Hi everyone,
First, thanks to everyone who has been kicking the tires on Neon, the first phase of the Stacks 2.0 testnet. We’re excited to transition into the next phase today, codename Argon . To get started, just visit testnet.blockstack.org!
What’s new in Argon?
Developer preview of the new Stacks 2.0 Explorer!
We built a new Explorer from the ground up. It has several nifty Clarity specific features, including full source-code display with syntax-highlighting, inspecting post-conditions and more.
Better Clarity support in stacks-transactions-js
Most notably, the ability to broadcast transactions, upload contracts, call contract functions, specify post-conditions, and more! This will enable Javascript/Typescript applications (web-based, Nodejs etc) to interact with Clarity smart contracts on Stacks 2.0. This functionality is also now available in blockstack-cli: enabling cmd-line applications to broadcast transactions, deploy Clarity contracts and call / invoke deployed contracts.
Several stability and performance improvements
In particular, Stacks nodes can now tolerate forks of the underlying Bitcoin burnchain. This is crucial for the Stacks blockchain to be able to survive hard-forks and re-orgs of the underlying burnchain, and a requirement before we start integrating with the Bitcoin public testnet in a future phase. Many of these changes have been live on Neon already and we will continue improving reliability in Argon.
Integrate smart contracts into your app with Blockstack Connect
Developers writing Clarity smart contracts can now empower their app users to sign transactions, bringing those contracts to life with real-world use cases. The new authenticator for Blockstack Connect supports a “debug mode” for transaction signing that helps developers get the hang of how smart contracts work in the context of Web 3 apps. Any Blockstack user, however, can use it to start signing transactions with your app today! It’s great for beta testing next-generation app features.
Give transaction signing a spin using the Blockstack Testnet Demo app.
Testnet Bounty Program
Last but not least, the testnet bugs and tools bounty program is now live! Earn rewards for identifying bugs or creating tools and resources.
Happy testing and see you on the forum or Discord!
Important disclaimer
Blockstack PBC is not registered, licensed, or supervised as a broker dealer or investment adviser by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), or any other financial regulatory authority or licensed to provide any financial advice or services.
Forward-looking statements
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