Question 1

Smart Contract Development

Accepted Answer

We develop NEAR smart contracts primarily using Rust, leveraging the near-sdk-rs for its performance, safety features, and comprehensive capabilities. Our development process incorporates best practices for contract architecture, including proper access control patterns, efficient storage management, and upgradability considerations. For testing, we implement comprehensive unit tests, integration tests, and simulation tests using NEAR's workspaces framework. We also utilize near-cli for deployment and management, with specialized workflows for contract upgrades and migration. Our contracts follow NEAR standards for interoperability, including NEP-141 for fungible tokens, NEP-171/177 for non-fungible tokens, and other emerging standards to ensure compatibility with the broader ecosystem.

Question 2

Frontend & Integration

Accepted Answer

Our frontend development for NEAR applications centers around React and Next.js with TypeScript, utilizing near-api-js for blockchain interactions. We implement wallet connectivity through NEAR Wallet Selector, supporting a wide range of wallets including NEAR Wallet, Sender, Meteor Wallet, and hardware wallets. For state management and data fetching, we employ specialized caching strategies optimized for blockchain data, with real-time subscription capabilities. Our UX design emphasizes progressive disclosure of complexity, with streamlined onboarding flows that leverage NEAR's account model. We also implement responsive interfaces that adapt to different devices while maintaining consistent blockchain interaction patterns and feedback mechanisms for transaction states.

Question 3

NEAR Social & BOS Development

Accepted Answer

We build applications and components for NEAR's Blockchain Operating System (BOS) and social platform, creating composable widgets that can be discovered and reused across the ecosystem. Our development approach uses React-based components with specialized patterns for on-chain storage and querying through Social DB. We implement efficient data schemas for social content, with careful consideration of indexing and query performance. For more complex applications, we develop custom indexing solutions that enhance data retrieval capabilities beyond what's available through the standard API. Our BOS components follow best practices for composability, allowing seamless integration with other components and applications in the ecosystem while maintaining security boundaries.

Question 4

Indexing & Data Solutions

Accepted Answer

We implement comprehensive data indexing solutions for NEAR applications using both NEAR's native indexer framework and specialized indexing approaches. For applications requiring real-time data processing, we develop custom indexers using the NEAR Lake Framework that process blockchain events with tailored business logic. Our indexing architecture includes efficient storage models optimized for application-specific query patterns, with appropriate caching strategies for performance. We also implement specialized data structures for complex queries that aren't efficiently served directly from the blockchain, including graph relationships, aggregations, and time-series data. For integration with existing systems, we develop API gateways that provide standardized access to indexed blockchain data.

Question 5

Cross-Chain Integration

Accepted Answer

We develop cross-chain applications leveraging NEAR's interoperability infrastructure, primarily through Rainbow Bridge for Ethereum connectivity and aurora-is-near for EVM compatibility. Our cross-chain implementations include secure asset transfer mechanisms with proper verification and confirmation handling, user interfaces that abstract cross-chain complexity, and consistent state management across multiple blockchains. We also implement specialized patterns for cross-chain identity and authentication, allowing users to maintain consistent identity across ecosystems. For applications requiring interaction with multiple chains, we develop transaction coordination layers that ensure atomicity and consistency of operations spanning different blockchain networks, with appropriate fallback mechanisms for error handling.

Question 6

What makes NEAR different from other blockchains for development?

Accepted Answer

NEAR differentiates itself through several key features: First, its user experience focus with human-readable accounts (name.near instead of hex addresses) and progressive security models simplifies onboarding. Second, its Nightshade sharding architecture enables superior scalability with transaction finality in 1-2 seconds and negligible fees. Third, NEAR's developer experience is optimized with familiar languages (Rust, JavaScript via AssemblyScript) and comprehensive tooling. Contract development includes features like implicit accounts, contract upgradability, and standardized interfaces. The account model allows for prepaying transaction fees (Access Keys) and streamlined onboarding. Beyond technical aspects, NEAR's ecosystem includes specialized components like NEAR Social and the Blockchain Operating System (BOS) for composable application development, along with a strong focus on sustainability (carbon-neutral) and progressive decentralization through its community-driven governance.

Question 7

How does NEAR's account model enhance user experience?

Accepted Answer

NEAR's account model revolutionizes blockchain user experience in several ways: Human-readable accounts (username.near) eliminate the confusion of hex addresses and reduce errors. The hierarchical structure allows for subaccounts (app.username.near) enabling applications to manage user accounts for better organization. Access Keys provide fine-grained permission control, allowing different keys for different applications with limited permissions. This enables prepaying gas fees for users (eliminating the need for users to hold tokens for basic operations) and contract-pays models where applications can subsidize user transactions. The model also supports progressive security, where users can start with simple security and gradually add recovery options and multi-signature capabilities as their assets grow. Account storage is charged once rather than per transaction, making applications more cost-efficient. These features combine to create onboarding flows and user experiences that more closely resemble traditional web applications while maintaining blockchain security and decentralization.

