#BuildingOnCardano

A Collection of Development Resources

An index of Cardano community projects, tools, channels, people & services that will help you get started and beyond!

I, selfdrivenOcto, have no affiliation with the projects; they are just listed to help you with #BuildingOnCardano.
I'm constantly adding to this index, so if you think I should add something that directly relates to building on Cardano (i.e. not investment, DeFi, price etc) let me know at ...
@selfdrivenOcto
This site is also available on GitHub
"be curious"
Catalyst Proposal To Upgrade This Site
Support this project with a donation
Cardano Getting Started for Developers
People Learning & Innovating Together
Starter Kits, Events & More
Build your app with MeshJS, React & Next.js
An interview with Jingles about MeshJS
Build on Cardano the easy way using JavaScript
DSL for smart contracts creation with a library for transactions, all in Typescript
Programming language & toolchain for developing smart contracts
OpShin, a Pythonic programming language for Smart Contracts
& hebi (faster)
A Cardano library written in Python for creating and signing transactions & works well with OpShin
A cloud environment with all the tools for building your dApp
Open source tools and infrastructure for Cardano developers
Wallet OneBox (wob)
Hollow | Headless Cardano dApps SDK
Bringing .NET and Cardano Together
A .NET library for Creating/Managing Wallets and Building/Signing Transactions
Scalus is a set of libraries to work with Cardano Untyped Plutus Core that works on both JVM and JavaScript
Create a low-code dApp using the Joget DX
Your gateway (api) to the Cardano ecosystem
An all-in-one open source solution to build on Cardano
Cardano APIs as a Community Service. Free. Forever.
A Decentralised API that provides a consistent query layer for developers to build upon
A lightweight bridge interface for cardano-node
GPS based Assets on the Cardano Blockchain
A tool for developers to interact with Cardano directly from their IDE
A Cardano NFT marketplace contract for individual projects
Connecting WordPress
& Cardano
Create engaging & unique Web3 experiences with CardanoPress with no development knowledge
& Some Use-Case Templates
Open source developer tools for the Cardano ecosystem e.g. Cardanoscan API, Typhon.js
Decentralised Cloud Storage for Web3.0

Haskell library for balancing transactions (dquadrant/kuber)
basic-smart-contracts
Apollo: Go Library
Atomic Swap Open Protocol
MLABS Plutus Scaffold for dApps
WalletConnect Library
AdaStream: Decentralized File Hosting Incentivised via Cardano Ada Payments
aicone | Aiken libraries written and maintained by SundaeSwap Labs
HarmonicLabs | ERC20-like Repo
& check out the dev tools listed at ...
CardanoCube
Essential Cardano

More dev tools listed @

Developers.Cardano
CardanoCube
Essential Cardano
Cardano Fans
BuiltOnCardano Dev Tools

Share The Love

A lot of the projects are self-funded, so check if they have a donations address / adahandle to support their ongoing work!

I'm new to Cardano development, where do I start?
Ultimate Cardano Smart Contracts Book
Introduction to the book by Lewrence Ley (Youtube)
Check out the guides above
Check out the diagrams below
Cardano Fundamentals by ReddSpark
UTxOs, Hashes etc Explained By Woodland Pools
Overview Diagram (PDF)
ETH2ADA Dictionary
Connect with Community on Twitter
Native Tokens (NFTs & FTs) by NerdOut (Andrew Westberg)
How To Submit Transactions Using The cardano-cli
Turlia has created some "foot-hold" code to show the basics of interacting with a wallet at dsociety.io/learn
BlockSplained Developer Diaries; a journey to becoming a Cardano Dev
The super experienced and supportive team at Gimbalabs have a stack of learning resources & run weekly live coding sessions!
If you are an experienced React/Next.js coder, then check out the MeshJS Starter-Kits
If you are an experienced Python coder, then check out this OpShin example
Cardano Smart Contract from zero to mainnet in 5 minutes using Helios
Blockchain Class @ ADAFILMS
History of Cardano
How to use Cardano-Cli installed with the Daedalus Full-Node Wallet
Work.Courses
Developer Ecosystem Surveys
UTXO Family | Cardano for Bitcoiners

