With the emergence of Web3, it has quickly become one of the most exciting development areas. Investments are pouring into the decentralized web, and new interesting projects are continuously popping, expanding this growing ecosystem of dapps. Within this system, we find various innovative projects ranging from DeFi platforms to metaverse games. However, even though you might have heard of Web3 and understand the basic fundamentals of this space, you might still be unfamiliar with the intricacies of Web3 development. For this reason, we’ll explore more about how you can build on Web3 in this article!
We’ll start this guide by explaining why someone would want to build dapps on Web3. Also, we’re going to explore the benefits of the decentralized web and how it differs from Web2. Following this, we’ll look at how you can build on Web3, where we’ll take our time to explore the Moralis operating system. Lastly, we’ll top everything off by discovering the necessary skills to become a blockchain developer!
The most accessible way to build on Web3 is through Moralis. Moralis is a premier operating system for blockchain development, and as a user, you’ll be able to save an average of 87% on all Web3 projects. The increased efficiency is partly due to the platform’s underlying backend infrastructure and excellent development tools. For example, among these features, you’ll find Moralis’ Web3 API, which allows you to build advanced dapps such as Web3 Spotify or Web3 Twitter clones.
So, if you have ambitions to build on Web3, consider signing up with Moralis. Creating an account is entirely free, and you can start developing Web3-compatible projects in no time!
Why Build on Web3?
Web3 has rapidly emerged as one of the most interesting development spaces. The vibrant industry continues evolving at a tremendous rate as Web3 is experiencing an influx of skilled developers. This contemporary state of Web3 presents great opportunities for newcomers and startups to gain substantial market share in an exponentially growing market. As such, now is a great time to build on Web3 and contribute to the next stage of the internet.
However, from a conventional perspective, there have been high entry barriers for new actors to enter the market. Backend development, in general, has been the most problematic hurdle. Also, this is where we can identify the most significant differences between Web2 and Web3 development. Consequently, this has increased the demand for IaaS (infrastructure as a service) platforms such as Moralis to provide a complete Web3 workflow.
Moralis solves the traditional issues associated with blockchain development by providing a more accessible developer experience. Accordingly, developers can allocate more time towards Web3 frontend and smart contract development. Further, by focusing on the user side of the development, it’s possible to build more user-friendly dapps and create a great dapp UI (user interface) for all blockchain projects to make the industry fitter for mass adoption. Moreover, if you have an interest in UI design, check out Moralis’ web3uikit.
Now that we have somewhat explored what makes Web3 an exciting industry, we’ll progress by taking a closer look at how you can build on Web3!
How to Build on Web3
Moralis is the best way to build on Web3 since the platform eliminates the most significant problems with Web3 backend development by providing access to a fully managed backend infrastructure. As such, avoiding the hassles of creating the infrastructure from scratch is possible.
Instead, users of Moralis can, for example, utilize Moralis’ Web3 SDK to leverage already developed code snippets. This makes it possible to authenticate with MetaMask, send ERC-20 tokens, fetch user transaction histories, etc., with only single lines of code.
Also, Moralis supplies some of the industry’s most powerful development tools along with the backend infrastructure. Prominent examples are the Ethereum NFT API, Binance NFT API, and Polygon NFT API. These tools allow developers to create cross-chain compatible dapps easily. In addition, it’s possible to, for example, create an Ethereum dapp or build Polygon dapps more efficiently, providing a quicker route to market. Consequently, using Moralis provides a great competitive advantage allowing you to potentially gain a more significant market share!
As the most significant differences between Web2 and Web3 are found in backend development, Moralis makes it easier for traditional Web2 developers to transition into the decentralized web. As such, Moralis allows both conventional Web2 and Web3 developers to create dapps much quicker and more effectively.
So, how exactly do you build on Web3? In the following section, we’ll look closer at how easy it’s to set up a new Web3 dapp with Moralis!
Building on Web3 – How Does It Work?
If you’re planning on developing dapps, we highly recommend signing up with Moralis. As the premier operating system for Web3 developers, you’ll be able to save significantly on development time. Moreover, let’s take a closer look at the setup process and how you can create a dapp in just minutes.
Once you have a Moralis account at hand, you can navigate to the admin panel. At the top of the Moralis interface, you’ll find three tabs, and we’re currently interested in ”Dapps”. If you navigate to this page, you’ll be presented with the ”Create New Dapp” button. Once you click on this button, you’ll initiate the setup process of your first dapp.
As Moralis is cross-chain compatible, you have the option to create dapps for multiple blockchains simultaneously. Initially, you need to select an environment and pick your desired network(s). Then, you need to choose a region, input a name, and finally hit the “Create Your Dapp” button. This will spin up your own Moralis dapp to which you can connect your projects.
With a dapp at your disposal, you can access all sorts of information and features. For example, if you click the “Settings” button, you’ll be directed to your dapp’s dashboard. From there, you can change settings, find the dapp credentials, and access your dapp’s database. At first, the database will be empty; however, if you, for example, authenticate users, the database will automatically populate all sorts of information that you can use in your development endeavors.
From here, all that remains is that you develop the code for your project and connect it to your Moralis dapp. To aid you in this process, it’s also beneficial to install the Moralis SDK. In the following section, we’ll show you how to initialize Moralis and install the SDK!
