Developer Showcase

Back to our Developer Showcase Series to learn what developers in the real world are doing with Hyperledger technologies. Next up is Mark Anthony Morris from Tarantula Technology.

What advice would you offer other technologists or developers interested in getting started working on blockchain?

Focus on Hyperledger projects because Hyperledger is all about blockchain in the enterprise. The interest and use of enterprise blockchain is rapidly growing. In the next couple of years, skills in enterprise blockchain will be in great demand.

Give a bit of background on what you’re working on, and let us know what was it that made you want to get into blockchain?

My work in blockchain is multifaceted. I enjoy lecturing on, writing about, training on, hosting meetups for, designing, and developing blockchain technology. Currently, I am working on launching a blockchain-based startup company, which is developing a SaaS for enterprise and government solutions. I am co-authoring a book for O’Reilly Media titled, “Hands-on Smart Contract Development with Hyperledger Fabric V2,” and author and conduct a 90-minutes to Hyperledger Fabric online training through O’Reilly Media. I host monthly Hyperledger meetups and consult for select clients in need of expertise and guidance on blockchain technology, as well as cybersecurity and advanced enterprise and cloud computing.

I became enthralled with blockchain on a quiet Saturday in early 2015 when I downloaded and began reading the C/C++ source code for Bitcoin. I was not excited about the cryptocurrency use case, Bitcoin, because I had already invented a peer-to-peer funds exchange solution. When I reached the blockchain code, everything changed. I immediately saw the potential use in enterprise and government. I realized it had the capability for ushering in a transformational change to process and collaboration. From that moment I could not get blockchain out of my head. I began reading, studying, learning everything I could find on blockchain, including the use case cryptocurrency, which I see as evolutionary for token use, and eventually a replacement for fiat, manifesting the epoch in the historical evolution of money. I armed myself with the knowledge I needed to design, develop, invent, consult, and teach blockchain technology, which I vigorously continue to pursue.

What project in Hyperledger are you working on? Any new developments to share? Can you sum up your experience with Hyperledger?

I design and develop enterprise and government SaaS solutions powered by Hyperledger Fabric and Hyperledger Sawtooth. I am currently developing Fabric and Sawtooth interoperability software while integrating a suite of enterprise applications, like ERP, CRM, CMS, ECOMM, HR, and MRP, as well as AI, AR, IoT, and robotics. My aim is to build a complete enterprise and government SaaS solution targeting complex, diverse, and simple supply chains and marketplaces.

The future for large-scale Hyperledger blockchain technology is bright. I see great interest in the type of SaaS blockchain platform I am developing. For example, I am in early talks and beginning to work with two governments. In one case, the discussions are around a blockchain solution for ecommerce and tax collection. In the other, the focus is on industrial hemp regulation, an agricultural co-op for industrial hemp processing, and a Class 1 railroad consulting company for rail automation. The use cases for blockchain are very diverse, and interest for blockchain solutions will only grow as more and more solutions demonstrate a profitable ROI with a production status.

My experience with Hyperledger began in 2016 when the Linux Foundation first created the project. I immediately founded a meetup I called Austin Hyperledger. It was renamed Hyperledger Austin six months later when the Hyperledger Foundation reached out to me, asking me if I would be interested in running one of the first official Hyperledger Meetups in the world. I graciously accepted, and we now have 750+ members. I was ready because, in 2015 shortly after founding the meetup called Austin Blockchain Technology (2,200+ members), I publicly predicted IBM would announce its formation of an enterprise blockchain initiative within a year or sooner. It was my gut instinct, garnered from a career as independent hired-gun for IBM, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, and the Big 6. Since 2016, I have been lecturing, presenting, developing, consulting, and educating audiences, companies, and entrepreneurs on Hyperledger technology and projects with a strong focus on using Hyperledger Fabric and Hyperledger Sawtooth in the enterprise and government.

What are the main differences between teaching Hyperledger to students and developing Hyperledger applications?