Question 8

What tools and frameworks do you use for NEAR development?

Accepted Answer

Our NEAR development stack includes: For smart contract development, we primarily use near-sdk-rs for Rust contracts with cargo-near for building and testing. We employ near-workspaces-rs for contract integration testing and simulation. For frontend integration, we use near-api-js as the core library with NEAR Wallet Selector for multi-wallet support across desktop and mobile. Our development workflow leverages near-cli for deployment and contract management. For data indexing, we implement NEAR Lake Framework for custom indexers and TheGraph when appropriate. Our development environments include near-sandbox for local testing and NEAR testnet for integration testing. We also use specialized tools for specific use cases including NEAR Explorer for transaction monitoring, BOS Component Library for NEAR Social development, and BOS Gateway for component hosting. For security, we employ specialized testing frameworks for economic simulation and vulnerability detection tailored to NEAR's architecture.

Question 9

How do you approach NEAR smart contract security?

Accepted Answer

Our approach to NEAR contract security includes multiple specialized practices: We implement comprehensive testing including unit tests, integration tests with near-workspaces, and simulation-based testing that models various user interactions and edge cases. Our code review process follows a security checklist specifically designed for NEAR's architecture, addressing access control patterns, storage management, economic vulnerabilities, and cross-contract call security. We utilize static analysis tools customized for Rust contracts, and formal verification techniques for critical components. Our deployment process includes staged rollouts, often using canary contracts for high-value applications. Contract upgradeability is implemented with careful version control and state migration patterns. We design explicit access control with function-level permissions and appropriate validation. For high-value contracts, we include circuit breaker mechanisms and governance controls that can pause operations if anomalies are detected. Additionally, we implement proper error handling patterns and economic simulation to test sustainability under various conditions.

Question 10

How do you integrate NEAR with other blockchain ecosystems?

Accepted Answer

Our cross-chain integration approach combines multiple technologies and patterns: We primarily leverage Rainbow Bridge for Ethereum connectivity, with specialized flows for asset transfers that maintain a consistent user experience despite the underlying complexity. For applications requiring EVM compatibility, we integrate with Aurora to enable Ethereum-compatible smart contracts with NEAR's performance benefits. Our cross-chain implementations include bridge monitoring systems that track transfer status and provide appropriate feedback to users. We develop unified user interfaces that abstract the differences between chains, presenting a consistent experience regardless of the underlying blockchain. For projects requiring multi-chain identity, we implement account linking mechanisms that maintain user identity coherence across ecosystems. Our architecture patterns include appropriate state management for cross-chain operations, handling different finality times and confirmation requirements. We also implement specialized error handling for cross-chain operations, with recovery mechanisms for interrupted transfers or failed transactions.

Approach	Key Features	Best For	Advantages	Considerations
Native NEAR dApps	Rust/AssemblyScript smart contracts, near-api-js integration, account model, NEAR standards compliance	Applications requiring high performance, cost-efficiency, and deep NEAR ecosystem integration	Maximum performance, low transaction costs, full NEAR feature access, human-readable accounts	Smaller developer ecosystem than EVM, different programming model from Ethereum
Aurora (EVM) dApps	Solidity smart contracts on Aurora, EVM compatibility, Ethereum tooling with NEAR performance	Existing Ethereum applications seeking better performance, teams with Solidity expertise	Ethereum compatibility, familiar development tools, NEAR performance benefits, large developer ecosystem	Layer separation from NEAR, additional bridge complexity for native NEAR interaction
NEAR Social / BOS Components	Composable components on NEAR's Blockchain Operating System, social integrations, on-chain discovery	Social applications, community platforms, composable components with social discovery	Built-in distribution, composability, social graph integration, simplified development	Different development model, unique storage patterns, evolving platform
Hybrid dApps	Combination of native NEAR contracts with cross-chain connections to other networks	Applications requiring multi-chain functionality while leveraging NEAR's performance	Cross-chain functionality, optimized performance, flexibility across ecosystems	More complex architecture, bridge security considerations, multi-chain UX challenges
NEAR Contract SDKs	Building application-specific SDK layers on top of NEAR contracts for simplified integration	Developer tools, platforms supporting multiple applications, infrastructure services	Abstraction layer for developers, consistent integration patterns, simplified adoption	Additional maintenance requirements, versioning complexity, documentation needs
NEAR Chain Applications	Specialized applications focusing on NEAR's chain capabilities like staking, validation, and governance	Infrastructure tools, staking applications, governance platforms, validator services	Deep chain integration, protocol-level capabilities, validator and staking access	More specialized use cases, requires deeper protocol knowledge, chain upgrade dependencies

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Smart Contract Development

Frontend & Integration Development

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