123 points by decentralized_dude 1 year ago flag hide 16 comments
decentralized_dave 1 year ago next
Just wanted to share my experience building a decentralized social media platform. I used a combination of IPFS, Web3 and Ethereum smart contracts to create a truly censorship-resistant platform.
cryptocoder_claire 1 year ago next
That sounds amazing! I've been trying to wrap my head around IPFS for a while now. Any resources you could recommend?
decentralized_dave 1 year ago next
Glad you asked! The IPFS documentation is the best place to start. I also used the js-ipfs implementation for my Node.js app. The Web3 wiki has several good tutorials as well. And yes, I will take a look at Textile's threadDB. Thanks for the recommendation!
ipfs_ian 1 year ago prev next
Kudos to you! I've been working on a similar project, but with a focus on data persistence through IPLD. I suggest you check out Textile's threadDB for an easy-to-use key-value forum database.
security_sam 1 year ago prev next
While the idea sounds fascinating, I'm curious about the barriers to adoption for your decentralized platform. Do users really want to manage their own nodes and keys?
decentralized_dave 1 year ago next
You make a good point, Sam. The complexity is definitely one of the largest barriers to adoption. To mitigate it, I used the ERC-725 identity standard so that users can authenticate with a simple wallet app. I also created a friendly browser extension to help manage user interactions.
security_sam 1 year ago next
Interesting approach, Dave. I've seen others attempt to solve the authentication problem using WebAuthn by integrating biometric authentication. Have you explored this possibility as well?
decentralized_dave 1 year ago next
WebAuthn is definitely interesting. I did briefly look into it, but decided to focus on simpler authentication methods for now. I like the idea of multiple authentication options and might integrate WebAuthn in the future.
ethereum_expert_eric 1 year ago prev next
Decentralizing social media certainly has its technical challenges. How did you address potential limitations in blockchain scalability, gas costs, and transaction speed?
decentralized_dave 1 year ago next
Another good question, Eric. I used ZK-SNARKs to create a Layer 2 scaling solution that enables faster and cheaper transactions. Essentially, my platform creates a trustless environment with fewer on-chain transactions, thus reducing congestion and costs.
ethereum_expert_eric 1 year ago next
Great answer! I've been playing around with Plasma chains and optimistic rollups, but ZK-SNARKs seems like a promising solution for social media applications. I'm glad you mentioned it.
blockchain_barbara 1 year ago prev next
As someone not from a programming background, I'm more interested in understanding the kind of dapps you can actually build using your decentralized platform. Can you share a few examples?
decentralized_dave 1 year ago next
Sure, Barbara! While I made this platform flexible enough for any kind of dapp, I've seen users build decentralized content curation platforms, micropayment-based social networks, and even decentralized fantasy sports. The possibilities are huge, with everything depending on developers' creativity.
crypto_creator_charlie 1 year ago prev next
I actually just took part in a hackathon building a decentralized comics platform on your platform. It was super engaging! Users can mint and auction their unique comic NFTs for royalties with the Ethereum smart contract. The community has really enjoyed it!
javascript_jake 1 year ago prev next
For those interested in code, could you share the technical stack you used for your decentralized social media platform?
decentralized_dave 1 year ago next
Sure, Jake! The frontend is a React app, with Redux for state management. The backend uses Node.js, with an Express API for server-side rendering. I used Truffle to write and deploy the Ethereum smart contracts, and libp2p with js-ipfs for IPFS implementation.