Cheat Sheets
By Able Pool
Cardano Cli, Sancho Testnet & Voltaire (CIP-1694)
By TxPipe
Cardano Indexer

"Hello World" Coding Quick Starts

Lucid
Create Wallets & Submit Transactions Using Javascript/TypeScript
PyCardano
Submit Transactions Using Python
Atlas
Submit Transactions Using Haskell
Plu-ts
Build On-Chain Script Code Using TypeScript
Aiken
Build On-Chain Script Code
Helios
Build On-Chain Script Code
OpShin
Build On-Chain Script Code Using Python
Plutus Tx
Build On-Chain Script Code Using Haskell
Demeter
Hosted Cardano Infrastructure with Starter Kits

Dev Discussions, Chatting, Getting Help

I Need Inspiration!

Events

Web3 City Events

The Cardano Events Toolkit
Supported by BUZZ!

Cardano Buidler Fest

23-24APR2024 | Toulouse

Cardano Capture The Flag (CTF) Security Game by vacuumlabs

Ongoing | Online

International Summer School | Deep Dive into Blockchain 2024

1-19JUL2024 | UZH Blockchain Center and Online

NMKR | Cardano Hackathon 2024

26-27JUL2024 | Berlin
Supported by the Cardano Community via ProjectCatalyst

Rare EVO

07-09AUG2025 | Las Vegas

Cardano Summit 2024

23-24OCT2024 | Dubai

Open-Source
Some Open-Source Projects

Research

IOG | Research
IOG | Research Papers Library
How IOG's research spans the academic world
IOG | Introducing The Edinburgh Decentralization Index (EDI)
IOG | Scaling blockchain protocols: a research-based approach
IOG | "Near optimal throughput": A deep dive into Ouroboros Leios

Some Channels/People To Follow

Services

Identity / SSI (DIDs/VCs)

