’ reliance on APIs, there’s a clear market opportunity that Uniblock is poised to leverage.
While competitors like Covalent, Tatum, and Moralis significantly contribute to the space, Uniblock’s value proposition stands distinct, capitalizing on the gaps and challenges these platforms face. With blockchain and Web3 technologies continuing to evolve, the need for platforms like Uniblock, which simplify, streamline, and unify interactions, will be paramount. Its competitive edge, visionary leadership, and unique offerings place it in a favorable position to lead the next wave of digital transformation in the Web3 space.
