Cointelegraph Team
Cointelegraph
“A student can build an app without needing to learn new languages without needing to learn new skills,” said NEAR founder Illia Polosukhin.
20 million JavaScript developers will now have the ability to write blockchain smart contracts and build applications on the NEAR Protocol, after rolling out JavaScript Software Development Kits (JS SDKs) on Monday.
Speaking with Cointelegraph at the Korea Blockchain Week (KBW) on Aug. 9 (local time), NEAR founder Illia Polosukhin emphasized that the move will open up the niche field of blockchain development to a substantially broader audience:
There's about 20 million JavaScript developers in the world. Probably like every developer one way or another wrote JavaScript in their life. And what we allow you to do is to write smart contracts in JavaScript.
“Before we had Solidity so for Ethereum and other Layer 2s, we had Rust, which is what Solana and Near are mainly. And so Solidity has probably 100,000 developers who are familiar with it, and those who are active is even less. There is even less probably in Rust,” he added.
In an Aug. 8 announcement shared with Cointelegraph, NEAR outlined that the JS SDK includes the “contract framework itself, JavaScript and TypeScript contract examples and tests.”
Polosukhin went on to note that the JS SDKs could be utilized by anyone from students looking to dip their toes into the blockchain, to people in the commercial sector looking to accelerate their projects.
“A student can build an app without needing to learn new languages without needing to learn new skills. It will also be easier for entrepreneurs to hire [devs], so they can actually build teams stronger, faster, and deliver products faster,” he said, adding that:
So kind of the idea from Near is to build a very extensible and powerful system that allows developers to build really anything from simple apps to very complex apps.
Questioned on whether the JS SDKs will be Ethereum Virtual Machine Compatible given that NEAR is an Ethereum competitor, Polosukhin stated that the offering will run specifically on Near, but that it is possible to create EVM compatible smart contracts from the SDK, much like how EVM compatible scaling Aurora was created on NEAR.
NEAR is a decentralized application (dApp) platform launched in April 2020 that is designed to be developer and user-friendly. Its native token NEAR is currently the twenty-fourth largest crypto asset in terms of market cap at $4.1 billion.
The asset is priced at $5.44 at the time of writing and is up a notably 42.8% over the past 30 days according to CoinGecko.
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers.
Recommended Content
Editors’ Picks
OpenAI parts ways with cofounder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever
OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever is exiting the firm for reasons not disclosed yet. Jakub Pachocki replaces Sutskever, taking the baton after running many of OpenAI’s most important projects, Altman says. Reportedly, Sutskever played a key role in the November ouster of CEO Sam Altman.
Sonne Finance suspends all Optimism markets after over $20 million exploit
With PeckShield attributing the attack to a time-locked contract, Sonne Finance has suspended all Optimism markets, adding that the Base market is safe. Noteworthy, Sonne Finance is the first platform to launch a lending protocol on Optimism.
Bitcoin Price Outlook: Will GameStop stock resurgence have downstream effect on BTC and alts?
Bitcoin continues to glide along an ascending trendline on the four-hour time frame. Meanwhile, the GameStop saga that has resurfaced after three years distracts the market, with speculation that it could inspire risk appetite among traders and investors.
Ethereum bears attempt to take lead following increased odds for a spot ETH ETF denial
Ethereum is indicating signs of a bearish move on Tuesday as it is largely trading horizontally. Its co-founder Vitalik Buterin has also proposed a new type of gas fee structure, while the chances of the SEC approving a spot ETH ETF decrease.
Bitcoin: Why BTC is close to a bottom
Bitcoin (BTC) price efforts of a recovery this week have been countered by selling pressure during the onset of the American session. However, the downside potential appears to have been capped.