Network

Asset (Settlement) Layer | Main-Chain/Net
CIP 19; Cardano Addresses
Pool.pm; Stake Pool Activity & Network Load
Cardanoscan.io
Cexplorer.io
ADASTAT.net
pooltool.io
CardanoWallets.io
CRCI | Scores
Balance Analytics | Research & Analytics Provider
eUTXO.org | Visual Blockchain Explorer
TapTools.io
CF | Cardano Explorer
ADATools.io | Earth View
xerberus.io | Risk Ratings
cardanotech.io | Wallet Tx History
LookerStudio
Side-Chain Tool Kit
Mithril
IOG | Conclave a Collective Stake Pool Protocol
Cardanocube; Wallets
NodeShark; A Transaction Visualisation Tool
Minswap; Verify Tokens
Dynamic Peer-To-Peer by Duncan Coutts
The Rosen Bridge; A Distributed Network for Cross-Chain Settlement
Tutorial on Concise Data Definition Language (CDDL) for JSON and CBOR data
Milkomeda; L2 Side-chain (Build using Solidity)
IOG; Network Diagrams
ADAPulse; Zero-Knowledge (ZK) Tech on Cardano
IOG; Example EVM Sidechain Technical Specification
IOG; Tiered Mechanisms for Blockchain Transaction Fees
BroClan; Multisig Wallet
Strica; Ouroboros network library written in typescript with nodejs streaming module
Yaci DevKit; A custom Cardano devnet that can be created and destroyed in a matter of seconds
Visualisation of a beautiful mega-transaction @ eUTxO.org
Computerphile; Hashing Algorithms and Security
Midnight Privacy Network
FluidTokens Aquarium | Gasless Transactions & Automatic Smart Contracts
Charles talking about QSig
UoE QSig Workshop
IOG Research | One-shot Signatures and Applications to Hybrid Quantum/Classical Authentication
Building Unclonable Cryptography: A Tale of Two No-cloning Paradigms
Info (Sources, Generator)
Generated using Google NoteBookLM with prompt:
"Audience is dev that understands basics of Cardano network, that wants to learn more about how Hydra works using the Doom Proof of Concept as learning example."
This is experimental AI tech, so some of the Hydra technical concepts may not be 100% correct.
Use it as a way to get the high level value of Hydra, and then refer to the source material for further exploration.
Network Governance
CIP-1694; Governance (Work In Progress)
In-a-Nutshell Flow Diagram by Able-Pool
1694.io | Info & Workshops
CIP-1694 Workshop Docs (Colorado Feb 28 - Mar 1)
Recap of Workshop Video
CIP-1694: An explainer video
IOG Research: SoK: Blockchain Governance
IOG Research: A Game-Theoretic Analysis of Delegation Incentives in Blockchain Governance
IOG Research: Decentralised Update Selection with Semi-Strategic Experts
Cardano CLI + Summon Platform | CIP-1694 Temperature Check Governance As It Relates To The Cardano Network Diagram
SanchoNet
sancho.network
Building together in the age of Voltaire
Getting Started
Installing the SanchoNet Node, Learning the Command-Line ... by ABLE Pools
Cheat-sheets by ABLE Pool
ABLE Pool Discord Channel for Help
Mike Hornan (ABLE Pool) YouTube Channel for Workshop Recordings
SanchoNet Faucet (Get Test ADA)
dRep.tools | URL & Hash for dRep Rego Testing
fx.wtf | Terminal JSON viewer & processor
jq | A lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor
SanchoNet Wizard (Work In Progress)
CIP-100 | Governance Metadata
sanchogov.tools
SanchoNet GovTools (Vote, Register as dRep, Gov Actions)
SanchoNet GovTools Testing Guide
NuFi Wallet SanchoNet Build
dRep.tools | Resources & BLAKE2b-256 Hashing for dRep Rego Testing
Online BLAKE2b-256 Hashing Tool (Create & Verify)
SanchoNet Compatible Wallets
Cquisitor | CBOR Inspector
(For those that don't dream in CBOR)
CIPs & CPSs of Interest
What Are Cardano Improvement Propsals (CIPs) & Full List
What Are Cardano Problem Statements (CPSs) & List (Bottom of the CIPs List)
CIP-8; Message Signing (Hardware Wallet)
CIP-30 | Cardano dApp-Wallet Web Bridge
CIP-31 | Reference Inputs
CIP-32 | Inline Datums
CIP-33 | Reference Scripts
CIP-57 | Plutus Contract Blueprint
CIP-67 | Asset Name Label Registry
CIP-68 | Datum Metadata Standard (Dynamic NFTs)
CIP-93 | Authenticated Web3 HTTP requests
CIP-94 | Polls
CIP-95 | Cardano dApp-Wallet Web Bridge Governance Extension
CIP-100? | Governance Metadata
CPS-0010 | Wallet Connector Standards / API
Service (Compute) Layer | Partner (Side) Chains
Making Cardano Ourboros exportable using Minotaur via Partner Chains
Side-chain Toolkit
Introducing Partner Chains
Midnight Special/Overview by Charles
Decoding Midnight with Charles & Eran by dApp Central & Chris O
Midnight as a Partner Chain by cexplorer.io
The Midnight Origin Story with Charles Hoskinson | EP1
Plutus Support for Pairings Over BLS12-381 (Support On-Chain Bridging)
Interconnections | Bridges
Rosen Bridge | Trustless Bridge to Ergo

Infrastructure

Cardano; Setting up a Stake Pool
ATADA/gitmachtl; Stake Pool Operator Scripts
ALEX Stake Pool; Stake Pool Scripts
Liqwid; Liquidation Bot
TeddySwap; How to Run a Batcher/Badger
Cardano Private-Testnet / Devnet Setup
cSnapshots.io | Download the Latest Cardano Blockchain Snapshot
demeter.run | Everything you need to build on Cardano
iagon.com | Decentralised Storage / Webhosting
iagon Storage Node Setup & Staking Guide | By Cardano With Paul (YouTube)

UTXO.family

A place where UTXO architectures & builders meet.
SAPIEN Youtube Playlist | Cardano for Bitcoiners
BitcoinOS | Calvin Ferreira @ Cardano Summit (Youtube)
BitcoinOS | Panel @ Cardano Summit (Youtube)
Dapp Central | Interview @ Cardano Summit (Youtube)
BitcoinOS | Open Sourcing the BitSNARK Verification Protocol
BitcoinOS | The Operating System for a Bitcoin Powered World
BitcoinOS.build
Rosen Bridge
Cardano eUTXO.org
Tuxedo | Griffin
IOG | Unlocking more opportunities with PlutusV3 (Crypto Primatives Update)
Maestro Platform