Initializing Moralis and Installing the Moralis SDK
First, let’s see how to connect the code you’re working on to the dapp by initializing Moralis. To do so, we need two pieces of information from the dapp itself: the dapp URL and application ID. To find this information, you need to navigate back to the Moralis admin panel and click on the “Settings” button. From there, you’ll find both the URL and ID under the “Dapp Credentials” heading. It should look something like this:
Once you have these elements at hand, you need to use them in the following manner:
const serverUrl = "https://xxxxx/server";
const appId = "YOUR_APP_ID";
Moralis.start({ serverUrl, appId });That’s it when it comes to initializing Moralis. Your code is now connected to your dapp! So, when the code executes, it will, for example, populate your database with all sorts of valuable information. Now, let’s take a closer look at how to install the Moralis SDK!
Installing the SDK is even simpler than initializing Moralis. All you need is to implement the following into your project:
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/web3.min.js"></script> <script src="https://unpkg.com/moralis/dist/moralis.js"></script>
Please check out the official documentation if you’d like to learn more about initializing Moralis. This will provide a detailed breakdown of how to create your first dapp. Also, you’ll most likely find all the answers to your questions there.
Even if you have a dapp connected to your project at hand, you still need to build your dapp using your programming skills. So, in the last section, we’ll take a closer look at the necessary skills you’ll need for Web3 development!
Build on Web3 – Web3 Development Skills
The most significant difference between Web2 and Web3 development is generally backend development. However, as Moralis takes care of all the heavy backend lifting, we’re going to focus on frontend and smart contract development. So, let’s initiate by taking a closer look at the differences and similarities between Web2 and Web3 frontend development!
When it comes to these two spaces, there isn’t a lot separating them. For this reason, we’ll begin by exploring the similarities between the two fields. Moreover, like traditional Web2 practices, Web3 frontend web developers need to master JavaScript (JS), HTML, and CSS. Below, we provide a brief overview of these languages:
- JavaScript – JavaScript is primarily utilized in web development, and it’s one of the most significant frontend development languages. JS has the potential to update both HTML and CSS elements. This means that JS is crucial in making dapps more interactive.
- HTML – HTML is an abbreviation for ”HyperText Markup Language”, and this language is used to structure the contents of a webpage. As such, this is where the code for fields, buttons, headings, etc., are found.
- CSS – CSS stands for ”Cascading Style Sheets”, which developers use to style webpages and applications.
So, now that we have a brief overview of the similarities between Web2 and Web3, let’s take a closer look at the main difference.
The most significant difference between the two spaces is the proficiency of the Web3.js library. This is a collection of JS libraries providing developers easy access to interacting with a remote or local Ethereum node, for example. As such, the most significant difference when it comes to frontend development between Web2 and Web3 is knowledge of this library.
Smart Contract Development
Even though Web3 frontend development doesn’t significantly differ from more traditional practices, another area we need to explore is smart contracts. So, what are smart contracts?
Smart contracts are essentially programs running on a blockchain such as Ethereum. They generally consist of two parts: 1) a collection of code and 2) data existing on a specific address on-chain. Smart contracts are a type of account. This means they can hold assets and make transactions. However, instead of being managed by a person, the account/contract is managed by the contract’s code.
Smart contracts are generally written in Solidity – a smart contract programming language. Solidity is considered the first contract-oriented language, and it’s used to write EVM-compatible smart contracts. Furthermore, Solidity has influences from JS and C++, which means that if you have prior experience with either of these languages, you’ll most likely pick up Solidity faster.
So, to summarize, the most significant differences between Web2 and Web3 development are Web3.js and smart contract development.
If you’d like to explore the necessary skills for Web3 development further, we highly recommend checking out our article on the best languages for blockchain development. Moreover, if you want to focus on smart contract development, check out our “How to Create Smart Contracts” guide. By doing so, you’ll be able to explore the intricacies of smart contract development, which will improve your proficiency as a Web3 developer!
That’s it for this tutorial. You should now hopefully understand how to build on Web3 and can begin your journey in Web3 immediately!
How to Build on Web3 – Summary
The most significant hurdle for Web3 development has – at least from a traditional perspective – been backend development, which is where we find the most significant differences between Web3 and more conventional development practices. However, this is no longer a concern as platforms like Moralis have emerged to deal with the heavy backend lifting.
This suggests that the best and easiest way to build on Web3 is through the utilization of Moralis. As such, this is why we dedicated this guide to diving deeper into building Web3 projects with Moralis and were able to create a dapp with just a few simple clicks!
However, this only covers the basics of working with Moralis, and there is much more to learn. So, feel free to browse the Moralis blog for the freshest and most relevant Web3 development content. For example, if you find the metaverse interesting, you can dive deeper into Moralis’ Metaverse SDK. The SDK allows you to create sophisticated projects such as a medieval metaverse game, an AR metaverse NFT mystery box, and even create your own metaverse! Also, if you’re interested in NFT development, you should sign up with Moralis!
What’s more, if you have ambitions to hone your Web3 development skills, please check out Moralis Academy. The academy offers a great selection of blockchain courses such as ”Crypto for Beginners” or ”Master DeFi in 2022”. So, enroll in Moralis Academy and move closer to becoming blockchain certified!
