Zcash Grant Proposal: Zonchain Analytics Platform

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Zcash Grant Proposal: Zonchain Analytics Platform

Hey everyone! Check out this Zcash grant proposal for Zonchain, a cloud-native analytics platform designed to bring real-time metrics and historical data analysis to the Zcash blockchain. This is a super cool project that could really boost the Zcash community, and we're excited to break down all the details for you.

Terms and Conditions

The applicant has agreed to all the essential terms and conditions, ensuring a smooth and transparent process if the grant is funded. These include:

  • Agreeing to the Grant Agreement.
  • Providing KYC information if funded above $50,000 USD.
  • Disclosing any conflicts of interest.
  • Adhering to the Code of Conduct and Communication Guidelines.
  • Ensuring milestone deliverables are validated by intended users.
  • Creating a CONTRIBUTING.md file for any new open-source software, following the librustzcash style guides.
  • Adhering to project-specific contribution guidelines when contributing to existing Zcash code.
  • Posting request details on the Community Forum.
  • Posting a link to the issue on the Zcash Community Forums for community input.

These terms ensure that the project aligns with Zcash's standards and community expectations.

Application Owners

  • @Octocat
  • @Octocat1
  • manuelcoca

Organization Name

Manuel Coca

How the Applicant Learned About Zcash Community Grants

The applicant learned about Zcash Community Grants through Substack News. It's awesome to see how different channels are spreading the word about these opportunities!

Requested Grant Amount

The total requested grant amount is $20,700 USD. Let’s dive into how this budget will be used to bring Zonchain to life.

Category

This project falls under the Community category, which means it’s aimed at enhancing the Zcash ecosystem and providing valuable tools for its users.

Project Lead

  • Name: Manuel Coca
  • Role: Software Architect & Engineer
  • Background: Manuel has a strong background as a Software Architect Consultant, building cloud-native applications for big customers. This experience is crucial for the project’s success.
  • Responsibilities: Manuel will be responsible for the overall architecture and engineering of the Zonchain platform.

Additional Team Members

Currently, there are no additional team members listed. However, Manuel’s expertise should be sufficient for Phase 1 of the project.

Project Summary

Zonchain is envisioned as a cloud-native Zcash blockchain analytics platform. It will provide real-time metrics and historical data analysis through a modern web interface. Think of it as a supercharged dashboard for all things Zcash!

Project Description

The goal of this grant is to fund Phase 1 of a production-grade data platform for Zcash blockchain analysis. This phase will:

  • Run on Kubernetes (Azure/portable), making it scalable and flexible.
  • Consume data from managed Zcash node providers, ensuring reliability.
  • Expose transaction data and network metrics through REST APIs.
  • Include a basic web dashboard for visualizing key information.

Phase 2, which will require an additional grant, will focus on a full-featured dashboard. This phased approach allows for focused development and community feedback along the way.

Proposed Problem

The proposal addresses a significant gap in the Zcash ecosystem:

  • Limited accessible tooling for Zcash on-chain analysis: Currently, there aren't enough user-friendly tools for analyzing Zcash blockchain data.
  • Existing explorers lack programmable APIs and advanced analytics: Current explorers don't offer the APIs needed for developers to build advanced applications.
  • Developers need better data infrastructure for building Zcash applications: A robust data platform is essential for fostering innovation within the Zcash community.

Proposed Solution

The proposed solution, Zonchain, aims to solve these problems by creating a hosted analytics platform (Phase 1) that:

  • Connects to Zcash node providers (like GetBlock.io or Tatum).
  • Indexes blockchain data into time-series and relational databases.
  • Exposes metrics via REST APIs, making data accessible to developers.
  • Displays a basic dashboard with core metrics, providing an overview of the Zcash network.
  • Phase 2 (future grant) will include advanced dashboards, custom analytics, GraphQL support, and a foundation for other projects.

Think of it as building a real-time, accessible, and programmable window into the Zcash blockchain!

Visualizing the Solution

The proposal includes some awesome mockups that give you a sneak peek at what Zonchain could look like:

  • Image 1: Overview of the dashboard layout.
  • Image 2: Example of transaction data visualization.
  • Image 3: Mockup of network metrics display.

