I wrote this article on the Starknet.io blog. You can read the article here.
Articles
Selecting a Crypto-Aligned AI Coding Stack
Recently I started working on a new course on how to use coding agents to effectively create Starknet apps and the first question that came to mind was, which tech stack should I use for teaching? For my everyday job I use Claude Code with Opus 4.8 because the Starknet Foundation (SNF) provides a subscription but it always bothered me how far removed Anthropic and other AI labs are from the values we hold dear in crypto: decentralization, transparency and self sovereignty.
With that in mind I’d like to chose an alternative AI tech stack that better aligns with crypto values while still being powerful enough to build Starknet apps.
Beyond the Blockchain
tl;dr;
- StarkWare has a set of software tools that allows for the creation of cryptographic proofs that attest to the computational integrity of the execution of a computer program
- Cryptographic proofs enable regular computers (ex. a laptop) to keep supercomputers in check
- Blockchains guarantee computational integrity by replying the same transaction over and over
- Although used to create an Ethereum layer 2, this technology can be used outside of the blockchain as well
- This technology can be the tool of choice for Enterprises
Four Challenges to StarkNet’s Success
tl;dr
- Vendor lock-in: difficulty moving away from StarkWare’s ecosystem
- System centralization: the Sequencer and the Prover are operated by StarkWare
- Steep learning curve: Cairo is hard to learn and the documentation has gaps
- Upgradable smart contracts: StarkWare can make changes at any time
Starknet’s Architecture Review
The architecture shown in this article has inaccuracies. Do not use it as a reference until updated (if ever). In the meantime, refer to the official Starknet docs.
tl;dr
- Starknet’s user accounts (wallets) are implemented as smart contracts.
- The system has 3 off-chain components (Sequencer, Prover and Full Nodes) and 2 on-chain (Verifier and Core).
- The current system architecture is able to handle more transactions than Ethereum but with a higher delay for finality.
- A dual checkpoint mechanism has been proposed to reduce time to finality without compromising cost.
- An L2 transaction can be on any of these states: NOT_RECEIVED, RECEIVED, PENDING, ACCEPTED_ON_L2, ACCEPTED_ON_L1 or REJECTED.
The Three Paths for Smart Contract Scalability
tl;dr;
- A smart contract blockchain can scale with hardware, with an optimistic rollup or a zk-rollup
- Solana’s hardware scaling solution suffers from lack of decentralization and sync issues
- Optimistic rollups (Optimism) rely on off-chain verifiers and has a 6 days finality on L1
- zk-rollups (StarkNet) submits and verifies validity proofs on-chain increasing security but also data usage of L1
- Optimistic rollups are cheaper but zk-rollups are more secure
5 Ways Web3 Could Transform the Global South
If you are following crypto news on Twitter, you might learn about the new and trendy NFT collection, how another VC fund raised millions of dollars for investing in crypto startups, the latest demise of a poorly designed web3 protocol or articles on how to survive a bear market. You might get the impression that web3 is all about investing, memes and rug pulls.
A Vision for HubCityDAO 2.0
Note: The ideas presented in this article are my own and does not necessarily represent the future of HubCityDAO. Take these ideas just as a thought experiment of what’s possible.
A few weeks ago we released to the public the white paper for HubCityDAO along with a Juicebox project and a governance token called HUB. In a nutshell, HubCityDAO is a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) whose main goal is to support the Togolese project HubCity that has been fostering the emergence of smart cities in Africa for more than 10 years. HubCity promotes a bottom-up approach that focuses on empowering local communities through technology and knowledge.
5 Ways to Influence the Value of your ERC20 Token
Creating a new crypto currency is extremely easy. In less than 5 minutes you can create and deploy your very own ERC20 token on Ethereum or any other EVM compatible blockchain. Does it mean that your new token will be competing in market cap with the likes of AXS or GALA? Of course not, your new token is most likely worthless.
How do you make your token valuable? In the words of Peter Thiel, how do you go from 0 to 1? In this article we are going to explore 5 different mechanisms that could help provide value for your token.
NFTs and Decentralized Storage
In a previous article I showed you the risks of owning an NFT when its assets are stored on a regular server (AWS, Dropbox, etc.). In our story, Bob, the creator of the NFT, was able to play some tricks on Jim, the owner of the NFT, because he had complete control over the server where the assets of the NFT (image and metadata) were stored.
The Hidden Risks of Owning an NFT
In a previous article I showed you at a high level what an NFT is: an entry on the blockchain that has the information of who owns the image and where the image is located. I depicted that relationship with the image below.
What’s an NFT?
The picture below is an NFT that belongs to a collection called Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and is valued at around $350,000 US dollars and now it’s mine.
Decentralized Identity with Proof of Humanity
Bots are a big problem in web2 and web3. Tools like reCaptcha can help to stop simpler bots but not the more advanced ones. There are also “farms” where people in poor countries are paid to defeat this mechanisms for some nefarious purpose. Even when a real human is behind the keyboard, the ability to create multiple fake accounts can also be problematic for things like product reviews on Amazon, online harassment or even online voting.
The Probabilities of Breeding Pure Axies Part 2
tl;dr; Using a more realistic probabilistic model that takes into account destructive and neutral mutations, the probability of obtaining at least two 100% pure Aqua offspring from two 100% Aqua parents are 15.21% when bred 2 times, 34.24% when bred 3 times, 51.32% when bred 4 times, 65.14% when bred 5 times, 75.61% when bred 6 times and 83.24% when bred 7 times.
The Probabilities of Breeding Pure Axies
tl;dr; The probabilities of obtaining at least two pure offspring when breeding two pure Axies twice is 7.97%, three times 19.41%, four times 31.75%, five times 43.52%, six times 54.09% and seven times 63.2%
Update: A new article is available with a more realistic model and probabilities.
The Metaverse vs Nation States
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of blockchain games for me is that they might be the embodiment of the metaverse, digital nations with citizens, government, jobs, investment opportunities, policies and even taxes. Granted, the only blockchain game that I have explored so far is Axie Infinity but the more I learn about it the more evident the similarities with nation states become.