Blockchain Platform as a Service, Morpheus Labs demo
Given that the title contains the word blockchain, I would like to start by saying, this is not investment advice, this is tech advice.
Blockchain-Platform-as-a-Service (BPaaS) are platforms that ease the development of decentralized applications. Similar to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms, such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon’s AWS but rather geared towards blockchain development. They aim to allow teams to collaborate by providing a cloud-based IDE and CDE, load handling, faster deployments, rapid prototyping, and testing.
Without BPaaS various tools to compile, test and deploy smart contracts will be required. Currently, there are no de-facto standards. As is the case with all breakout industries, what is considered ‘hot’ or ‘cutting edge’ changes on a daily basis, as advancements continue to push us forward.
From massive corporations to two-man startups, using a BPaaS offers a turnkey solution that aggregates multiple leading development kits and connects to leading blockchain protocols. Teams can focus on developing and testing out their dApps, rather than spending time researching every blockchain and it’s corresponding development rules. Work smarter, not harder!
Below is a visual representation of Morpheus Labs platform, which is an existing feasible solution. Visit Morpheus labs documentation for a detailed step by step instructions. Documentation
For brevity, the demo will outline the value propositions.
Morpheus Labs has built a platform that aggregates the dApp development stack into one intuitive dashboard. Whether you are prototyping a POC for potential investors on a private chain, deploying the next big thing on the live Ethereum network or just having fun, ML will allow you to cut some corners and have a free lunch.
To get started create an account and sign up for the free membership. Below are a few of the membership tiers offered.
Navigate to the Dashboard and create a new repository, you will need to grab a Personal Access Token off your Gitlab account to allow Morpheus Labs to sync your project with Gitlab. Once access is granted you will unlock all the git functionalities for version control purposes.
Next, you may add team members to collaborate. Click the Team menu item, add users via their Morpheus Labs username. Fill up the popup and you are good to go.
Rather than creating a new project from scratch we will download a template project from the application library, dubbed App Library. The App Library is filled with a few template projects to get you off the ground, think of it as the Apple store for developers. If you are feeling adventurous you might also create your own dApp and upload it to their App Library.
Your downloaded app should show in your dashboard under “My Repositories”. One more click at “Manage deployment” and a workspace deployment will be initialized. You will now have full access to a cloud based IDE with all the tools required to Build, Deploy and Test dApps.
One more thing… to keep in mind is that ML’s platform currently supports one of the largest selections of blockchains in the space. The current list includes Hyperledger, Ethereum, MultiChain, NEM and Vechain. One of the most exciting things they are working on is offering cross-platform support. I am looking forward to a future where a developer would build one dApp that can run on multiple blockchains simultaneously, all from one cohesive code base. Coupled with the speed of deployment and intuitive platform, why would you need to outsource to expensive development shops? Just purchase a license and let ML do the heavy lifting for you. We might not be as far from the future as you think!
Summary
Building dApps is not a hard task, if you approach it correctly. Adding a BPaaS to your arsenal is a smart way to save time and resources. General BPaaS services offer hosting, cloud IDE and CDE, App Libraries to form some boilerplate code, integration with various blockchains, deployment and testing tools.