While teaching, I often get lots of questions from students that help me in looking at blockchain development differently. The differences between teaching Hyperledger and developing Hyperledger are contextual. Teaching Hyperledger is all about the fundamentals of blockchain with a focus on how to use blockchain technology in the context of enterprise solutions. Developing Hyperledger is all about applying those fundamentals and extending them to solve problems that only surface in the context of developing real world enterprise solutions. This requires moving far beyond the fundamental and extending the technologies to meet the demands and expectations of stakeholders that will use the Hyperledger solutions.

What do you think is most important for Hyperledger to focus on in the next year?

I think Hyperledger should continue doing a great job promoting enterprise and government blockchain visibility and benefits to the world.

As Hyperledger’s incubated projects start maturing and hit 1.0s and beyond, what are the most interesting technologies, apps, or use cases coming out as a result from your perspective?

I think blockchain interoperability is the most interesting and important work incubating in Hyperledger because we are at a stage of maturity where it is vital for continued growth that blockchain platforms develop the capability to interoperate.

What’s the one issue or problem you hope blockchain can solve?

I hope the promise of blockchain brings transparency, provenance, and trust to our government at the local, state, and national level.

Where do you hope to see Hyperledger and/or blockchain in 5 years?

I hope blockchain becomes ubiquitous like the Internet, a network of networks, and is demanded and utilized by all enterprises and governments across the world.

What is the best piece of developer advice you’ve ever received?

The best developer advice I ever received was from my first mentor, who told me, “write software that reads like a novel. The reader should never have to turn back to a page. Keep your methods, functions, and routines to no more than one page, two pages maximum.”

What technology could you not live without?

I am a software developer and architect, so I could not live without software languages. I need at least one software language, but the more the merry to live the life I enjoy, which is designing and developing software and systems solutions for enterprises and governments.

Added note from Mark: I would love to hear your feedback. If you want to share your questions or comments with me, you can reach me directly via Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmorrissupergeek/

Back to our Developer Showcase Series to learn what developers in the real world are doing with Hyperledger technologies. Next up is Arisht Jain, Software Engineer, Xooa Inc.

Give a bit of background on what you’re working on and how you got into blockchain.

I am working on the Xooa platform, which makes adoption of blockchain easy. Xooa is focused on reducing barriers for enterprise blockchain adoption by making blockchain app development easier and faster, which enables higher quality projects. My fascination for blockchain developed when Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were gaining massive hype in 2018. That period in time made me dig deeper into the technology and discover that the scope of blockchain technology extends beyond just cryptocurrencies.

What Hyperledger frameworks or tools are you using in your projects? Any new developments to share? Can you sum up your experience with Hyperledger?

I am working on Hyperledger Fabric as a DLT, primarily. Also, Hyperledger Explorer has been part and parcel since I have been developing applications running on Fabric. It is quite a user-friendly application that we, at Xooa, have also integrated with our platform. The Hyperledger community has been very encouraging and supportive. I have seen personally how close knit its community has become over time and how great the tools and products it’s churned out have been.

What do you think is most important for Hyperledger to focus on in the next year?

I think that Hyperledger should have more projects like Hyperledger Indy that focus on specific use cases that blockchain can help with. It would allow the penetration of blockchain and Hyperledger technologies into mass adoption across various industries.

What advice would you offer other technologists or developers interested in getting started working on blockchain? 

I would tell them to get their hands dirty and start creating smart contracts. Don’t be overwhelmed by the complexities that blockchain brings with it. An overview is good enough to understand the system in broad terms and to begin creating blockchain apps. Once you start working on a project, you will gradually understand its complexities, learn on the go, and be able to build on this experience in the future.

As Hyperledger’s projects continue to mature, what do you see as the most interesting technologies, apps, or use cases coming out as a result?

I could see KYC as well as numerous use cases in the telecom industry, such as mobile number portability and roaming in the different telecom circles, being quite successful. Multi organizations are part of such use cases and so the workflow can be translated very well into blockchain applications.

What’s the one issue or problem you hope blockchain can solve?

I would wish to see the transparency and accountability that blockchain can bring put to use in  government and legislative processes. It could help in stifling corruption and fostering more confidence in the government.

Where do you hope to see Hyperledger and/or blockchain in 5 years?

