Why are new EVM compatible blockchains so fun and promising

In the past few years, the web3 ecosystem has dramatically grown, not only for user-facing applications but also for developers. Nowadays, there are lots of different ecosystems and tools to choose from when developing for web3. This is exciting for any developer but can also be confusing and daunting. A web2 developer entering the web3 ecosystem may encounter numerous ecosystems to participate in; none are inherently good or bad but represent various strategies to address similar challenges.

It's no surprise that Ethereum is the ecosystem that attracts most developers, and it's probably the first contact any developer will have with smart contract development. We could say that Ethereum serves as the gateway ecosystem for numerous developers entering the blockchain space.

This is one of the many reasons Horizen created EON (Ethereum Open Network), the EVM-compatible sidechain. The best part is that Horizen EON recently got released, and this is super exciting news for curious technical people like you. There are a lot of exciting opportunities with Horizen EON and the Horizen ecosystem.

In this article, you'll learn about a few activities you can do as a developer to have fun in a new EVM-compatible chain like Horizen EON. Explore, deploy, learn, break, test, and much more.

Why devs love EVM-Compatible Chains

The EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) is widely adopted, and for several good reasons, not everyone might fully understand it. An EVM-compatible chain is a blockchain that can understand and execute smart contracts and transactions in the same way that the Ethereum blockchain can. This compatibility is achieved by implementing the same instruction set that Ethereum uses.

EVM-compatible chains like Horizen EON offer a familiar environment for developers, ensuring that skills and knowledge are transferable across platforms. This universality reduces learning curves, making blockchain development more accessible and efficient. You can take any smart contract you deployed on Ethereum and deploy it on Horizen EON.

Developers are not the only ones who benefit from compatibility; protocols and infrastructure providers also benefit from EVM compatibility. This is why you will find various developer tools, bridges, DeFi protocols, liquidity providers, and essential infrastructure components deployed on Horizen EON. All of these can integrate easily with any EVM-compatible chain. If an ecosystem decides to have another type of blockchain, it would have to sort out many compatibility and integration issues.

All of this means that if you are familiar with Ethereum, it will be very straightforward for you to start in Horizen EON, making it easier for you to get into the Horizen ecosystem.

Why is a new chain exciting to interact with?

Interacting with a new blockchain, particularly one as fresh and promising as Horizen EON, is an exciting journey for any developer. There are several upsides to getting involved with a fresh new chain.

Firstly, the novelty of Horizen EON provides a unique sandbox for experimentation. Developers can test their projects with minimal adjustments in a new context that might offer different advantages, such as improved scalability or lower transaction fees. See and compare the differences between ecosystems by yourself!

Moreover, being part of a new ecosystem from its early days is a rare opportunity. Developers can influence the growth and direction of the Horizen EON network, contributing to its infrastructure, setting standards, becoming ambassadors, and even shaping its community. You can get involved in the community right now by checking the horizen community page. Getting involved in early ecosystems offers a sense of ownership and contribution that is harder to achieve in more established networks.

Additionally, the learning opportunities in a new blockchain like Horizen EON are vast. Developers can deepen their understanding of blockchain technology by confronting and solving the unique challenges of a new network. This could range from debugging smart contracts in a slightly different environment to integrating with novel sidechain solutions. Getting to a new environment early on will lead you to problem solve, get out of your comfort zone, and get back to learning some basics.

Engaging with a new chain is an excellent way for developers to build their reputation within the blockchain community. Developers can establish themselves as experts in the field by contributing to open-source projects, writing documentation, or simply sharing experiences and learnings. If you find a bug or have some feedback to give, the Horizen team will be more than happy to get your feedback. Feel free to go to the Discord and leave your opinion on what could be improved.

All of this can lead to new career opportunities, learning experiences, collaborations, and a more robust professional network in general.

Participating in Horizen EON

Now that you better understand why getting involved in the Horizen ecosystem is a great idea, let's go through a few different things you can start doing. The best thing is that there are many opportunities for different types of profiles, like smart contract auditors, front-end developers, smart contract devs, and more.

All the following actions are not sequential; you can pick whatever seems interesting for your skill level and what you want to do. Trying all of these things will set you up for success and cover the basics.

1. Getting a wallet

Getting a wallet is the first thing you should consider when approaching a new ecosystem. You can use Metamask by adding the Horizen EON network, or you can also use Cobalt, the wallet created by the Horizen team.