Solution Format

The Zonchain project will deliver several key components:

  • Open-source codebase (Go/Rust backends, React frontend): This ensures transparency and community involvement.
  • Kubernetes deployment manifests: Making it easy to deploy and scale the platform.
  • Docker images: Simplifying the deployment process.
  • API documentation: Allowing developers to easily integrate with Zonchain.
  • Basic dashboard with essential metrics: Providing immediate value to users.
  • Deployment guide: Helping others set up their own instances.

Dependencies

The primary dependency for Zonchain is a managed Zcash node provider. This ensures that the platform can reliably access blockchain data.

Technical Approach

Let's get a bit technical and talk about how Zonchain will be built:

Backend Services (Go + Rust)

The backend will handle the heavy lifting of data processing and storage:

  • RPC connector to managed node provider: Fetching data from the Zcash blockchain.
  • Data pipeline for ETL (Extract, Transform, Load): Processing and cleaning the data.
  • Time-series metrics aggregation: Calculating key network metrics.
  • PostgreSQL + TimescaleDB for storage: Storing the data efficiently.
  • REST API layer: Exposing the data to the frontend and other applications.

Frontend (React) - Phase 1 Scope

The initial dashboard will focus on providing essential information:

  • Basic real-time dashboard showing:
    • Current block height
    • Value pool distribution (Transparent/Sapling/Orchard)
    • Price
    • Network hashrate
    • Next halving

Upstream Merge Opportunities

This section is currently empty, but there's potential for future collaboration with other Zcash projects.

Budget Breakdown

Let’s break down how the $20,700 will be used.

Hardware/Software Costs (USD)

$0 - There are no direct hardware or software costs listed for this project.

Hardware/Software Justification

N/A

Service Costs (USD)

$4,800 (approximately $400/month) will be allocated for service costs.

Service Costs Justification

This covers essential services such as:

  • Azure Kubernetes Service hosting
  • Managed PostgreSQL database
  • Storage for indexed data
  • Zcash node provider API access
  • Domain and SSL certificates

These services ensure that Zonchain can operate reliably and securely.

Compensation Costs (USD)

The majority of the budget, $15,900, is allocated for compensation costs.

Compensation Costs Justification

This covers the developer costs associated with building the Zonchain platform. It's crucial to compensate developers for their time and expertise.

Total Budget (USD)

The total budget for this project is $20,700 USD.

Previous Funding

This is a new project, so there is no previous funding.

Previous Funding Details

No response

Other Funding Sources

There are no other funding sources for this project at the moment.

Other Funding Sources Details

No response

Implementation Risks

Like any project, there are potential risks to consider:

  • Node provider API rate limits or downtime: This could affect the platform’s ability to access data.
  • RPC response latency affecting user experience: Slow response times could impact the user experience.

These risks will need to be managed proactively to ensure the project's success.

Potential Side Effects

This section is currently empty, but it's important to consider any unintended consequences of the project.

Success Metrics

How will we know if Zonchain is successful? Here are some key metrics:

  • Platform deployed and publicly accessible
  • Basic dashboard displays all core metrics
  • Community feedback collected for Phase 2

Startup Funding (USD)

$6,000 is requested for startup funding.

Startup Funding Justification

This will cover the initial costs of:

  • Provisioning infrastructure
  • Setting up the development environment
  • Database setup
  • Node provider account setup
  • Operational costs for 12 months + buffer

The startup funding ensures that the project can get off the ground smoothly.

Milestone Details

The project is broken down into six key milestones:

