Meet the teams: Cosmology — Tooling for interchain development

As stewards of the interchain, the Interchain Foundation (ICF) advances the creation of an interoperable, sustainable, and community-owned decentralized ecosystem. We do this by building basic protocols and funding teams working on developing and furthering the adoption of the Interchain Stack.

Cosmology is one of these Distributed Development Teams that the ICF works with. The team develops and maintains a suite of powerful tools and libraries that empower developers using the Interchain Stack — from CosmJS and Telescope, to the ever popular Cosmos-Kit UI library and Starship testing framework.

In this series, written by the teams that the ICF works with, we explore the work they do and how it benefits the interchain.

Founded in March 2020 by Dan Lynch with a vision to revolutionize the developer experience, Cosmology has quickly become a key player in the interchain ecosystem. Initially focusing on database technology, the company achieved significant traction, as evidenced by nearly 3 million downloads and its adoption by notable companies like Supabase. In 2022, Cosmology strategically pivoted, transitioning to a comprehensive suite of web3 blockchain tools tailored for the Interchain Stack. This transformation uniquely positions Cosmology at the intersection of advanced web2 technology and the growing web3 revolution, ready to shape the future of digital ecosystems.

Our mission goes beyond simplifying blockchain’s low-level complexities; we aim to empower developers to operate on a higher conceptual plane. This shift enables a new generation of decentralized applications that seamlessly navigate the Internet of Blockchains, inspiring developers to focus on visionary, user-centric solutions rather than underlying technical details. As a result, developers are crafting interfaces that represent the cohesive fabric and vision of the interchain, rather than mirroring its low-level structures. Today, Cosmology supports hundreds of blockchain and smart contract projects, integral to a seamless interchain experience, and facilitates billions in transaction value every month.

Empowering Developers, Powering Innovation

Cosmology’s mission is simple yet profound: provide what developers need most, enabling them to focus on what matters most — innovation and creation. Our tools are leveraged by hundreds of developers to create diverse applications including DEXes, digital wallets, governance platforms, NFT marketplaces, and various protocols in lending, leverage, and liquid staking. The innovation fostered by Cosmology is exemplified in prominent projects such as Osmosis, dYdX, Stargaze, Neutron, Mars Protocol, and Juno, showcasing the breadth and depth of applications powered by Cosmology.

The Cosmology Product Suite: Crafting the Interchain

Cosmology’s suite of products is a testament to our commitment to providing developers with the tools they need to excel:

• CosmJS: This JavaScript library is essential for integrating client-side applications with Cosmos SDK blockchains, streamlining the process of signing and broadcasting transactions.
• Cosmos Kit: A versatile wallet adapter, Cosmos Kit bridges the gap between various Cosmos-based wallets and applications, offering a unified interface for developers.
• Create Cosmos App: Revolutionizes the app development process by bundling essential dependencies into a single command, allowing developers to concentrate on coding rather than repetitive setup.
• Chain Registry: Serving as the interface to the Cosmos Chain Registry, the Chain Registry npm module provides crucial information on chains, assets, and IBC channels, streamlining application support across the interchain ecosystem.
• CWScript: A smarter contract language designed for writing smart contracts on the CosmWasm platform.
  Interchain UI: A cross-framework library for UI elements, Interchain UI facilitates the creation of custom themes and components, catering to developers with a flexible, easy-to-use UI kit.
• Starship: This development environment simulates a mini-cosmos ecosystem, enabling end-to-end testing and fostering a TDD approach among developers.
  Telescope: As a TypeScript transpiler for Cosmos Protobufs, Telescope simplifies the creation of developer-friendly libraries, enabling seamless interactions with Cosmos-SDK based blockchains.
• TSCodegen: By converting CosmWasm smart contracts into TypeScript classes, TSCodegen accelerates development, allowing teams to focus more on innovation.

Empowering the Community and Beyond

At Cosmology, our vision extends beyond tool creation; it’s about fostering and empowering a thriving community. Our products are designed to tackle complex development challenges, simplifying the journey for teams as they progress from initial proof-of-concept to successful mainnet launch. Our commitment is aimed at nurturing a robust and innovative interchain ecosystem, enabling developers and projects to flourish and reach their full potential.

Cosmology Validation

Cosmology also proudly validates on prominent chains like Osmosis, Stargaze, and Juno, with the goal of converting delegations into code. Having secured the trust of the community with over 12,500 individual wallets staking to our validators, we’ve successfully secured assets exceeding $3.1 million USD. This milestone not only underscores our commitment to security and reliability in the blockchain space but also reflects the deep trust and confidence the community places in our capabilities as validators.

The Road Ahead

Cosmology’s partnership with the ICF marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in blockchain development. Positioned at the heart of the interchain, we are committed to evolving and growing the interchain ecosystem. Our suite of groundbreaking tools is designed not just to enhance the ecosystem, but also to contribute significantly to the evolving landscape and standards for interchain development. Our team is continuously exploring new avenues to expand our offerings, ensuring that we remain at the cutting edge of blockchain technology.

As we look to the future, we invite you to join us on this exciting journey. Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates, and feel free to reach out as we continue to explore the limitless potentials of the interchain.