I see blockchain being used across industries and verticals for a majority of processes as well as a go-to technology for establishing trust.

What is the best piece of developer advice you’ve ever received?

For any software development, make it work, make it correct, make it fast – in that order. The result should be proven first, then worked on in order to make it perfect. This advice has saved me countless hours while working on projects.

What technology could you not live without?

GPS. I tend to travel frequently, and this is one technology that has helped me in exploring new cities, navigating my way around , and finding the best places to eat or hang out at. I couldn’t imagine ever traveling without it and relying solely on local resources.

Back to our Developer Showcase Series to learn what developers in the real world are doing with Hyperledger technologies. Next up is Tomisin Jenrola, Software Engineer at SecureKey Technologies, Inc.

Give a bit of background on what you’re working on and how you got into blockchain.

I am working on a service that makes it easier for companies to share data and digital assets amongst themselves in a secure and private way enabling consumers to quickly get access to the services and products they want online, in person and on the phone. I got started in blockchain about three years ago. I actually heard about it five years ago, and it took me a while to involve myself with the technology. I did a lot of research and jumped into it because I thought it was such a promising new technology. I ended up going to the University of Waterloo in 2017 for the first Ethereum Blockchain Hackathon, and my team ended up winning one of the top prizes. From there, I did some consulting and decided to start a community around the technology while beginning to work full time in this space.

What Hyperledger frameworks or tools are you using in your projects? Any new developments to share? Can you sum up your experience with Hyperledger?

I have been using Fabric VS Code ID extension and heavily using the Hyperledger Fabric SDK Go, which was mostly developed here at SecureKey Technologies. I also have used a few other command line interfaces. In terms of new developments, SecureKey is actively contributing to Hyperledger Aries, which is a tool that allows individuals to create and share verifiable digital credentials and do much more with their digital identity. I have mostly been involved with architecting and building out these blockchain networks and, more importantly, turning business logic and intentions into code that eventually runs on the network. These are more commonly known as smart contracts or chain code.

What do you think is most important for Hyperledger to focus on in the next year?

I think there are two main things: scalability and interoperability. Those are not unique to Hyperledger — all blockchains face this issue. For Hyperledger and blockchain in general, scaling is an issue because the data being stored requires validation and endorsement by multiple parties before it gets stored on the network, which takes a while to happen. Interoperability across the networks is an issue and important issue one that needs to be solved because companies would like to move around among between blockchains and move the data and digital assets in that process. SecureKey’s contributions to Hyperledger Aries are working towards that goal.

What advice would you offer other technologists or developers interested in getting started working on blockchain? 

I’d say the most important thing is to not feel intimidated by how complex the system is. It is complex, but not complicated. They should take this as a new opportunity to learn something. They should spend time understanding the basics and utilize the resources from places such as YouTube, media articles and Udemy. Pick one blockchain and build a very simple decentralized application and later try to implement it on a different blockchain. Another tip is to make all of these projects easy to demonstrate so other people can utilize your work.

As Hyperledger’s projects continue to mature, what do you see as the most interesting technologies, apps, or use cases coming out as a result?

There is potentially a large amount of data that can be stored in the network. Based on this, I think the most interesting use case is being able to create services and tools that can go into the network, extract the data, churn them and create meaningful interpretations of them. People can then use them for analytics or predictions of their products or really understand how their users behave.

Where do you hope to see Hyperledger and/or blockchain in five years?

I hope to see blockchain and the technology that comes out of it being seamlessly used by several people, companies and governments in production environments without any technical limitations.

What is the best piece of developer advice you’ve ever received?

The best piece of advice I have ever received as a developer is that I don’t need to be an expert or have complete knowledge of how the technology or system works to do something meaningful with it.

What technology could you not live without?

My standing desk! It is a very simple addition to my workstation, but a very impactful one as it helps with ergonomics, my posture and enjoying the whole experience of typing all day.

Back to our Developer Showcase Series to learn what developers in the real world are doing with Hyperledger technologies. Next up is Jelle Sturm, DevOps & Backend Engineer at ScanTrust.

What advice would you offer other technologists or developers interested in getting started working on blockchain?

