Just by asking, “how to become a Web3 developer?” you are already way ahead of the herd. Now’s the best time to use your existing Web2 skills and make the transition to Web3 development. Moreover, even if you have no experience at all, you can become a blockchain developer relatively fast. The important part is to take action – start learning and building today. As long as you are able to see that Web3 is here to stay, your thoughts are directed properly. In the next five to ten years, Web3 will take over most industries. However, it could happen even sooner. As such, make sure to position yourself accordingly. All it takes is being resourceful, growth-oriented, curious about this new tech, and smart enough to use the right tools.
Herein, we’ll explore how to become a Web3 developer easily. We will inform you about the programming languages that you should primarily focus on. Also, we’ll present you with some phenomenal crypto tools. Moreover, these tools can make the “how to become a Web3 developer” journey a lot smoother.
Further, tools such as Remix, Ganache, Truffle, OpenZeppelin, and MetaMask are just waiting to be utilized and put to use by you. However, among the current Web3 tech stack, Moralis is your number one operating system. This ultimate Web3 development platform, also known as “Firebase for crypto”, makes Web3 development feel like a breeze. It enables you to have your dApps (decentralized applications) up and running in minutes. In addition, Moralis’ SDK comes with the most extensive Web3 API, including the Ethereum API and NFT API. You can also use it to index the blockchain. Hence, create your free Moralis account now!
How to Become a Web3 Developer
Before we take our discussion any further, you should note that there are several aspects to Web3 development. Primarily, you have the backend and the frontend, just like with Web2. Moreover, since smart contracts are an essential part of dApps, they deserve a separate category. Of course, there’s also the creation and development of new programmable blockchains, but that is not what interests us herein.
As mentioned in the introduction, our mission is to show you how to become a Web3 developer with the least resistance. This includes knowing what tools to use that are simple to understand and what languages to learn for Web3 development. In addition, you should also focus on delivering tangible results – something that you can show your coworkers, your potential clients, or investors. As such, you need to learn how to create a great dApp UI. Accordingly, the frontend is obviously essential. On the other hand, without a proper backend and smart contracts, you can’t add any proper functionalities.
How to Become a Web3 Developer: Should You Start with the Frontend or the Backend?
So, what should an aspiring Web3 developer focus on primarily? Fortunately, you can learn some about the frontend and backend simultaneously. How? It’s all possible with Moralis. This best Web3 backend platform enables you to cover all of your blockchain-related backend needs with short snippets of code. Remember that the neat and efficient Moralis documentation is at your complete disposal. As such, you can simply copy the relevant line of code and paste it into your code editor. Once you create a Moralis server and populate your code with its details, your backend worries are gone.
So, how to become a Web3 developer? Make sure you learn how to create a proper frontend and use Moralis’ SDK to cover the backend. That’s the gist of becoming a Web3 dev. But don’t worry, we’ll provide you with more detailed instructions below. Also, please, don’t go down the road like many other devs by building on top of RPC nodes. That is an outdated approach, and dealing with the limitations of RPC nodes is highly time-consuming. Plus, even after putting in the time and energy, you may still not get the results you want. Hence, the path of the least resistance is a much safer route, which is exactly what Moralis provides.
To Smart Contract or Not to Smart Contract?
How about smart contracts? You’re right; these on-chain pieces of software are an essential part of Web3 development. However, the reality is that this part of development normally represents about five to ten percent. So, do you think that you should focus on smart contracts development first? If your answer is no, you are right. Of course, as you progress and want to learn how to cover your dApps’ specific needs and implement proper automated rules, creating quality smart contracts is in place. However, there are so many verified smart contract templates at your disposal already. As such, you can build all sorts of dApps without knowing much about how to create smart contracts. Further, you can cover most of your smart contracts’ needs with OpenZeppelin templates and Remix. The latter is a smart contract compiler and deployer.
Nonetheless, there is an additional aspect to creating smart contracts from scratch – it can be extremely costly. Since smart contracts are where all of the rules lie, any mistakes can cost you a fortune. As such, it’s crucial to audit all of your smart contracts properly before deploying them. With that said, it clearly makes a lot of sense to use verified smart contract templates whenever possible.
How to Become a Web3 Developer – The Gist
Let’s point out that we all have our own preferences, expectations, and circumstances. Thus, there is no “one size fits all” path to becoming a Web3 developer. However, based on our own experience and feedback from thousands of developers, we reached some indisputable conclusions. Here’s our recommendation on how to become a Web3 developer:
- Learn to create a proper frontend.
- Learn to use Moralis’ SDK to cover your backend needs.
- If the need for unique smart contracts arises, learn how to create your own smart contracts.
Moreover, there are many different ways you can go about each of the above three stages. Further, you always have a “free” path and a “professional” path option. Of course, the latter is the one to focus on if you are serious about becoming a blockchain developer as soon as possible. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any high-quality free educational videos and articles available.
Learn to Create a Proper Frontend
There are many frontend development languages. However, we believe JavaScript (JS) gives you the most bang for your buck. This is also why we created Moralis in a way that JavaScript proficiency in combination with MetaMask is enough to get started. Of course, being familiar with Web3 basics and using your favorite code editor is also considered as some of the prerequisites. Moreover, in case you already know JavaScript, you can move to the second step and learn how to use Moralis’ SDK to cover your backend needs.