Related Dev Resources

VSCode (Code Editing)
Python; Anaconda
NodeJS
Fireship.io (Courses)
Fluree; Data Management Tooling
Plutus-Bench; Benchmarking for Cardano Smart Contract languages
Example; plutus-tx | OpShin | hebi
Java app testing on Cardano blockchain with Yaci Cardano Test Java library
Using Cardano Lucid on Svelte
How to fix an issue installing Node "canvas" on macOS
Bytes.dev; JavaScript News
fresh.deno.dev; Next-gen web framework
Hyperledger | Firefly Supernode Framework

Gaming Dev Resources

Human-Centric Design; Octalysis Framework for Gamification
Open Source Game Engine Integration Demo By @Knitties | |
Revelar Game Engine
Paima Studios Game Engine
Cardano games assets for Unity
CardanoBeam; GPS Based Smart Contracts
Access the NMKR-Studio API from Unity
DEGA; Infrastructure & Transactions For Gaming/Metaverses
Gaming Community
Cardano Gaming
Cardano Gaming Guild
(View Projects & Add Your Project)

Related Design Resources

Human-Centric Design; Octalysis Framework
CSS; Light/Dark Mode Based On OS User Setting
CSS; Background Gradients
components.ai; Open-source Dsign Tool

Staying Safe On-Chain!

Tips to protect yourself and share with the users of your apps|dApps.
IOG | Cybersecurity guidelines for Cardano users
epochsec.io | Weekly Podcast & CyberSecurity Advice
virustotal.com | URL Checker
Using Your Ledger as a FIDO U2F Device (like a Yubi key)
Exporting your Ledger Accounts (Be Careful!!)
auditocean.com | Decentralised Audits
EpochSec (Kyle) Interview with Paul
Browser Token Hijacking via PDF File
Cardano.Ninja
CardanoShield Blacklists
CardanoWallets.io
xerberus.io | Decentralised Risk Rating Agency

Information Security & Quality Assurance

Resources for building and hosting Cardano based Apps, dApps & Services securely.
IOG; Certification Levels for Smart Contracts
ISO 27001 | Standard for Information Security Management Systems
CIP52 | Cardano Audit Best Practice Guidelines
Recorded Mint | Address List Spoofing Vulnerability #1
GDPR checklist for data controllers
openEDR | Open Source Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
Some Auditing / Testing Services
CERTIK | Security Auditing
FYEO.io | Security Auditing
Anastasia Labs | Security Auditing +
Zesh | Testing
TWEAG | Security Auditing +

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Resources

Including Large Language Models (LLMs) & GPT ...
GPT-4 - How does it work, and how do I build apps with it?
SingularityNet Ecosystem
opshinGPT; Experimental chatbot to support users at writing OpShin Smart Contracts
Tips and tricks for working with Large Language Models
selfdriven.ai Research; Resource Links, Interviews etc
Using OpenAI Assistants API

Things | Decentralised Physical Infrastructure (DePIN)

Adosia | Decentralized Manufacturing Platform that provides economic opportunities for creators, hobbyists, and small business manufacturers
WorldMobile | About the Network
WorldMobile | AirNodes
Minting of NFTs on ESP32 Embedded Device (Repo)

Educational Resources

learncardano.io
essentialcardano.io
essentialcardano.io; Working Groups
education.cardanofoundation.org
Learn @ Lovelace Academy
DirectEd Development Foundation
"Cardano For The Masses" Book.
Interested in learning about how to create NFTs as an artist, then check out artomics.io.
Just the Metrics (Sooraj & Laura)
LIDO Nation (Education, Outreach, Community Building)
education.emurgo.io
UZH Summer School: Deep Dive into Blockchain
blockchainlearning.center; Cardano Developer Series
Plutus Pioneer Program
ADAPulse; Tokenization a Beginners Guide
Cardano Journal; Explaining Cardano's eUTXO model for a five-year-old
ADAFILMS; Cardano Facts as Short Docos
ADAPulse; Cardano Swaps: A DEX that taps into the full potential of the eUTXO model
Dynamic Strategies; Shared Workshop Content Guide
Kaizen Crypto; Cardano 101 Course (YouTube Playlist)
Worked.dev Courses
Kachina: privacy-preserving smart contracts using ZK Snarks

