Web3 development tools and platforms: Panoramic analysis of Ethereum, Solana, etc. - web3 series Section 9

In the past few years, Web3 has gradually moved from a small circle of technology geeks to the masses. NFT, DeFi, GameFi, DAO... all have one thing in common:They all require an underlying blockchain platform to run.

If Web3 is compared to the "new digital world", then the public chain is the "land" of this world, and the development tools are the "construction tools". As a person who has been writing and consulting in the Web3 field for a long time, I often encounter friends asking me:

• “Which chain should I choose for development?”
• “What’s the difference between Ethereum and Solana?”
• "What tools should a novice start with when developing Web3?"

Today, we will conduct a comprehensive review to help you clearly understand the Web3 development platform and tool ecosystem.

Why is the public chain the core of Web3?

In Web2, applications need to rely on cloud servers such as AWS and Alibaba Cloud; in Web3, applications rely on public chains to run smart contracts.

• Public Blockchain: A decentralized blockchain network where anyone can deploy applications and verify transactions.
• Smart Contract: "Automatic execution code" deployed on the public chain does not rely on manual labor and ensures transparency and credibility.

One sentence summary:The public chain is the operating system of the Web3 world.

Analysis of mainstream public chain platforms

Let’s take a look at a few core public chains:

1. Ethereum

• status: The earliest and most mature smart contract platform.
• Features: The most prosperous ecosystem, with the most developers and applications (DeFi, NFT, DAO).
• insufficient: The transaction speed is slow (TPS ≈ 15) and the gas fee is expensive.
• solution:Layer2 expansion (Arbitrum, Optimism, zkSync).

👉 Case: Uniswap, MakerDAO, and OpenSea are all built on Ethereum.

2. Solana

• status: Known as a "high-performance public chain", it focuses on speed.
• Features: TPS can reach thousands, and transaction fees are extremely low (approximately $0.001).
• insufficient: It has been shut down many times due to network failures, and its stability has been questioned.
• Suitable: High-frequency trading, GameFi, NFT market.

👉 Case: Magic Eden (NFT market), StepN (Move-to-Earn game) both run on Solana.

3. BNB Chain (Binance Chain)

• status: Operated by Binance, the world’s largest exchange, with a huge number of users.
• Features: Compatible with Ethereum, gas fees are cheap, suitable for novice development and quick launch.
• insufficient: The degree of centralization is high, and the nodes are mainly controlled by Binance.

👉 Case: PancakeSwap (DEX) is the star application of the BNB chain.

4. Polygon

• status: Ethereum’s “second-layer network” emphasizes scalability.
• Features: Compatible with EVM, transactions are cheap (almost free), and the ecosystem is active.
• Suitable: NFT projects and cross-chain applications.

👉 Case: Starbucks Odyssey member NFT runs on Polygon.

5. Other public chains (briefly)

• Avalanche: Focusing on high concurrency and low latency, it is suitable for financial applications.
• Near Protocol: Mainly development-friendly, supporting multiple programming languages.
• Aptos, Sui: Emerging public chain, using Move language, with outstanding performance.

Web3 development tool ecosystem

After choosing a public chain, developers also need a complete set of tools.

1. development framework

• Hardhat: A standard tool developed by Ethereum that supports testing, deployment, and debugging.
• Truffle: Old-fashioned framework, suitable for quick start.
• Anchor: Solana-specific framework.

2. Wallet and interaction

• MetaMask: The most common wallet and an essential tool for developers to test DApps.
• Phantom: Solana ecological wallet.

3. Node and API services

• Infura: Provide Ethereum node services, saving developers the trouble of building their own nodes.
• Alchemy: Known as the “AWS” of Web3, it supports multi-chain APIs.
• QuickNode: High-performance node service provider.

4. Front-end integration

• Web3.js/Ethers.js: A commonly used library for front-end calls to smart contracts.
• WalletConnect: A protocol that allows DApps to connect to various wallets.

5. Testing and Security

• Ganache: Build an Ethereum test environment locally.
• OpenZeppelin: Smart contract security standard library (ERC-20, ERC-721, etc.).
• Tenderly: Contract monitoring and debugging tool.

Real development scenario cases

Case 1: Start-up team builds DeFi protocol

When an entrepreneurial team wants to develop a lending application, they choose Ethereum (high security on the main chain) + Polygon (low fees on the second layer). During the development process, Hardhat is used to build the environment, Infura nodes are used to provide services, and finally the interaction is tested through MetaMask.

👉 Enlightenment: Multi-chain combination + mature tools can reduce development costs.

Case 2: Game company builds Web3 GameFi

A gaming company develops GameFi on Solana because of the need for high TPS. Developed using the Anchor framework, users participate through the Phantom wallet, making transactions almost imperceptible.

👉 Enlightenment: High-performance public chains are more suitable for large-scale user interaction.

Case 3: Traditional brand NFT issuance

A retail brand issues membership NFT, chooses Polygon (low rates, good environmental image), deploys it through OpenZeppelin's ERC-721 standard contract, and then uses Alchemy to provide API services.

👉 Enlightenment: Brands are more inclined to choose public chains with good user experience and low cost.

Ideas for choosing public chains and tools

If you are planning to develop a Web3 application, you can use this table to make a quick decision:

[Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)]

Q1: Is it necessary to learn Solidity to develop Web3 applications?

A1:uncertain. Solidity is the mainstream language in Ethereum, but Solana uses Rust, and Aptos/Sui uses Move. There will be more cross-language support in the future.

Q2: The gas fee of Ethereum is so expensive, why do people still use it?

A2:Because Ethereum has the strongest security and ecology. Most of the top protocols and users are on Ethereum, and Layer 2 is also lowering fees.

Q3: Which chain should a novice start on?

A3:I generally recommend starting with Ethereum (or compatible chains, such as Polygon, BNB) because there is a lot of information and a large community.

Q4: Is it difficult to develop Web3?

A4:There is a certain threshold, but the learning curve is friendlier than you think. Hardhat + OpenZeppelin + MetaMask can almost help novices quickly build a DApp prototype.

Summarize

The Web3 development platform and tool ecosystem has developed from a "wasteland" a few years ago to a "hundred flowers blooming" situation.

• Ethereum：Safety and the strongest ecology
• Solana: High performance, low cost
• Polygon/BNB: Good user experience, suitable for novices and brand applications

If you are a developer, now is a great time to get involved. Whether you want to build a DeFi protocol, an NFT platform, or the next popular Web3 game, mature public chains and tools are ready. Next, what matters is your creativity and execution.

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