- Milestone: 1
  Amount (USD): 6000
  Expected Completion Date: Mid-January 2026 (Week 2)
  User Stories:
    - Set up cloud infrastructure and development environment
  Deliverables: 
    - Kubernetes cluster, PostgreSQL + TimescaleDB, CI/CD pipeline, monitoring tools
  Acceptance Criteria: Infrastructure running, automated deployments working, dev
   environment ready
- Milestone: 2
  Amount (USD): 3000
  Expected Completion Date: Early February 2026 (Week 5)
  User Stories:           
    - Integrate with managed node provider and query blockchain data
  Deliverables:
    - RPC client library, connection to provider API, data validation tests
  Acceptance Criteria: Successfully retrieving blocks, transactions, and value pool data from provider
- Milestone: 3
  Amount (USD): 3000
  Expected Completion Date: Early March 2026 (Week 9)
  User Stories:
    - Build data ingestion pipeline
  Deliverables:
    - ETL service (Rust/Go), database schema, backfill process, error handling
  Acceptance Criteria: Continuous ingestion running, historical data indexed (30+ days), data consistency verified
- Milestone: 4
  Amount (USD): 3000
  Expected Completion Date: Early April 2026 (Week 13)
  User Stories:
    - Implement REST API for blockchain metrics
  Deliverables:
    - API service (Go), endpoints for blocks/transactions/pools/network stats, OpenAPI spec, rate limiting, caching
  Acceptance Criteria: API functional, documented
- Milestone: 5
  Amount (USD): 3000
  Expected Completion Date: Early May 2026 (Week 17)
  User Stories:
    - Build basic web dashboard (Phase 1 scope)
  Deliverables:
    - React frontend, real-time metrics display, basic charts,
   responsive UI
  Acceptance Criteria: Dashboard features as described above
- Milestone: 6
  Amount (USD): 3000
  Expected Completion Date: Mid-May 2026 (Week 19)
  User Stories:
    - Production release and documentation
  Deliverables:
    - Production deployment, setup guide, API documentation, GitHub repo
  Acceptance Criteria: Platform publicly accessible

Each milestone includes specific user stories, deliverables, and acceptance criteria. This structured approach ensures that the project stays on track.

Milestone 1

  • Amount: $6,000 USD
  • Expected Completion Date: Mid-January 2026 (Week 2)
  • User Stories: Set up cloud infrastructure and development environment.
  • Deliverables: Kubernetes cluster, PostgreSQL + TimescaleDB, CI/CD pipeline, monitoring tools.
  • Acceptance Criteria: Infrastructure running, automated deployments working, dev environment ready.

Milestone 2

  • Amount: $3,000 USD
  • Expected Completion Date: Early February 2026 (Week 5)
  • User Stories: Integrate with managed node provider and query blockchain data.
  • Deliverables: RPC client library, connection to provider API, data validation tests.
  • Acceptance Criteria: Successfully retrieving blocks, transactions, and value pool data from the provider.

Milestone 3

  • Amount: $3,000 USD
  • Expected Completion Date: Early March 2026 (Week 9)
  • User Stories: Build data ingestion pipeline.
  • Deliverables: ETL service (Rust/Go), database schema, backfill process, error handling.
  • Acceptance Criteria: Continuous ingestion running, historical data indexed (30+ days), and data consistency verified.

Milestone 4

  • Amount: $3,000 USD
  • Expected Completion Date: Early April 2026 (Week 13)
  • User Stories: Implement REST API for blockchain metrics.
  • Deliverables: API service (Go), endpoints for blocks/transactions/pools/network stats, OpenAPI spec, rate limiting, and caching.
  • Acceptance Criteria: API functional and documented.

Milestone 5

  • Amount: $3,000 USD
  • Expected Completion Date: Early May 2026 (Week 17)
  • User Stories: Build basic web dashboard (Phase 1 scope).
  • Deliverables: React frontend, real-time metrics display, basic charts, and responsive UI.
  • Acceptance Criteria: Dashboard features as described above.

Milestone 6

  • Amount: $3,000 USD
  • Expected Completion Date: Mid-May 2026 (Week 19)
  • User Stories: Production release and documentation.
  • Deliverables: Production deployment, setup guide, API documentation, and GitHub repo.
  • Acceptance Criteria: Platform publicly accessible.

Supporting Documents

The proposal mentions supporting documents, but the descriptions are brief:

- File Name 1: Brief description of the file contents
- File Name 2: Brief description of the file contents

More detailed descriptions would be helpful to understand the contents of these files.

Conclusion

Overall, the Zonchain proposal is a solid plan to address the need for better analytics tools in the Zcash ecosystem. The phased approach, clear milestones, and experienced project lead make this a promising project. Keep an eye on this one, guys – it could be a game-changer for Zcash! Let's get the community's thoughts and feedback on this proposal.