If you are not yet proficient in JavaScript, make sure to get that skill under your belt first. Thanks to JavaScript’s popularity, there are countless free and paid ways to learn this popular coding language. Using YouTube videos and other free online materials with a clear intent will get you far. Although, enrolling in a quality course will give you more precise guidance and a properly structured path.
Furthermore, there is a particular JavaScript course that we highly recommend – “JavaScript Programming for Blockchain Developers”. As the name suggests, it is designed to serve developers who want to focus on Web3. Throughout the course, you’ll put the theory you’ve learned into practice and build a DEX. Nonetheless, when using JavaScript, you have the option to focus on plain JavaScript (often called “vanilla JavaScript”) or use the JavaScript frontend library, React. When using the latter, you need to break your UI into components. However, vanilla JavaScript enables you to structure applications in any way you want.
In addition, we also recommend learning TypeScript (TS), especially if you want to focus on using React. There are some aspects in which TS is superior to JS. As such, we are already implementing everything that’s required to fully support that programming language with Moralis.
Learn to Use Moralis’ SDK to Cover Your Backend Needs
The speed and simplicity that Moralis brings to the table make it an essential part of your blockchain development. With Moralis, you get to save as much as 87% on development time. Furthermore, by learning to use this Web3 development platform, you are not risking anything. Since Moralis is all about cross-chain interoperability, it enables you to deploy your dApps across all supported chains such as Ethereum, Polygon, BSC, and Avalanche. In addition, Elrond is in the pipeline. As such, by using Moralis, you can future-proof your work.
Once you know JavaScript and have Web3 basics covered, it’s incredibly easy to use Moralis. All details you need are at your disposal in Moralis’ documentation, which you can access for free. Moreover, you also get to create your Moralis account for free. As such, you get to start using Moralis’ SDK without spending a dime initially. Further, you can get additional support in Moralis’ Discord channel and the Moralis forum. However, if you are interested in expert guidance, Moralis Academy is the premier platform. Aside from high-quality courses on different blockchain topics, you’ll get a personalized study path and mentorship. As a result, you will be able to master Web3 development markedly quicker.
All in all, learning how to use Moralis is all about practice. As such, your goal should be to take on as many example projects as possible. Aside from those offered to you inside Moralis Academy, there are countless tutorials on the Moralis blog and the Moralis YouTube channel. We recommend starting with simpler projects to get the hang of it. Hence, mastering Web3 authentication may be a great place to start.
How to Become a Web3 Developer: Extra Shortcuts
When you start to learn how to use Moralis’ SDK by following our example projects, you will soon encounter our boilerplates. Here, the Ethereum dApp boilerplate and the Ethereum mobile boilerplate are the bases for all our other boilerplates. With these shortcuts, you can have your web or mobile dApps ready in record time. Often, you only need to clone the relevant GitHub code and enter your Moralis server’s details. If you are interested in creating functional dApps with a neat UI, be sure to check out our boilerplate projects.
React Native is another strong argument as to why JS and its popular library React is an excellent starting point. They also open up doors to start developing React Native Web3 apps and, in turn, target mobile users.
Advanced: Learn to Create Smart Contracts
As explained above, you can become a good Web3 developer without knowing how to create smart contracts. However, as you take on more unique projects, the need to learn this skill may arise as well. As such, we want to share some quick tips with you. As the image above suggests, the programming language to focus on for smart contract creation is Solidity. Fortunately, this language is relatively simple to get started with; however, it is also quite tricky to master. As such, we recommend you rely on verified templates whenever possible. Furthermore, Solidity is applicable for all EVM-based chains (Ethereum, Polygon, Avalanche, etc.), which gives you a lot of options. On the other hand, in case you already know Rust, you may want to focus on building on top of the Solana blockchain.
Moreover, there are many free and paid options to learn Solidity. A great place to start is the “Learning Solidity” playlist available at Moralis’ YouTube channel. In addition, the “Ethereum Smart Contract Programming 101” course awaits you at Moralis Academy.
Here’s also a video overview of how to become a Web3 developer (start at 9:43):
An important part of becoming a blockchain developer is understanding the basics. As such, use the “become a blockchain developer” link in the introduction to access the essential blockchain development concepts and tools explained in one place.
Nonetheless, you should also take a look at Moralis’ Metaverse SDK, especially if you have some experience with Unity. This is the simplest way to get involved in Web3 gaming development. Start by connecting a Unity game with Web3 login. Then, you can learn using metaverse smart contact examples. Finally, you’ll be ready to build a medieval metaverse game or a Web3 MMORPG with Unity.
Conclusion of How to Become a Web3 Developer – Full Guide
In this guide, you’ve learned a lot. You now know how to become a Web3 developer. It really isn’t rocket science, and we believe that everyone who believes in the technology and finds it interesting can become a Web3 dev. In addition, you’ve also discovered that there are many paths you can take on this journey. With online education booming, you have many free and paid options available. As such, we leave it up to you to decide your next step. However, the guidelines you should follow to get to the finish line with the least resistance are as follows:
- Learn to create a proper frontend – learn JavaScript.
- Learn to use Moralis’ SDK to cover your backend needs.
- If the need for unique smart contracts arises, learn how to create your own smart contracts.
Take action by applying the guidelines provided herein, and you’ll be able to go full-time crypto in no time.
