EdgeSnap: Substrate snap-readiness accelerator

Ecosystem
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Hello Polkadot community,
Recently few of the Edgeware contributors collectively started focusing on generic tooling development for the whole substrate ecosystem and EdgeSnap is forefront of this initiative. We first applied for the W3F Grants Program and the reviewers advocated us to apply for the Decentralized Futures Program.

This topic is an open request for review/feedback from the community members on the EdgeSnap.

EdgeSnap is aiming to accelerate the snap-readiness for chains and dApps from the Polkadot/Substrate ecosystem which aligns with the vision of an easily accessible multi-chain future.
One of EdgeSnap’s offerings is the installation and utilization of Snap apps in one place featuring a Substrate-exclusive Snap Store and Interactive UI. This initiative addresses a critical missing element in the substrate ecosystem by offering a unified and streamlined wallet experience for the end-users.

The current Metamask Snaps Directory offers a catalogue for all the prebuilt Snap apps of different chains but it doesn’t provide the functionality to utilize the installed Snap apps for even a bare minimum of actions like transfer of the native tokens (as it relies on externally hosted UIs). This UX gap is something that EdgeSnap is looking to fill.
At its core, EdgeSnap is composed of two main features: the Snap Store and the Interactive UI. The Snap Store allows users to install the individual Snap apps for specific chains or the Universal Snap app, catering to power users who wish to explore the entire Polkadot/substrate ecosystem with a single app. The Interactive UI enables users to perform basic functions such as checking balances, transferring native tokens, and viewing transaction logs across all supported Substrate chains.

EdgeSnap stands out by aiming to support all 103 Substrate chains, developing and maintaining Snap Apps for each, and assisting developers in making their protocols Snap-compatible. EdgeSnap is more of a service than just a project for the development of substrate snap apps and the brand new Substrate Snap Store. Building something substrate-native will massively benefit small/new Parachains and Solochains by eliminating the financial entry barriers.
The project was conceived during the EthForAll 2023 Hackathon and has since been recognized for its potential, winning the ConsenSys-sponsored track. The contributors working on EdgeSnap bring a wealth of experience from their contributions to the Edgeware ecosystem, ensuring a reliable and efficient development process.

EdgeSnap is more than just a project; it’s a service aimed at enhancing the Substrate ecosystem’s accessibility and functionality, making it an essential tool for anyone looking to navigate the multi-chain future effortlessly.

Past Acknowledgments
We used the snap app developed by Chainsafe(no direct affiliation) for Polkadot and Kusama to develop a custom port for Edgeware in the EthForAll Hackathon and won the Consensys sponsored track.

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I am glad Shankar and other stewards from Edgeware are participating more in the Polkadot ecosystem, because Edgeware has delivered (quietly under appreciated) value to Polkadot by:

  • incubating people and talent and getting them to understand what it is like participating, contributing in a nascent decentralised (substrate based) community.
  • providing of millions of dollars in community voted grants,
  • being an early experiment with grassroots community values (and a substrate based chain that is older than polkadot! i think it was actually polkadot’s EVM hedge bet prior to moonbeam, astar, etc.)
  • being an experimental playground for contributors to gather the rounded skills and experience to be a greater participant in the substrate/polkadot/blockchain ecosystem as a whole.

My experience of Edgeware
I am one of a bunch that have gone through Edgeware’s “experience incubator”. And I think Edgeware + Polkadot Blockchain Academy together is a synergistic combination to develop the talent’s theory + experience.

In Edgeware I worked on launching Kabocha parachain (Edgeware’s kusama parachain project)

Thereafter:

Team can persist through desert conditions
The core Edgeware stewards have proven that they can persist through any market condition. And i think this is should be a key signal when evaluating funding projects and teams.

Experience being a grant funding collective themselves
They are more than experienced evaluating projects based on aligning values and value it can provide to the wider ecosystem. Especially during previous cycles when the market cap was a lot higher, i believe $5m in grants were provided.

EdgeSnap first thought
On first thought i think the propose EdgeSnap, is based on experience of what would be beneficial for the space between EVMs and Polkadot.

Shankar no noob
I can vouch for @Shankar as being a community leader that has showed consistency over the past 3 years in helping to persist Polkadot’s quiet grassroots incubator.

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I vouch for @Shankar ! As a developer previously involved in the Edgeware ecosystem, Shankar has been a pleasure to work with in the past, I’m sure several ecosystem projects can and will speak highly of Shankar. Best of luck! ~flipchan

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