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Accomplishments in Q1
In the first quarter of the year, we’re proud to report some big achievements:
- Blockchain: We announced hyperchains, a high throughput, low latency solution for applications on Stacks, and made critical headway towards launch (more on that below). We also released additional improvements to fee estimates and supported Stacks 2.1 work (via SIP-015).
- API: We made a number of big improvements to API performance and added faster event replays, better caching, foundation for functional tests, and improved documentation and test coverage. We also released new endpoints for NFTs and started work towards improving Event Replay Optimizations (#1082).
- Clarinet: We released a new inline debugger to help developers debug their smart contracts (watch Brice give a walkthrough of the debugger) and made improvements to the check-checker, which helps developers identify sources of untrusted data in their code. We also improved the parser with better error messaging.
- Stacks.js: We reduced bundle-sizes, added dark mode for docs and browser compatibility. We also added automation for future releases to streamline future updates.
- Wallet: We added US support in two fiat onramps (MoonPay and Transak). We also integrated improved fee estimates in the Hiro wallet to more accurately propose fees to users and released a new onboarding flow.
- Explorer: We made a number of performance improvements to the Stacks Explorer to provide a better experience to users, including reducing the number of API calls to render the /blocks page. We also fixed analytics in the Explorer and now have real performance data, which will inform what we work on next for the Explorer.
- Team: We had our annual company retreat in Mexico and are closer than ever! And even better, 7 new Hiros joined our team!
What We’re Focused On in Q2
Our goal this year is to support the growth of the Stacks community and address the growing pains experienced by developers (growing pains are a good thing!). Here are some of our focus areas for Q2:
- Blockchain: We are racing to the finish line for an MVP launch of hyperchains on testnet in Q2. Follow our progress and join the conversation on GitHub.
- API: Optimizing replays will continue to be a critical area of focus for us, which will help improve resiliency and data consistency. Likewise, the CPU utilization of the running API nodes is being optimized significantly. Intending to improve the confidence in new API version rollouts.
- Clarinet: We are working on improvements to the in-line debugger in Clarinet and extending the debugger feature to VS Code plugin. Performance optimizations to improve the `clarinet integrate` bootstrapping time is in flight.
- Stacks.js: For the developers building on Stacks.js, we plan to create Stacks.js starter projects for five popular Javascript frameworks, which we hope will assist them in getting started more quickly. There will be documentation and sample templates that developers can clone from and get started.
- Wallet: We plan to add arbitrary message signing and Ledger support to the extension version of Hiro Wallet. We’ll also improve the experience of purchasing STX while pursuing the addition of Bitcoin support, so users can manage their BTC holdings alongside Stacks assets in the extension.
- Explorer: We plan to continue making performance improvements to ensure a speedy and reliable experience while browsing network data and viewing transactions.
- Team: We plan to continue scaling the team while creating a best-in-class culture. P.S. we’re hiring. Join us!
What We’re Not Focused On
As more teams and developers find their way to Stacks, we tend to have many more ideas than we have capacity for (which is a great problem to have!). The same as last quarter, these are some important areas we are unable to focus on this quarter:
- EVM compatibility / Ethereum bridges
- Mobile support
- Data storage
These projects need work, as do others not mentioned here, and we encourage the community to pick these efforts up, and we will support you the best that we can!
Let Us Know What You Think!
If you have any questions about our priorities, join us in Discord and reach out to the Hiro team.
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