Alliances & Member Based Organisations

Web3 User Group
Blockchain Infrastructure (CBIA)
Single Stake Pool Operators
Armada Stake Pool Operators
Cardano Gaming Guild
Cardano Gaming
DeFi
RealFi
NFT Guild
Music
Education
IntersectMBO
docs.intersectMBO.org | Glossary +

Project Resources & Solutions

Business Model Canvas
projectcatalyst.io
Crystal | Project DAO Infrastructure
dApp360 | Placing web3 & dapp developers
kompact | Design, Coding & Deployment Assistance
ncoding.at | Freelancer Software Engineer
dcSpark | We build high-quality crypto products
Dquadrant | Software development and IT services
Zesh | Community Engagement +
We Help Companies Find Talent on Cardano
Cardano Project Showcase (Register Your Project)
asana.com | Enable teams to work together
Cardano Foundation | Whitepaper Template to Support MiCA Compliance

Cardano Community

#TownHalls
@LatamCardano
@c3eth (Eastern Town Hall)
@EuCardano
Pacific Town Hall (Discord)
@africa_townhall
@CardanoMENA
#TechAdvice
A list of community members that offer Cardano code review & advice services.
Advice can free or paid - it depends on who is giving the advise and what you need.
Pi Lanningham | @uantumplation
Phil | @phil_uplc
#TechCommunity
Some tech focused people to engage with on X (Twitter) for learning &/or maybe help with your project.
Use the calendar icon to book an online meeting!
Sebastien Guillemot |
Patrick Tobler |
KtorZ
Adam Dean
Ales
Charles Hoskinson
Jingles
Rick McCracken
Andrew Westberg
Pi Lanningham
James Dunseith
Lucas
Andrew Knittes
zygomeb
Sebastian Nagel
Michele | Harmonic
Pete Bui
Marek Mahut
$matiwinnetou
Mark Byers
Ninh like
Clover Nodes
Pavan Vora
holymacaroni
Anthony
Tucker Triggs
Phil | @phil_uplc
Jared Corduan
Laura
Ashish Prajapati
Daniel Epstein
Lloyd Duhon
Michael Liesenfelt
Marco Meerman
Hornan
Daniel Rodriguez
Mehul Prajapati
Prashanth Soordelu
Tom Stokes
Kyle Solomon
Anthony McDonough
Conrad
Guillermo (WoodlandPools)
CryptoJoe101
dsSpark
ELRaulito_CNFT
If you would like to engage with people new to building on Cardano,
then message me @selfdrivenOcto and I will add you to the list above! Likewise if want to be removed. Thank you.
Plus the BuildingOnCardano.dev X List
& the BuildingOnCardano.dev X Community

Some Conceptualisation Diagrams

How it fits together, transaction types, chains, tech stack ..
Click for the enlarged/more detailed diagram.
selfdriven-foundation/diagrams
Some of the technical details about wallets, addresses, accounts have been simplified to help communicate the core concepts.
CardanoWallets.io
Cardano.Ninja
Helping to keep the Cardano community safe.
Supported by Octo @ selfdriven
Getting On-Chain Guide
Why selfdriven uses Cardano for On-Chain Technology.
Chat on Discord
I have supported the MeshJS Project with a donation, you can too!
LITEPAPER covering the future of this site is coming soon!
It will cover the potential for this site to be community run and also as a worked example of Proof of Reputation (PoR) for recognising community support - beyond being a member of the caring Cardano community! ;-)
If you'd like to get involved in supporting this project, then message me @selfdrivenOcto
We are currently collecting input from the community on what they would like this to become.
Have Your Say!
#CardanoCommunity
Catalyst Proposal To Upgrade This Site
Contributing to a Descentralised Society
All Cardano.Build (aka BuildingOnCardano.dev) & selfdriven.foundation content shared as CCO (Public Domain)
Aaron | The Transformation of the Network
This site is also available on GitHub