Start with the basics, watch some explanatory videos and take an online course. Then think about what you want to achieve using blockchain and start looking for the exact right technology to match your goals. Blockchain is still fairly new, but there are solutions popping up every week, some better than others.

If you already know a certain programming language, I would recommend you find a blockchain solution that has drivers/implementations for that existing language to get you started more efficiently. The best way to really get into it is to go to one of the many blockchain events around the world.

Give a bit of background on what you’re working on and how you got into blockchain?

I work for ScanTrust, a company focused on supply chain traceability and security. Supply chain is a really good use case for blockchain so naturally we had to explore this technology. At the moment we are implementing blockchain in our main software stack. This allows us to decentralize the data in the supply chain. In return, the end consumer will get better and more reliable track & trace data of a certain product.

Recently, we also launched a new initiative “The GoodChain Foundation,” which enables consumers to do good by donating tokens. Each interaction a consumer has with a product will release some tokens on the blockchain that can be donated to good causes or actual actors in the supply chain (e.g., farmers).

What Hyperledger frameworks or tools are you using in your projects? Any new developments to share? Can you sum up your experience with Hyperledger?

We use Hyperledger Sawtooth as we needed a very secure and industry-adoptable technology for our solution. My first steps with it were smooth, and it was nice to see that there is a fully dockerized example that works with a few simple commands to get you going.

What do you think is most important for Hyperledger to focus on in the next year?

I think 2019 is all about adoption of blockchain solutions. In particular, it will be crucial that there are more live examples of enterprise production use cases to show the value of blockchain. I think Hyperledger has already been doing a great job at familiarizing enterprises with blockchain technology and getting them to adopt it, but I think it’s critical that Hyperledger continues to play that role, especially in 2019.

As Hyperledger’s projects continue to mature, what do you see as the most interesting technologies, apps, or use cases coming out as a result?

For us, naturally, use cases around supply chain provenance and transparency are the most interesting applications. With the launch of Hyperledger Grid this year and with the formation of the supply chain working group, we also see that the Hyperledger ecosystem is strategically betting on these applications to be important use cases for the Hyperledger frameworks.

What’s the one issue or problem you hope blockchain can solve?

At ScanTrust, we are big believers in empowering consumers to trace back the provenance of their goods and check the authenticity of their goods, in particular in the food & beverage space. If there is one problem I could pick, then it would probably be solving the intransparency that we currently have in food supply chains.

Where do you hope to see Hyperledger and/or blockchain in five years?

I hope that five years from now, we will have completed a wave of enterprise adoption of blockchain. I believe that every major industry will have their own public permissioned consortium blockchain for specific use cases.

In parallel, public blockchain infrastructure will have matured a lot and will be more scalable, such that we will also see more and more applications and new decentralized business models built on public blockchains.

What is the best piece of developer advice you’ve ever received?

“A good developer should be lazy.’’ This always reminds me that we, as developers, need to find the most efficient and best suitable tools for the intended solution. Also, you can draw the line through to your coding style to minimize lines, be more efficient, automate tests/releases/deploys and so on. Never do something twice if you can build a loop.

What technology could you not live without?

I’m a big fan of Linux of course. Everything I develop runs on it, and it allows for very fun DIY projects at home. Also, I really couldn’t live without my IDE as coding in notepad is not the way to go in 2019.

Back to our Developer Showcase Series to learn what developers in the real world are doing with Hyperledger technologies. Next up is Brian Wu of Coding Bootcamps

What advice would you offer other technologists or developers interested in getting started working on blockchain?

To start your career in this space, you should spend as much time as you can reading blockchain news, white papers and books. Understand the basic blockchain concept from examples like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric. Read Nakamoto’s Bitcoin white paper and Hyperledger blockchain books, visit Ethereum.org website and watch youtube videos. You also need to run some examples, so start to write a smart contract to get some hands-on experience.

Give a bit of background on what you’re working on, and let us know what was it that made you want to get into blockchain?

I am a software architect with 17 years of experience working on blockchain, big data, cloud and other emerging technologies. I am currently working on a large blockchain project in the finance industry.

