Now that we’re one week into Phase 3 (Krypton) of the Stacks 2.0 testnet, we’re thrilled to announce that the #HackStacks hackathon has officially begun!
If you’re a little fuzzy on #HackStacks, here’s a quick refresh from the original announcement:
#HackStacks is a virtual hackathon that gives developers their first shot at leveraging the power of PoX by building tools that make it easier and more profitable to participate in the Stacks 2.0 consensus mechanism. A foundational aspect of this is the new STX Mining and Stacking functions, which work together to link the network to Bitcoin and secure the blockchain. Mining on Stacks 2.0 allows miners to mint new Stacks (STX) tokens by simply forwarding (BTC) to the network, while Stacking enables “Stackers” to earn that BTC by locking up their STX tokens on the network.
Considering the novel incentive structure offered by PoX, #HackStacks is a unique opportunity that requires developers to build with both community and business potential in mind. Since we announced #HackStacks, a few devs have already risen to this challenge.
Below, we showcase their promising projects and list some resources to help you get started on your own #HackStacks submission.
Ultimate List of #HackStacks Resources
Resources to Start Building
Start Building for Stacking
Start Building for STX Mining
Resources for Understanding PoX, the Stacks 2.0 Testnet, and Clarity Smart Contracts
Understanding Proof-of-Transfer (PoX)
Understanding Transactions on Stacks 2.0
Working with the Stacks 2.0 Testnet
Working with Clarity
Other Helpful Resources
Utilities
Reference Pages
Important Github Repositories
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stacks-blockchain : the reference implementation of the Stacks 2.0 blockchain in Rust.
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stacks-transactions-js : The JavaScript library for generating Stacks 2.0 transactions.
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blockstack.js : a JavaScript library for using identity, auth, and storage in your apps.
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stacks-blockchain-api : interacting with the Stacks 2.0 Blockchain via API.
HackStacks Virtual Workshop Series
- PoX Deep Dive: In this workshop, Blockstack PBC Engineering Partner, Aaron Blankstein gives a comprehensive overview of what Proof of Transfer is and how it operates on Stacks 2.0.
- Intro to Stacking: In this panel discussion, Blockstack PBC’s Jeff Domke (Head of Product), Mark Hendrickson (Product Manager), and Aaron Blankstein (Engineering Partner), explain Stacking and Stacking delegation, and also share insights and tips on how to build an effective Stacking product.
- Mining Bot Demo: In this session, Xan Ditkoff (Founder, Daemon Technologies) and Gavin Gao (Technical Community Lead, Daemon Technologies) share a demonstration of a mining bot that they are currently building for #HackStacks. This detailed demo is an excellent example of how to approach building tools/products specifically for the mining category.
In addition to the above resources, we encourage you to join the #hackathons channel on Discord for any discussion related to #HackStacks. Discord is a safe and friendly space to ask questions, connect with other hackathon participants, and learn from brilliant community developers.
For Inspiration: Community Project Examples
Cerebro Wallet by @eugene - A multi-currency wallet that is powered by Blockstack tools and has Stacking integrated. Cerebro’s Stacking mechanism will include:
- A user’s Stacks account
- A user’s Bitcoin account or an account created in Cerebro
- Stacking details such as reward cycles, minimum STX required, etc.)
- Validation
- Stacks lock-up
- Stacking history
The Cerebro team will be finishing up the fundamental design this week and plans to complete the full integration within the next two weeks. Learn more about Cerebro.
Stackstarter by @marvin.id - A crowdfunding platform for the STX ecosystem that cuts the “middleman” or trusted third party out of fundraising. Using Clarity smart contracts, Stackstarter enables any investor to put STX directly toward the fundraising campaigns of their choosing; smart contracts handle both the disbursements and reimbursements for successful and failed campaigns.
A basic version of the Stackstarter smart contract has already been created and can be found here: https://github.com/MarvinJanssen/stackstarter. The next phase of Stackstarter will focus on building the interface or UI; that is, the front-end web application that users can easily interact with.
In addition to the Blockstack libraries, Marvin will be using Svelte (svelte.dev), which compiles to native JavaScript to ensure that the Stackstarter app will deliver the best possible performance. Additionally, some tweaks and changes to the Clarity code are to be expected over the coming weeks.
Stackture by @fintechrecruiter.id & @talhasch - Stackture is a company that creates tools and services that provide insights from Stacks blockchain data and increases stacking participation which grows the ecosystem. They have 2 projects in the pipeline: Stacks Monitor, a real-time analytics tool exclusively for the Stacks network and Stacked Sats, a non-custodial delegation service for Stacks hodlers. Stacked Sats will enable Stackers to securely earn Bitcoin as well as compound & track their earnings. (This highly demanded project is still in its early stages so stay tuned for further updates.) In the meantime, learn more about Stackture!
We’re looking forward to seeing what you all build! Happy hacking, everyone 
.