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NEAR Application Reviews

Get insights and explanations directly from NEAR Core team members as they talk through the intricacies of dApp development.

Ep. # 1 - App Access Keys

Everything you wanted to know about access keys but were afraid to ask!

  • Onboard users without them having to set up a wallet!
  • Explore unique UX onboarding pattern with NEAR's access keys.
  • Strategy discussion for progressively decentralizing a user's account.

[ Project Repository]

Ep. # 2 - Social Token Drop (pt. 1)

Ways to drop social tokens to users who don't have wallets or gas!

  • Explore easy ways to drop tokens to your friends without having to follow 3000 steps to get a crypto wallet.
  • It's here, it's NEAR, it's crystal clear!

[ Project Repository ]

Ep. # 3 - Social Token Drop (pt. 2)

[ Project Repository ]

Ep. # 4 - Cross Contract Calls

WHAAAAAT? Contracts can call other contracts?

  • Deploy multiple contracts on testnet and run tests with 1 command? Whoaaaaa!
  • How to call contracts.
  • Set up your environment for quick testing.
  • General reasoning about some of the basic of cross contract calls and "composition" as NEAR Protocol expands!

[ Project Repository ]

Ep. # 5 - Payments API

Learn how to make a Payments API that accepts NEAR tokens.

  • Manage a unique address that user's can deposit to with their username + some meta data.
  • "enter a tournament" by submitting a username and a tournament name.
  • An account is generated and you send NEAR to the account.
  • Finally, deposit the near and the payments API destroys the temporary account and takes the funds.

[ Project Repository ]

Ep. # 6 - NFT Example 1

Part 1/3 NFT example of progressive onboarding. Users don't have any crypto. They create NFTs. Sell NFTs. Earn their crypto. Create named NEAR Protocol accounts.

  • Part 1 is a Rust smart contract walkthrough.
  • Learn some basics of Rust, the NEAR SDK and how smart contract transactions and storage work in NEAR Protocol.
  • Find out how to handle the implicit accounts and regular accounts in a single "only_owner" modifier method that protects the ownership of NFTs and NEAR tokens.

Ep. # 6 - NFT Example 2

Part 2/3 NFT example of progressive onboarding. Users don't have any crypto. They create NFTs. Sell NFTs. Earn their crypto. Create named NEAR Protocol accounts.

  • Part 2 is a demo of the app and an overview of Jest tests using near-api-js.

  • Learn some basics of how to test a Rust smart contract on testnet, using Jest and near-api-js.

  • Find out how to set up tests, run tests and use different access keys / different accounts in tests.

Ep. # 6 - NFT Example 3

Part 3/3 NFT example of progressive onboarding. Users don't have any crypto. They create NFTs. Sell NFTs. Earn their crypto. Create named NEAR Protocol accounts.

  • Part 3 is an overview of the frontend app built in React.
  • Learn how to use near-api-js to connect to the blockchain, manage keys / accounts, request data from contracts and call contract methods that change state with / without deposits of NEAR attached
  • This is a walkthrough of an example React app that covers most of the basics you need to do something meaningful with NEAR Protocol!

Ep. # 7 - Coin Flip Random Function

NEAR Protocol has a Verifiable Random Function (VRF) that is pretty darn good in terms of "trustlessness".

  • Find out how to use it, make app tests for it and write a simple frontend.

Ep. # 8 - Payments Contracts

Learn how to make a deposit contract on NEAR!

  • Accept payments with a memo field for various different events and track which users are making which payments.
  • Users can choose to withdraw their deposits, or confirm their payment (cannot withdraw after confirmation).

Ep. # 9 - Subscription Contract

NEAR Protocol has a Verifiable Random Function (VRF) that is pretty darn good in terms of "trustlessness".

  • Find out how to use it, make app tests for it and write a simple frontend. Using NEAR Protocol and time based subscriptions, a client can pull their funds if they feel like they're not getting the service they signed up for. The provider can see this and stop delivering the service. Welcome to the future!

Ep. # 10 - Boilerplate Review

New bounty for some needed dev tools in the NEAR ecosystem!

  • We went over the boilerplate I have been using for Live App Review so far and got some feedback from guests.