You can read more on creating a wallet in the 'get a wallet' section in the official documentation.

2. Deploying a Smart Contract with Remix

Remix is a well-known online IDE to code, compile, deploy, and interact with smart contracts. It's web-based and requires no setup. This is the easiest and fastest way to get something deployed on any EVM-compatible chain, and it's a great point to start.

You will first need to get some TZEN (Horizen EON testnet token) from the faucet to deploy a contract to the testnet. After getting some testnet ZEN, you can check out the complete tutorial on how to use Remix to deploy on Horizen EON here. Please note these tokens are only valid to use on a testnet network and cannot be redeem for the ZEN running on mainnet.

3. Navigating the Block Explorer

Familiarize yourself with the Horizen EON block explorer, leveraging Blockscout for a deep dive into blockchain activities, which is crucial for web3 developers. Understanding an ecosystem's explorer is one of the best ways to understand how transactions work and all the information they contain.

Horizen Mainnet Explorer
Horizen Testnet Explorer (Gobi)

Some good features this custom explorer offers:

Real-Time Data: Monitor live blockchain activities, including transactions and block details, which are essential for analyzing network health and smart contract performance.
Transaction and Block Insights: Access detailed analyses of transactions and blocks, including statuses, gas fees, and miner information, aiding in smart contract debugging and optimization.
Smart Contract Interaction: Directly interact with, read, and write smart contracts through the explorer, facilitating easier testing and deployment.
Developer Tools: Use GraphQL and RPC endpoints to build, test, and deploy applications within the Horizen EON ecosystem.

One thing you can do after deploying a smart contract is go to the explorer to check out how the transactions are presented and what information you can get. Especially for Horizen EON, it's essential that you understand the concept of Backward and Forward transfers.

Feel free to interact directly with any verified contract, try the APIs to query blockchain data, trace back a few transactions, and understand how the account model works.

4. Deployment with Thirdweb

Thirdweb is a development platform for building web3 apps. It provides tools for developers to deploy smart contracts and interact with and manage them.

This is perfect for front-end developers who look to start quickly with building a nice user interface; using thirdweb might be your savior to deploy well-known contracts with a few clicks. This will help you see how well the deployment with thirdweb works with Horizen EON and also let you deploy a more complex set of smart contracts that you can later use for your front-end development.

In the explore section of thirdweb, you will find a lot of audited and tested smart contracts, some of them pretty complex that you can just deploy with a few clicks.

If you want to deploy a smart contract with ThirdWeb UI, you can follow these high-level steps:

Go to the Explore section in thirdweb and connect your wallet
Select the contract template you would like to deploy and click it
Click on “Deploy Now” and you will be prompted with a form to fill in all the required information for the contract you selected. If there are fields you don’t fully understand, I would recommend you to choose a different contract or research or what those fields mean.
After filling in all the contract parameters and metadata, click on “Deploy Now” and approve the transaction on your wallet. This step will cost gas so make sure you have some TZEN in your wallet.

The coolest thing about deploying on Thirdweb is that you’ll be able to control your smart contract from the dashboard. Depending on the contract you selected, you’ll be able to do different things, from minting new NFTs to airdropping tokens to a list of addresses.

If you want more information and guidance, you can follow the thirdweb tutorial from the Horizen official docs.

After deploying a contract with thirdweb, a great idea would be to build a front-end for users to interact with it. If you enjoy front-end development, you can deploy any template contract with thirdweb and try to build a UI for it. This will show you how you can build fully functional dApps for end users and how to interact with a blockchain or smart contracts from a front-end. You can start a react project and use libraries like ethers.js, viem, or web3.js. You can also follow this tutorial on how to start a react frontend and interact with a sample contract. Feel free to share your creation with the rest of the Discord community and the Horizen team.

Final Thoughts

Whether you're an experienced blockchain developer or learning about solidity, Horizen EON offers a familiar yet innovative playground to explore, create, and grow. By engaging with Horizen EON, you're not just contributing to a blockchain but building it.

The opportunities in Horizen EON are vast and varied. There's something for everyone, from deploying smart contracts with ease to navigating new frontiers in blockchain technology. The tools and resources available are enough to jump straight into action and test everything you can. This is how to build a community and grow ecosystems, with developers like you who help share their points of view.

Remember, no matter how small, every contribution helps build a more robust and inclusive ecosystem. Experiment, learn and share with Horizen EON today!