I. Introduction
The WAX Developer Hive is where developers from all over the world can find the tools and resources to help build software for the WAX protocol.
All things digital are based on code programmed by ‘developers’, unusual humans whose brains are wired for a level of complexity most people will never even begin to grasp. Without them, no software. They need tools to make sure the user experience is fast, secure, and looks great. Otherwise, we’d still be stuck on this:
Rather than ‘reinvent the wheel’, WAX developers use the Developer Hive to share code that is based on FOSS (open source) standards. This saves developers time and money, reduces the cost to end-users, and keeps the WAX ecosystem moving forward.
The WAX Developer Hive is where you can see ‘under the hood’ of how all the technical stuff gets made. Read on if you are techy, and even if you are not, it will help you understand WAX better!
II. The HIVE
i. Code Basics
The main programming language of WAX is C++, which is a very flexible general-purpose programming environment. WAX code on the Developer Hive is built around Simple Assets, an open-source coding standard that helps developers borrow and adapt from each other. There is also a host of essential APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) built by dFuse.
ii. The Main Page
The Developer Hive features resources to help developers. The main page is split into 4 sections along the top:
iii. Products
There are three items under Products:
- dApps Development – for Decentralized Applications that make things happen
- WAX dRNG – for a Random Number Generator to make things provably fair
- WAX Cloud Wallet – for connecting dApps to WAX users
iv. Quickstarts
‘Quickstarts’ help developers get familiar with the way WAX is put together. The first element is the Docker Quickstart, which gives coders a virtual machine on their own computer where they can safely test out their ‘smart contract’ code as if it were on the actual blockchain. Windows, Mac, and Linux are all catered for. The main page shows a number of projects. Once a developer has set up the environment, they can play about with various pre-set tasks:
- Create a Game of Chance using the WAX Random Number Generator
- Use dFuse to query the WAX Blockchain and stream real-time data
The WAX Cloud Wallet quickstart shows how to send smart contract transactions to the WAX Blockchain, manage a blockchain account, upload keys, and other important basic tasks. Developers can also create some Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).
Here is an example of some code using the Smart Assets standard:
v. Documents & Tools
The main resources that lead deeper into the Hive itself are split into three options: ‘dApp Development’, ‘dRNG’, and ‘WAX Cloud Wallet’. These are further split into 3 sub-sections:
- Get Started – how to set up the coding environment
- Build a dApp / Authorize a User – how to start coding
- Guides – for further information
Clicking on each deeper level, developers can find further steps, such as:
- Before You Begin
- How It Works
- What’s Next
This layout makes it easy for coders, novice and expert alike, to learn how to program dApps in the WAX ecosystem without getting thrown in at the deep end.
III. Summary
This article is a quick overview of the Developer Hive. All this collaborative energy and programming creativity is what creates exciting new dApps in WAX. The next article in this series will take a deeper dive into how you can build a dApp on WAX.