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neow3j

The neow3j SDK and compiler are a set of tools that allow Java, Kotlin, and Android developers to build dApps on the Neo blockchain.

Client

Neo Blockchain

Year

2018

Duration

Ongoing

Technology Stack

Java

Neo Blockchain

neo-express

Deliverables

Web3 Development

Smart Contract Development

Documentation

Repositories

neow3j

neon-protocol

neow3j-examples-java

neow3j-boilerplate-contracts

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Introduction

The neow3j SDK and compiler are a set of tools that enable Java, Kotlin, and Android developers to build dApps on the Neo blockchain. It was developed by AxLabs for the Neo Foundation, the entity responsible for setting the strategic direction for the Neo blockchain and distributing funding.

Description

The SDK provides Java developers with a well-structured API for interacting with Neo nodes. It includes the necessary cryptographic primitives and provides abstraction layers for accounts, transactions, blocks, and smart contracts, making it intuitive to interact with the blockchain while also giving the developer fine-grained control if needed. The compiler, or more precisely the transpiler, translates Java Virtual Machine (JVM) bytecode to NeoVM bytecode and is itself written in Java. It supports a subset of the Java language aligned with NeoVM's capabilities. Java developers use it to implement Neo smart contracts without learning a whole new language. It also comes with a test extension that allows writing smart contract tests within Java's customary JUnit test framework.

Traditional decentralized exchanges (DEXs) often suffer from front-running attacks, high gas fees, and a lack of privacy for institutional traders. Neon Labs approached us to build a trading protocol that could support high- frequency trading strategies while preserving trade privacy until settlement.

The main challenge was balancing the transparency required for trustless settlement with the privacy needed to prevent predatory trading behaviors like sandwich attacks. Additionally, the system needed to handle over 1,000 transactions per second to compete with centralized alternatives.

Business Impact

The neow3j SDK and compiler have been a success. They are being used by crypto exchanges, like Binance and OKEx, Neo-native projects, like FUSD (Neo stablecoin) and cNEO (Neo Compounder), and in AxLabs' own projects, like GrantShares. Repository statistics tell us that the SDK is downloaded approximately 6,000 times per month on average.

The positive impact of the neow3j SDK and compiler on the Neo ecosystem is clear. They enable Java, Kotlin, and Android developers to create dApps on the Neo platform, effectively expanding the developer base. By offering a familiar development environment and preferred programming languages, neow3j attracts new developers and facilitates the creation of high-quality Neo dApps.

Some other impacts of neow3j include:

The SDK served as a reference implementation for a Swift SDK.
Neow3j provides detailed documentation that helps developers understand general concepts about the Neo Blockchain. The documentation is publicly accessible at https://neow3j.io.
The project development led to many discussions on the design and feature set of the underlying blockchain itself.

In summary, neow3j is a valuable addition to the Neo ecosystem, is easy to use, well documented, and has proven to be reliable and secure.

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in 🇨🇭 Switzerland

Twitter

Github

Discord

♥️

in 🇨🇭 Switzerland

Twitter

Github

Discord