EthOnline x Connext: New xApps Are Born
During this year’s EthOnline hackathon, we had the opportunity to not only sponsor the event but participate as judges and mentors as well. Once again, we were inspired by the ingenuity, creativity, and overall quality of the projects built on top of Connext.
We’re grateful to all the fantastic hackers who reached out to jam on what’sNEXT in crosschain. We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of the potential for xApps (crosschain dApps), and if you’re looking for some inspiration, we wrote a short guide on ideas for the next hackathon.
When you’re ready to start building, check out the EthGlobal x Connext Guide: How to bridge Tokens and Data.
Hackathons are a great way to experiment with an idea, a new technology, and meet new friends.
Hackathons are where innovation is born, and where different backgrounds, mindsets, skills and passions can join together to build the future of finance, art, and culture.
Now that EthGlobal’s month-long hackathon has come to a close, we’re excited to share several of the xApps that won our bounties!
Winning xApps for EthGlobal 2022
Of all the submissions we received, these are the xApps that stood out:
🕵️♀️🧑💻😎Best original project built on Connext ($2,000)
dChat
Link: https://ethglobal.com/showcase/dchat-21eba
What it is
Messaging application with chat-based crosschain transfers and NFT-gated chats.
As per the submission: “The project uses the XMTP protocol for messaging between wallets. It additionally integrates support for Unstoppable domains, chat-based crosschain token transfers, and NFT-gated channels. A user can use a wallet address, ENS domain, or Unstoppable domain to start an XMTP chat with another wallet. They can also use the chat to make crosschain transfers of ERC20 tokens, which is handy as a means of effortless interchain payments. We also provide NFT-gated group chats, intended for the owners of NFTs belonging to a particular NFT collection.”
What we liked
dChat is a very clean xApp from both an architectural and design perspective, with a clear use case for crosschain functionality.
Sending tokens crosschain via a chat message; using NFTs as a key to access restricted areas. The future won’t be much different from this.
dChat does what it claims to, it’s easy to use, and can be the base for more complex peer-to-peer and group interactions. You can try it here!
🦵💪🏋️♀️ Best crosschain augmentation of an existing protocol ($2,000)
L2 Optimizoooors
Link: https://ethglobal.com/showcase/l2-optimizoooors-7sio4
What it is
A tool to make transactions and operations more gas efficient (i.e., cheaper) by simplifying the calldata sent to the smart contracts of various protocols.
The concept was tested on Aave, Superfluid, and Connext.
What we liked
A different approach to hackathons. How do we improve protocols? How can we improve existing processes?
The team demonstrated some great results: we are always looking for ways to make our technology more usable and efficient. The L2 Optimizoooors showed us one way to with clever optimization techniques.
Other notable mentions
xNFT Launchpad
Link: https://ethglobal.com/showcase/xnft-launchpad-ire6n
Deploy NFTs on multiple chains using a single launchpad.
The use of crosschain messaging to determine where to mint NFTs was definitely interesting. Huge potential here to mint native crosschain NFTs with NFTHashi!
Atomic NFT Marketplace
Link: https://ethglobal.com/showcase/atomic-nft-marketplace-ezi2m
An NFT Marketplace that offers trust-minimized crosschain NFT interoperability. This project envisioned crosschain buying and selling of NFTs in atomic transactions, where counterparties can trade NFTs on one chain for tokens on another.
OnRamp Quest
Link: https://ethglobal.com/showcase/onramp-quest-a0w3r
An education game that sends participants on missions to learn about Ethereum. The goal is to provide an easy on-ramp combined with a fun way to learn about NFTs, DeFi, DAOs, and more.
The team used xCalls to move their NFTs across chains: the NFTs change aspect when they move from one chain to another! What better way to onboard users to new L2s than gamifying their journey?
Mangetsu
Link: https://ethglobal.com/showcase/mangetsu-xeowk
A privacy-preserving crosschain amm/dex using zero-knowledge proof. The team theory crafted a way to disconnect the link between the inputs and outputs of crosschain trades.
Extra
🏆🤝 Pool bounty ($1,000)
This pool was allocated to all verified contract addresses that made a successful xCall during the hackathon. We wanted everyone to experience how easy it is to create a crosschain transaction with xCalls.
Were you inspired to build something new?
No need to wait for the next hackathon!
Get in touch, and we’ll find ways to support you.
About Connext
Connext is a network for fast, trustless communication between chains and rollups. It’s the most secure crosschain protocol as it doesn’t add any new trust assumptions. Connext is aimed at developers who are looking to build bridges and other natively crosschain applications (xApps). To date, over $1.5b in transactions have crossed the network.
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