Ep. # 11 - Access Key w/ App Username

We go over a pattern for using access key accounts that sponsor app interactions with contract Additionally, we discuss some logistics around the user upgrading to a full account and claiming this app username.

Ep. # 12 - Access Key w/ App Username 2

We do a demo of creating a "guest" named account for an app where the gas fees are sponsored by a special app account

  • The guest account doesn't exist (sometimes called a virtual or contract account) until the user upgrades, but the name is reserved because only the app is able to create USERNAME.APP_NAME.near.
  • This has many advantages for user onboarding, where users can use the app immediately and later can be upgraded to a full account. The users also don't have to move any assets - namely the fungible tokens they earned as a guest user.

Ep. # 13 - Social Token Drops

Dropping tokens to users in the traditional Web2 way!

  • One of the issues with Social Tokens is that they start with zero value. A creator, artist or community might want to drop a bunch of tokens to their fans but the audience has (1) no crypto to pay for fees (2) no wallet (3) no concept of crypto or blockchain; prior to the drop.
  • We do a demo of creating a "guest" named account for an app where the gas fees are sponsored by a special app account called guests.APP_NAME.near.
  • The guest account doesn't exist (sometimes called a virtual or contract account) until the user decides to swap their tokens and upgrade to a real account. Until then their name is reserved because only the app is able to create USERNAME.APP_NAME.near.
  • This has many advantages for user onboarding, where users can use the app immediately and later can be upgraded to a full account.

Ep. # 14 - Social Token Drops

We explore an NFT Launcher repo (kitchen sink) that will help projects jumpstart their NFT project.

  • In this video we demo the contract and the app tests of guest minting and approved transfers (approve NFT to be sold on markets).
  • At the end we go over a server side API for NFTs for projects new to blockchain thanks to Vadim (Zavodil).

Ep. # 15 - NFT Server API

Want to get started with blockchain and NFTs? Don't wanna write your own smart contract? Check out this deployable Server Side API that uses NEAR Protocol!

  • Want to get started with blockchain and NFTs? Don't wanna write your own smart contract? Check out this deployable Server Side API that uses NEAR Protocol!
  • All transactions are still done on the blockchain and can be viewed on the NEAR Protocol testnet!

Ep. # 16 - NFT Launcher

Onboard users seamlessly to your NFT app by letting them create something on the blockchain right away!

  • Before your users have to run out, get a wallet and buy crypto, let them enjoy the features of your app, join your community and create some value.
  • NEAR Protocol lets developers create named sub-accounts for apps, sponsor gas fees and seamlessly upgrade those accounts to a full account where the user can connect the wallet of their choice!

Ep. # 17 - NEAR API Server Examples

How can we upgrade a web game into a blockchain app with NFT minting and transfers by adding only ~30 lines of code? NEAR API Server will help here.

Ep. # 18 - Gas Cost Profiling

You wanna deploy some Fungible or Non-Fungible tokens, but you don't know how much it's going to cost?

  • Does it make business sense to offload your security and allow your users to custody their own tokens to be part of the Web3 revolution?
  • Find out how to profile your gas costs against the NEAR Protocol Testnet using only JavaScript! It's fun and easy to write tests and add in some gas profiling logic.
  • WIP utilities and profile.test.js here: https://github.com/near-apps/ft-launcher

Ep. # 19 - NFT Marketplace with FT Transfers and Royalty Distribution

In this video we walk through the frontend tests for an NFT marketplace that supports fungible token NFT purchases and royalty payouts.

Ep. # 20 - NFT Marketplace Frontend Code Walkthrough

In this video we discuss the frontend of the Demo NFT Marketplace on NEAR. We fix an issue (LIVE) with the updating of price to improve UX.

Ep. # 21 - Easy Building on Blockchain

“We believe everyone should be able to create, own and exchange value on the internet.”

Ep. # 22 - NFT Gallery Frontend Development Walkthrough

An Awesome walkthrough of an NFT Gallery

Ep. # 23 - NFT Drawing & Minting App

Create a Drawing, Mint the Drawing!!

Ep. # 24 - NFT Generative Avatars

Create Generative Art and Mint your new NFTs!!