Introducing the DeFi Developer Roadmap

We’re proud of the fact that 10Clouds is the largest blockchain software development house in Europe. We have more than 30 blockchain and DeFi projects under our belt, and a unique team of developers who are skilled specifically in this type of project. We’ve worked, among other projects, on Earnity, a Silicon-valley, community-based crypto platform and Aleph Zero, a new privacy blockchain. But we’re invested in continuously improving our knowledge and expertise in the field, which is why we’ve built a DeFi Developer Roadmap.

What is the 10Clouds DeFi Developer Roadmap?

To ensure that we are all keeping up with the latest developments in DeFi, and delivering an outstanding service to customers, we decided to develop a knowledge roadmap using Roadmap.sh. Below, we wanted to walk you through some of its key features. These are the areas that every 10Clouds developer is skilled up in before becoming an autonomous owner or contributor to DeFi client projects.

1. Understanding the basics of Crypto

We cover the difference between Proof of Work Vs Proof of Stake, give an introduction to hashing and Merkle Tree. We walk our team members through all of the basics that they’ll need to cover before progressing onto more in-depth DeFi knowledge.

2. Wallets

We describe wallet types and what a wallet actually is - unlike a regular wallet this is a tool for signing transactions. We compare wallet safety and usability, depending on user needs. We delve into the details of hardware wallets, which are used for holding assets safely, and Gnosis safe - a wallet for multiple owners of a single address. We also cover Metamask, walletConnect and Relay - all of which support interaction with Web3 apps.

3. An in-depth understanding of networks

In this part of the roadmap, we want to make sure that all participants understand the differences between blockchain networks. We begin with the different main nets used for different protocols - namely Ethereum, Polygon and Avalanche. We also cover the different test networks used for testing smart contracts, including Rinkeby and Goerli on Ethereum, Fuji on Avalanche and Mumbai on Polygon. We then move onto understanding faucets - giveaway testnet tokens to cover transaction fees of tested applications. We cover network forking, with local testing, just like you would on the real, main network. Finally, we delve into bridging - transferring assets between different networks.

4. An overview of development tools

Here, we begin by covering the Hardhat, Foundry and Brownie frameworks which allow for development, compilation, tests, mainnet forking and other features which are usually added by installing plugins. These frameworks help to maintain a project structure and to keep everything in place.

We then introduce the team to tools for writing simple tests and checking their coverage. We also cover online IDE, development tools for interacting with deployed contracts, and setting automatic workers that periodically interact with contracts.

Next, we move onto security tools for auditing contracts against their vulnerabilities and Frontend tools for interacting with smart contracts from web applications and making them Web3 apps.

5. The Ethereum Pipeline

In this section, we cover the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) fundamentals, such as deployment, ABI and interaction with deployed contracts. We explain the role of a HTTP provider as a gateway to interaction with blockchain. We also share a glossary of important terms which will come in useful when working with the pipeline.

6. A deep-dive into Solidity

We offer a comprehensive guide through the most important constructs of the Solidity language. As Solidity is unusual, we also distinguish a few additional constructs, such as communication types and assembly practices.

7. ERCs

We explain the standards for tokens, which are actually applications that run on blockchain. We also cover regular tokens, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and objects that can be the same in defined amounts (items). We touch on popular ERC add-ons, extending their functionalities.

8. Library Goodies

Here, we explore the various defined and audited libraries which extend smart contract functionalities and security. We cover ownership and access management, as well as the prevention of re-entrancy attacks. We also explain how to build governance using the smart contracts of so-called DAO applications - making use of existing libraries.

9. The overall ecosystem

Here we give an overview of the entire ecosystem, which includes:

• The side protocols which create it
• IPFS for storing data
• The Ethereum Name Service (ENS), as well as domain name service (DNS) for Web3
• Chainlink - a tool which makes blockchain talk to the external world
• The graph - tool for interacting with contracts from regular applications
• Automation tools for scheduled contract interactions
• Dune analytics - an effective representation of blockchain data using diagrams

10. Swaps

This learning block is all about understanding the fundamentals of swaps on blockchain, including the differences between decentralized and centralized exchanges. We also cover risks and how to prevent them, and touch on practices for earning on DEXes. Finally, we talk about the most popular protocols and the differences between them.

11. Borrowing

Here we cover the fundamentals of loans on blockchain, the risks involved, and the extensions of blockchain loans vs traditional ones. We also take a deep dive into some popular protocols for loans.

12. Yield optimizers

Yield optimization is all about getting higher revenue through diversifying investments among multiple protocols, including swaps and loans. We cover the meaning of terms such as liquidity mining and annual percentage yield (APY). We also delve into popular protocols and their functionalities.

We never stop learning!

This is definitely not the end of the DeFi Developer Roadmap. We are constantly observing the state of the blockchain market, and we’re on the hunt for new, disruptive ideas. We’re watching the blockchain protocol for scalability and interoperability. We’re also in the process of learning the Rust programming language, and imparting this learning throughout the team. Watch this space!

Does it sound like the perfect workplace for you?

Join our team by applying to one of our job ads or just send us your CV. Who knows, we might be looking for someone with your skillset right now.