In today’s technologically advanced world, blockchain is a cutting-edge and revolutionary technology. The decentralized P2P features give it the potential to influence every aspect of the global economy. Decentralized applications are becoming more popular. However, we are still in the early stage of blockchain evolution so now is an excellent opportunity to get involved in this space.

What are the main differences between teaching Hyperledger to students and developing Hyperledger applications?

While teaching at Coding Bootcamps, I often get questions from students that help me view blockchain development differently. For example, during the class we follow recipes that are small models of actual, larger scale projects from my daily work. Thus, teaching concepts help me refresh my knowledge and skills that are essential in my everyday job.

What do you think is most important for Hyperledger to focus on in the next year?

Hyperledger Fabric FabToken with EVM integration.

Tell us briefly about your books on Hyperledger? What Hyperledger technology they cover and what inspired you to write your books?

Hyperledger Cookbook helps developers plan, design, and create a full-fledged enterprise decentralized application using Hyperledger technologies. The book explores the entire Hyperledger blockchain family, including frameworks, such as Fabric, Sawtooth, Indy, Burrow, and Iroha, and tools, such as Composer, Explorer, and Caliper. It is also packed with problem-solution-based recipes to tackle pain areas in the blockchain development cycle.

There are few (if any) books currently on the market that discuss the entire range of Hyperledger projects as they are mostly focus on Fabric and Composer technologies. I think reading a good hands-on Hyperledger book can help readers to get more knowledge and insights by working on practical examples and recipes. Practical resources are great for preparing you to start developing and deploying these technologies.

As Hyperledger’s incubated projects start maturing and hit 1.0s and beyond, what are the most interesting technologies, apps, or use cases coming out as a result from your perspective?

Hyperledger recently added two projects to its family – Hyperledger Aries and Hyperledger Ursa – that focus on digital cryptographic security. The zero-knowledge proofs have become quite popular in blockchain today. Expect to see more use cases for applying these technologies.

What’s the one issue or problem you hope blockchain can solve?

Performance

Where do you hope to see Hyperledger and/or blockchain in 5 years?

In next 5-10 years, a lot of industries will start embrace blockchain, leading to a range of career opportunities:

1. Most  finance companies will leveraging blockchain technology on their payment system and other finance service.
2. National cryptocurrencies will emerge.
3. Blockchain will tightly integrate with  the most popular technologies such as AI, big data, cloud and IoT.  
4. Web 3.0 will be powered by blockchain technology.

What is the best training advice for those who want to build a career in blockchain or Hyperledger?

Learning blockchain is different than learning one single coding language like Java or Python. Before you start coding blockchain, you have to know lots of concepts such as cryptography, decentralized networks, etc. After learning these concepts, you need to learn a coding language like JavaScript, C++, Python or Java. Currently, the easiest and most popular programming language for building Hyperledger applications is JavaScript (for instance, frameworks like Node.JS and React.js are common). Also, you need to know how to design a database. MongoDB is the most popular database for Hyperledger blockchain applications.

Learning blockchain via online free resources is slightly difficult and lengthy but not impossible. Since blockchain is relatively new, you may not get as much community support from other developers compared to more popular coding languages like PHP, HTML, etc. Thus, it is a good idea to take hands-on training classes to learn it fast and thoroughly.

My last piece of advice is that you should align your learning with an industry-recognized certification like Certified Hyperledger Fabric Administrator. Gaining a reputable certification adds lots of credibility to your resume and credentials.  

What is the best piece of career advice you have for blockchain beginners?

First of all, I welcome you to the world of blockchain. You should be patient as there are lots of things you need to learn and master. Second of all, follow my advice on training, especially gaining an industry-recognized certification. The next step for securing a high paid career as a blockchain consultant or developer is to build your portfolio by contributing to blockchain projects or creating new ones. Improve your soft skills like communication, networking, etc.

Last, but not least, make sure to polish your resume to reflect your passion, knowledge and expertise in blockchain development by listing technologies like Hyperledger or blockchain coding languages and projects that you’ve done.

What is the best piece of developer advice you’ve ever received?

Never stop learning

What technology could you not live without?

Internet